Everyone knows about the one-stop book and gift shop, Fully Booked, round the corner of Bonifacio High Street with all the books and reads and the iconic painting on a book of walls. But do you know that there is a grab-n-go concept at the first floor of this book shop that serves flavorful Modern Meditarranean dishes? Yes, there is and it is called MEDLEY.
Though, I believe most foodies certainly know about this winner restaurant, what you might not know is that Medley started as a small kiosk at the Legaspi Street Market, where Israel-born David Tweg and his father Michael, offered Mediterranean snacks to local market-goers. As their followers grew, they saw it as an opportunity to share their love of Meditarranean food to a bigger audienc3, thus, they opened Medley, a Mediterranean restaurant with a modern twist.
We were invited to taste some of the dishes through a Medley community dinner and it certainly opened not only our eyes but our tastebuds to a while new experience.
And now, for my F.A.B. review!
(F)OOD:
The food here is certainly bursting with color, flavor but also with nutrients since they use no preservatives nor artifical flavorings. They have options for meat lovers, vegetarians, and vegans and are totally customizable to fit everyone’s preferences.
SALAD
Lemon & Herb Chicken
Lemon & Herb Chicken, Israeli salad, red bell pepper, red cabbage salad, moroccan carrot salad and garlic sauce
This is one of my fave dishes since I always crave for salad and this is a perfect one! It looks like Christmas on a dish because of the colorful ingredients. Love how the garlic sauce binded the salad together and how that citrus of a lemon in that chicken punched through this healthy dish and elevated that dish.
BOWL
Beef Kofte With Hummus & Pita
Juicy beef kofte kebab, taboulleh, corn salad, sumac onion salad, chickpea salad and mamba sauce
Kofte is like a meatball which consists of minced or ground meat—usually beef, chicken, lamb, or pork—mixed with spices and/or onions while tabbouleh is an Arab salad of cracked wheat mixed with tomatoes, onions, and parsley. Though these are totally unfamiliar to me, my taste buds were rejoicing to this new discovery. I also love the flavorful hummus where I dipped that yummy kofte.
Levantine Chicken With Mediterranean Rice
Sliced levantine chicken thigh, morrocan carrot salad, Israeli salad, grilled vegetables, matbukha, and garlic sauce
Levantine chicken is diced chicken marinated into yoghurt and spices while matbukha is a dish of tomatoes and roasted bell peppers seasoned with garlic and chili pepper. A totally great dish for those who would love a healthy but filling alternative. This dish is punching with flavors and freshness with those tomatoes.
PIZZA
The Big Cheese
Basil pesto base, mozzarella, feta cheese, parmesan, and garlic cheddar
Who doesn’t love cheese?! This was certainly our group’s favorite! Aside from it being a dish for sharing, the combination of cheeses just worked with that fresh basil pesto base.
SANDWICH
Falafel (The El Nido) Pita
Crunchy falafel, mixed greens, Israeli salad, Moroccan carrot salad, pickles and tahini sauce
This is the popular dish at their El Nido branch, thus the name. It had flavorful falafel that made yhis sandwich so filling. I believe that the falafel’s flavor was adjusted for the Filipino palate because I have tasted some falafel with some stronger flavor but this sandwich is certainly a winner.
REFRESHMENT
Ginger Mint Lemonade
Not my first choice for a drink but I love the combination of ginger with the refreshing mint and that tangy lemonade. I love lemonade and mint, though we know that ginger has medicinal properties, that ginger added a little different flavor profile that may be an aquired taste for me.
They do not serve desserts but we have tasted a posssible future dessert item and you can find out soon as they are open more stores.
(A)MBIENCE:
This is a grab-n-go concept restaurant so don’t expect fancy tables and chairs though they have an al fresco dining option.
You may order through one window while watching the people from Medley prepping your food then claim your orders after, easy peasy.
They have sandwiches, salads, bowls, and pizzas.
As we were privately invited, the table setting was great and very intimate as there were only 12 guests. Though, this is a private studio space that you can rent out for personal functions or maybe setup an intimate dinner with these yummy Medley dishes.
(B)UTLER SERVICE:
At the actual restaurant, you would only have to wait for your food maybe while sittting at their al fresco option so not much interaction with the Medley people. During our event, we were served our food on this private setup, we had no problems with the service, all our food and requests came out on the expected time.
LOCATION: Ground Floor of Fully Booked, B6 Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City Taguig City
To know more about Medley, follow them on their social media accounts
FACEBOOK: Medley Modern Med
INSTAGRAM: @medleymodernmed
