COMMUNITY KITCHEN

Flatlay by @johnbunag

"food that I like to eat and I like to cook.... "

-Chef Bernadette Olivarez

Chef/Part Owner

For a Chef of her caliber, it was indeed a pleasure being at the receiving end of  her creative passion. This gem of a place in Eastwood  is certainly a destination restaurant. One seeks the restaurant out for their beef bourguignon , sourdough pizza, beef ragu pasta, kouign amann to name a few.

Origins

The restaurant just opened in  September. The name COMMUNITY KITCHEN was carried over from the name of the whole building which is COMMUNITY whose owner is also one of 7 partners in the food venture.

"We really want local suppliers to be able to display their ware.   We want to get local suppliers for our ingredients.Vegetables come from Laguna delivered every other day..."

                              -    Tin Santos (co-owner)

Ms. Tin also relates that originally they wanted a showroom cum small cafe on the space  for their other venture VIDA MANILA which sells rtw online.  But one of  the owners suggested a  full range restaurant instead because feng shui was  against the idea. Having acquired  the space already , Tin and her hubby Lou Santos decided to push through with THE COMMUNITY KITCHEN. With the help of their family friend Mr. Oman Tanchinco, they were connected to other investors.

To date there are 7 partners to this food venture including the owner of the building Mr. Oman, Mr. Paul Perez of the Papa Diddy's Ice Cream fame and Chef Bernadette Olivares formerly of Beluga  and Lavigne restaurants...

Chef Bernadette Olivares

Formerly a Chef of Lavigne and Beluga in Makati in the late 80s -90s, trained in Le Rosche Switzerland for 4 years and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, currently a teacher in Fatima University, Chef Bernadette wears two hats- owner and head chef  in THE COMMUNITY KITCHEN. A far cry from her fine dining restaurants decades back, she found her calling in cooking food that she likes to eat and to cook .... French and Italian cuisine casual style

The Space

The restaurant sits in a sprawling 100 sq meters area.  The lay out is simple . The color palette is muted almost drab. A small open industrial kitchen called my attention  as I entered the room.

THE COMMUNITY KITCHEN can sit a maximum of 60 - 70 persons including the alfresco area. 

The  almost generic look of the restaurant though worked in their favor because  with nothing to distract the diner, his or her whole attention centered on the food

The Food

Predominantly French-Italian, we  enjoyed the following...

BEEF SHANK RAGU P380

beef, red wine, marinara

One of the most sought after dish , Beef Shank Ragu is reminiscent of  Osso Bucco and Beef Bourguignon with pasta.  The shank was fork tender with complex flavor that was balanced by  the linguini. 

CAPRICCIOSA P420

ham, artichoke, mushrooms, topped with salted cooked egg

They had me at sourdough crust haha.  Chewy and flavorful , it complemented the o ham, artichoke,olives  and mushrooms . 

CLAM PIZZA P385

clams, white wine sauce

Certainly another winner in my book.  Alas I can only eat so much carbs. This is best for sharing.

CHICKEN WITH CREAM PASTA P370

chicken, tarragon cream

Simple , scrumptious and filling

SEAFOOD STEW P445

prawns, snapper clams, fresh chorizo, tomato broth
This is best with rice  or pasta. For its price I will just order the puttanesca

SEAFOOD STEW PASTA P495

One of my favorites, I loved their version of puttanesca. Pasta was al dente. Shrimps were succulent and fresh .  I can taste the sea from the simmered-for-hours tomato sauce.

Overall...

A destination restaurant, this gem of a place somewhere in Libis is worth a second visit.  I would love to try all the items in their menu.

Its a good thing they also deliver via honest bee.

Home-made everything,  what's not to love? Well maybe the location haha.

People in Libis are one lucky bunch.

THE COMMUNITY KITCHEN  is located at the ground floor, The Community Building, Metropoli Drive, Libis Quezon City