NACI Comfort Food in Greenhills!

The long wait is over. Now, there's a new restaurant that serves food to crave for in Greenhills, to add to my recent encounter with Yumemiya's Curry Udon! NACI Comfort Food & Dessert Bar opens this October 16, 2011!

It was love at first bite. They looked like mini-hamburgers. It was actually Spanish Chorizo and Brie Puffs (P320). I told J there seemed to be a hint of langka (jackfruit) in there that blew me away. It turned out to be sweet, sweet banana (which is actually smart, who knew these ingredients could actually make a very good trio). There were Junior Crab Cakes too (P210)! There's something we don't see in Manila menus. These two were perfect pika-pikas. 

I turned my attention to the appetizers. First up - the Beef Taco Springrolls (P190). No more mess and it comes with salsa! Plus it's the all too familiar sinful Pinoy turon.

J likes Salpicao. According to him, it's a simple dish, something we can make at home and it tastes good. It's just right that NACI has it in the menu and has made its own version - the Creamy Salpicao (P340) complete with those crispy garlic bits that I can't quite replicate yet.

For the soup, we had Tita Em's hearty Chowder (P120) - that's a whole lot of bacon, shrimps, potatoes and corn in there. You have a whole bowl to finish too.

This next one is my favorite. It's called the Kani Mango Crunch (P160). There are a lot of times when I crave for kani salad and the ingredients are just not available at home. The "Crunchy" is what sets this NACI dish apart. I am not a fan of wasabi but the wasabi mayo dressing in this dish was not overpowering. This is a surprisingly heavy meal for me in itself so that big serving is definitely meant for sharing if you want more NACI.

*Side note: Try their smooth iced tea, it tasted like the Butterfly iced tea that became popular before only this one's a little bitter. I liked the Lemon over the Red.

I only had room for a few more comfort food. This next one is also my favorite - the Shrimp Jambalaya (P320). It's slow-cooked baked rice mixed with curry, shrimps, coconut cream, eggplant, tomatoes and raisins. The Peruvian Chicken Rice (P295) was also not bad and perfect to comfort you when you're sick on a rainy day. It's just more familiar and Asian than the Shrimp Jambalaya which has a Mexican flare to it. 

Obviously, I can't stop sampling the main course. Here's the Slow Roast Pork Belly (P290). They swore that the glaze did not come out of a can. It sure tasted like those sumptuous BBQ Baby Back Ribs... and without the bones too... Plus it comes with Parsley Rice!

There's actually so much more there, the food below for example, and there is a limit to what I can eat for one night. Eating too much comfort food is no longer comforting when abused. It is best to invite a larger group next time to sample more dishes. I'll make a mental note that NACI is just a stone's throw away from my workplace and I could find a variety of comfort food there if ever I am and I'm not in the mood. 

Store Details:

Naci Comfort Food & Dessert Bar

Open Mondays to Thursdays 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Fridays to Saturdays 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Sundays 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

2nd Flr Fox Square Building

Connecticut St., Greenhills, San Juan

726-7266