The Cochi Bistro concept revolves around the Cochinillo, weeks old Spanish pig (~7kg) oven roasted butterflied style with secret herbs and spices for 3 hours. It is served with a unique lechon sauce of garlic tuom, kamias marmalade, and harissa. They say the best time to eat a lechon is when smoke is still coming out of its butt.
ABOUT COCHI BISTRO
Cochi Bistro and Oyster Bar is a cochinillo concept by Marvin Agustin with executive Chef Lica Ibarra of Asia Masterchef fame at the helm. It’s not biased towards any cuisine and it features different small dishes with Mediterranean, Asian, and European influences.
COCHI Bistro 🐽🥂🦪
Cochi Bistro BGC, roasted suckling pig • oyster bar
⏰11.00 am-11.00 pm
📍BGC Corporate Center, 30th St. corner 11th Avenue, BGC
(former Francesco’s location)
MENU & RESERVATIONS LINK 👇🏼
bit.ly/CochiBistroForm
IG: @cochibymarvin
Best to reserve the seats on the opposite ends of the resto with a lounge sofa seating for a more private corner. We sat near the windows with a view of the streets of BGC.
The open kitchen features live shucking of the fresh oysters, the different sauces, and Chef Lica plating and preparing your dishes.
COCHI BISTRO MENU: Cochi Menu | Signature Cocktails | Wine
First decision is to decide what kind of cochi you would order:
· The Leg (₱2,498) good for 1-2 pax
· The Rib (₱3,998) good for 2-4 pax
· Whole (₱12,498) good for 8-10 pax (available with advance order)
The other menu items are light and small in portion intended to prepare your appetite for the lechon. We tried all the dishes in the menu and these are what we recommend.
STARTERS
aslan dressing, sriracha, mayo, granny smith
Most of our kids loved this because of the creamy, spicy, and crispy contrast. Eat in one bite.
arugula, vinaigrette, miso glaze, chermoula, harissa
I thought the kids would freak out eating a whole crab with a shell. When the crab was sliced into pieces, the kids didn’t notice the difference because the shell was soft and the meat inside was tasty.
Loved their sauces. Best to mix and match the sauces to your liking.
pickled shiitake, marmalade, sumac onions, homemade pita
For something more generous in serving, order the hummus, with good flavor and spices, served on their small pita. Nothing heavy but satisfying.
orange honey butter, feta, lime
A bit sweet with the orange honey butter, but the sharp taste of the feta cut through the sweetness for the roasted flavor of corn to be enjoyed.
OYSTER BAR
Loved the idea of starting with oysters and cocktails while waiting for the lechon to be served.
You can order the oyster fresh, baked, or in shooter form.
Fresh oysters served with a shooter concoction with some spice and acidity.
bourbon, rye whiskey, green mango, lime, egg white
🍸Olives and Tarragon (₱350)
asian gin, fresh tarragon, fresh lime juice, olive brine, blanc vermouth, soda water
Loved the theme of the Filipino and Mediterranean-inspired cocktails to excite your appetite.
SOUP & SALAD
pickled mushrooms, nori
The kids loved the kimchi soup, a good way to prepare the palate for the lechon feast.
cherry, tomato, watermelon, pomelo, honey dew, vinaigrette, wasabi mascarpone
The wasabi mascarpone sauce was creamy and spicy and paired well with the fruity acidity. Galing!
COCHI
The lechon was served with smoke still coming off its butt with a side of the jus.
We ordered just one of each appetizer for variety and tikim tikim lang. The portions were just right although some were a bit sweet with the honey/sugar. Best not to order those.
(Available for advance order good for 8-10)
After we cracked it open with the ceremonial plate, it was the crispy lechon skin that was wiped out first. No need for sauce actually, and it was tasty by itself though still hot at this point.
They don’t serve the traditional Mang Tomas or your usual lechon sauce but a combination of garlic white creamy sauce, a spicy harissa sauce, and sweet maasim na kamias marmalade.
Best to mix all of them. Serves as their own unique lechon sauce.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The lechon also paired well with their house Cab Sauv, which they usually serve chilled.
pomodorini, garlic confit, parsley oil
We ordered their seafood dish to complement the lechon and to add seafood to the feast.
crispy nori, fresh uni, kimchi
The UNI Adlai rice was the best among all the rice pairings, with a bit of umami.
sauteed
For something healthy, order the sautéed vegetables to eat with the lechon for a complete meal.
ripe mango, green mango, red pepper jelly
This mango salsa will make you eat more of the lechon, adding sweet and maasim notes.
We loved the belly and rib sections which were quite tender and absorbed most of the flavor.
DESSERTS
granny smith, crumble, burnt mallow cream
The kids loved this deconstructed apple pie with s’mores and marshmallow cream base. So good!
Thai tea crunch, lemon, mascarpone
Something light and sweet just to clean your palate from the greasiness of the lechon.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, this was a brilliant concept focusing on the Cochinillo experience paired with various cuisines vs. other lechon restaurants serving lechon and Filipinos dishes or other Spanish restaurants serving lechon as one of the main dishes.
It is best to organize a group with your family and friends to enjoy the cochinillo feast and have the complete experience. Our favorite supporting cast include the baked and shooter oysters; soup & salad of kimchi consommé and summer salad; sides of uni Adlai rice; and Apple Pie & S’mores for dessert. You’ll love their unique lechon sauce combination of garlic tuom, kamias marmalade, and harissa. Budget about ₱1,800/ head for a whole cochi feast.
Congrats Marvin Agustin and Executive Chef Lica Ibarra for the new Cochi Bistro concept! What a comeback after the cochi fiasco last year. They were humbled by the experience and strived to do better and come up with better concepts and cochi execution.
Check this out for your Christmas get togethers this December!
COCHI Bistro 🐽🥂🦪
Cochi Bistro BGC, roasted suckling pig • oyster bar
⏰11.00 am-11.00 pm
📍BGC Corporate Center, 30th St. corner 11th Avenue, BGC
(former Francesco’s location)
MENU & RESERVATIONS LINK 👇🏼
bit.ly/CochiBistroForm
IG: @cochibymarvin
Live an Awesome Life with Christ,
Founder & Digital Creator, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: Thank you to Marvin for the invitation. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. There is plenty of parking beside Tomatito. Make sure to reserve in advance.
