161 F. Mariano Avenue, Dela Paz, Pasig City
Contact: 0917-630-3422
Facebook: www.facebook.com/p/Pacific-Bay-Eats-61554396579650
Reservations can be made at least three days in advance
(SPOT.ph) It’s a name you’ve seen in supermarkets and online shops. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a home cook (or hotel chef) who doesn’t have Pacific Bay to thank for incredible portions of seafood, among other ingredients they proudly process and stock. Full disclosure: This author made at least three meals with them the week this thing was written, so be warned, you’re reading the words of a certified Pacific Bay fan.
But one thing we don’t always think about—because who has the time?—is how to really make the most of every single ingredient. "That’s a chef’s job," you might say, and you’d be correct; Pacific Bay thinks so, too, hence the birth of their private-dining and delivery venture Pacific Bay Eats powered by chef Alex Bautista. The dining leg, located within the polished backrooms of the seafood processing plant in Pasig, gives you every layer of flavor at full throttle.
Also read: The Best Seafood Dishes You Can Order Right Now
10 Seafood Restaurants to Try in the Metro Right Now
Before you roll your eyes, this isn’t the stiff, pinky-up, "elbows off the table" experience that you might associate with the phrase "private dining"; Pacific Bay Eats gussies up just enough to make for a nice night out without demanding too much of you, the diner.
Some fast facts: Pacific Bay Eats caters to four to 12 people per meal. There are set menus to choose from available starting at P1,555 per person, but they also accommodate special requests; note that our menu during that visit was custom-built for SPOT.ph. Seafood is the star of their menus of course, but they'd occasionally use other ingredients sourced by the chef himself, from a network of local farmers.
Bites kick off the meal. In the Smoked Salmon Bites (also available as an add-on at P82 per piece), a small roulade of sashimi-grade salmon with mango jam is topped with shiso to offset the fruit's sweetness. Likely nostalgic for anyone who grew up with the crab + corn combo, the Snow Crab Tart stars shreds of naturally briny crab covered in a sweet creamed corn emulsion.
Next comes the double-salmon party that is the Salmon Tartare—a two-bite wonder with a generous mouthful (almost a mouthful and a half, really) of the melt-in-your-mouth fish tossed in a light tomato jam, served on crispy salmon skin. And, presently off-menu but requestable, the Mussels with aromatic shallots and chives are a great example of the way the chef gets creative; the rich, savory sauce that accompanies each bite is itself made of cooked-down mussels.
You can also request different ceviches, such as the Scallop number we were fortunate enough to get to try. This appetizer is yet another showcase of both Chef Alex’s artistry and his connections in local agriculture—slivers of lightly denatured scallop meat are submerged in coconut milk and herb-infused oil, dotted with corn kernels that echo the inherent sweetness of the shellfish.
Representing the spiced and zingy ends of the flavor spectrum is the Seared Tuna Steak. Lightly seasoned with the chef’s own take on Old Bay Seasoning (a must in the seafood of Chesapeake Bay’s surrounding states), affectionately called Pacific Bay Seasoning—and, no, they wouldn’t tell us what’s in it—and served with a pomelo salad with a pinakurat-based dressing, it’s one of those slabs of tuna that hits you where the steak craving lives and doesn’t leave you wanting.
More smoky and soulful is the Charred Pulpo with Romesco Sauce, a tender yet intensely flavored take on octopus. The char seems to come from tare—not dissimilar to the more familiar teriyaki, but also not interchangeable—and the dish’s tomato-based co-star leans heavily on salt and acid in such a way that it almost reminds you of the perfect sun-blushed version of the fruit. We don’t drop the "umami bomb" title with abandon, but this plate gets the ribbon for sure.
We officially enter mains territory with the tender yet firm-flaked Grilled Swordfish Belly. Elegant in appearance and feisty in flavor, it's prepared with piyanggang paste, on which the chef doubles down with coconut milk. Okra makes an appearance among other aromatic greens in a way that even the vegetable-averse can’t turn their noses up at. So if you’re worried that the set menus are all small bites, don’t be; even the appetizers grow in portions as the meal progresses.
Of course, paella is an underrated gathering food, and it looks like PB Eats seeks to avenge it. The Paella Mixta, for one, delivers potent seafood flavor. Chef Alex says he uses the whole shrimp and he means it; every grain of rice is imbued with that deep, ocean-pungent saltiness you usually only get when you go to town on shrimp heads. Baby squid and clams fill it out even further, rounding out the strong, savory salinity of this instant party favorite.
Marrying Spanish and Southeast Asian flavors into an unexpected meal-ender is the Pandan Torija. The sugary pandan scent hits you right as the servers enter the doorway to the private dining space. For the uninitiated, torrija is sort of a Spanish take on French toast and lands somewhere between that and the Philippines’ own budin. However, under Chef Alex’s hands, the texture reads almost like flan, contrasted by the mildly pungent, crunchy cereal—so flavored because it’s made with prawns. Even dessert can’t escape the influence of the high seas, we suppose.
As mentioned, Pacific Bay Eats is also a delivery service selling their frozen seafood, frozen viands, and ready-to-eat meals; their website boasts five different ‘concepts’ (genres of food, really) under its header, where you’ll go from seafood kofta to fish and chips in a matter of clicks if that’s what you want. Worth a try is the Salmon Sisig (starts at P184/meal box with rice). It’s a great demonstration of the chef’s principle of using all the parts of the fish where possible, and a fun deviation from his normal Spanish-inspired fare. Use of novel protein aside, it actually tastes like normal sisig. Try it if you don’t believe us.
Getting to the plant is easy enough; it’s a fairly straightforward drive along F. Mariano Avenue in Pasig, and the gate is clearly labeled with the Pacific Bay logo. We won’t lie to you; once you’re parked in the facility’s garage and out of the car, you’re hit with all the smells that you’d expect a seafood processing plant to have. But—big but—then they guide you through bright yellow halls; plastic curtain after plastic curtain, until three final sharp turns bring you to a small but cozy foyer and a pine-green dining room that can seat up to 12. (Another hot tip: If you want to impress a client who, ostensibly, isn’t allergic to seafood, this could be the perfect place!)
Depending on the day and time of your reservation, you might get to see industrial freezers open and shut, or Pacific Bay personnel of varying roles in action. Chef Alex himself gives the tour, leading you back to the dining room before kicking off the meal proper with starters.
Between the great service, the comfortable room, and the food, the entire experience is more than worth every penny. If you’re the kind of person who loves seafood, liminal spaces, or private little get-togethers that tuck you away from the rest of the world for a little while, Pacific Bay Eats may just be exactly what you’re looking for. And if not, hey—you can always have some of it delivered.
Bookings can be made through 0917-630-3422 at least three days in advance. Requests for additions or changes to the menu will be accommodated if made at least 24 hours ahead of the scheduled reservation.
Photos by Majoy Siason
Hey, Spotters! Check us out on Viber to join our Community and subscribe to our Chatbot.
2024-07-21T04:11:45Z