Presuming it was named for the airport code of their favorite city, Barcelona; BCN of the Bistro Group has done it’s own share of traveling and changing neighborhoods. I recall it’s first incarnation in Legaspi Village, on the then-trendy culinary outpost of Bolanos St. Then pre-pandemic, in February of this year, it opened its doors at SMaison, Pasay City. Now, in what I hope is its new permanent "Place of Residence," we can find BCN by Las Flores at the corner of 9th Avenue and 26th Street at BGC.
A culinary love letter to their native Barcelona, the Spanish fare that one finds at BCN is a wonderful blend of "comfort food" for the frequent Barcelona traveler, and an intriguing mix of grill-fired and sauced meat dishes. And when I say "comfort food," it’s a good bet that I’ll be referring to their paellas. But there is much more than your regular listings of paellas (negra, duck, crab and uni) and the seafood fideuà. They offer an assortment of pasta options—love their linguine vongole, carbonara and spaghetti nero.
The tapas options found on the menu of any Spanish restaurant is my personal checklist of whether it bears repeated visits. On this count, I’m more than happy to report that BCN passes muster, with enough inspired tweaks and slight variations to make them unique and yet familiar. And the good thing about these little dishes is that while you can find something like them in most Spanish eateries, you’ll also find that the BCN version is its own, and you’ll come back for them.
On the day I "road tested" their fare; I absolutely loved my appetizer choices. First, there was the quinoa salad, the quinoa acting as a bed for the smoked salmon, and I adored the drop of beetroot essence. Then there was the shrimp and shiitake al ajillo, the shiitake a superb addition to what would have been the traditional gambas ajillo. The smoked burrata was a cool, fresh and relaxing choice; the arugula, cured meat, and anchovies giving off great varieties on flavors to complement the burrata.
Feeling like a carnivore that day, we ordered the USDA prime ribeye, which was served with cloves of roasted garlic and potatoes. It was a slab worthy of attention; but to be honest, it was our second meat dish, that blindsided me and took me by pleasant surprise. This was the crispy pork belly, slices of belly nestled on a potato purée and with little mushrooms adorning the slices. This made me double think, as I’m going to try the sliced tenderloin dish the next time I’m at BCN. If the pork belly is an indication of how they serve their sauced meat dishes, sign me up to try all the ones offered by their kitchen. This pork belly was sublime!
For dessert, we opted to go with their lemon cheesecake, torched in a good way, and I liked the tartness of the lemon mixed with the cheesecake. It made for something slightly different from the traditional desserts you’d find in Spanish or Italian restaurants.
Yes, the new BCN stands where the Bistro Group had their Italian experiment, Osteria Daniele; and to my mind, it’s a BCN whose time has come and I can see it enjoying great success in this location. It’s all about contactless ordering, and confirming your order via the digital option. And of course, if you need any physical assistance, the staff is ready to be of help. The menu has enough options and dishes to make repeated visits a welcome prospect.