MANILA -- Bonifacio Global City is a hub of culinary activity with gastronomic delights in pockets around the township, like in The Plaza at Arya Residences in McKinley Parkway.

Found at the ground floor of this eco-friendly building complex, the Plaza houses five restaurants, each with their own al fresco dining area and specialties.

“The Arya Plaza is a social gathering place designed for both the residents of Arya Residences and the immediate community. You will notice that there’s a steady and consistent breeze that you [will] feel, and that’s the result of the deliberate design of the Plaza to utilize the wind, to ensure that the microclimate in the Plaza is always very comfortable,” explained Chris Narciso, executive vice president of ArthaLand Corporation.

Whether you’re looking for fine dining options or a good time with friends, the Plaza has something for the urbanite foodie (with an added bonus of a parking area for guests).

1. Savage

At first glance, one might easily mistake Savage as one of those trendy restaurants with its industrial chic interiors and concept, as it uses pre-industrial cooking methods like fire, ash, and smoke in its menu.

At first bite though of its creamy and spicy sevilled eggs (that comes with a sprinkling of ash), one realizes that this restaurant is rooted in strong and bold flavors. Salad comes in creamy and bright, with an undertone of smoke with their crab and potato salad, punctuated with fish roe for salt and balance.

Mains include the grilled pork belly marinated in cola flecked with grill marks, balanced with earthy arugula and sweetness from a smoked pineapple quenelle.

Big groups are a great excuse to order the barramundi, a whole fish cooked on the fire with preserved lemon and strong olive oil. Showing mastery, a bite of fish is juicy, fresh tasting, and delicious.

For dessert, choose the Kladdkaka, a Swedish dark and sticky chocolate cake that feels barely cooked and delicious, served with a dollop of vanilla cream.

2. Fukudaya Japanese Dining

Since its opening a few years ago, Fukudaya has gained popularity as a place to get authentic Japanese food, prepared by Japanese chefs that you see creating your dishes through their open kitchen.

Eating seafood with confidence comes easily in Fukudaya, especially when they present pristine dishes like the Salmon Carpaccio with sliced radish pickles, and favorites like the Shrimp Tempura Roll sushi.

Not to be missed is the Australian Wagyu Steak in garlic sauce that comes in a skillet -- perfectly seared, resting on a shallow pool of sweet-salty onion sauce, topped with a generous amount of fried garlic chips.

3. Lemuria Restaurant and Wine Bar

This branch of the fine-dining restaurant has the same classy and chic aesthetic of its original restaurant in Horseshoe in Quezon City. Whether it’s a power-lunch or a date-to-impress, Lemuria delivers with French food done right with care and artistry.

Taste decadence with dishes like pan-seared foie gras with a balsamic gastrique, sweet and melt in your mouth duck leg with a creamy cassoulet, and a red-wine stewed beef bourguignon with the fluffiest of mashed potatoes, as you sip wines from their curated collection.

End your meal with coffee or tea, and a bite of one of the best pecan caramel tarts in Manila.

4. The Red Piano RestoLounge

Made with fun in mind, The Red Piano RestoLounge combines the fun of a piano sing-along bar and an eclectic mix of comfort food. Here to drink? Corkage is at P500 per bottle.

Listen to singers croon beside a red piano, while having tender beef bourguignon stewed in Burgundy, as well as one of the most authentic carbonaras in the Metro, that only uses pecorino cheese, and guanciale (cured pork cheek) flown in from Italy.

Other dishes not to be missed are the Big Cracklin, a giant chicharron sprinkled with vinegar powder that always elicits amazement when it arrives on the table, and the San Franciso clam chowder, which comes to the table underneath a dome filled with smoke. Inside the dome is a bread bowl filled with a creamy and rich chowder made from two types of clams from two different places in the Philippines. It’s one of the best (or perhaps the best) clam chowder in Manila -- a treat for Manila’s rainy weather.

5. Martin Place Social

One of the few Australian restaurants in Manila, Martin Place Social takes the best of Australian dining with coffee and steaks at the forefront of their menu. Best known for the Auburn Flat Bread Bianco, Aussie Beef Short Ribs, and Baked Atlantic Salmon, the restaurant also serves hearty one-pot Filipino meals like sinigang and adobo.

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