It all started with Subic’s Gourmet Garage and Rustan’s Benny’s Place. Now the group is expanding to include the flavors and products of Spain.
For more than a decade now, Omnivores Manila Inc. has been operating casual and cozy boutique-style restaurants and delicatessens in the country, intending to offer a discerning sense of taste in cuisine, service and ambiance. It started in 2007, founded by Eduardo Soriano Lopez Jr. and Ma. Carmencita Tantoco Lopez, and continues to grow and evolve at a steady place to date.
The first of its ventures is the Gourmet Garage in Subic, Olongapo. It is a country-style cafe serving a wide variety of cuisine including spaghettini pasta tossed in their signature luglug sauce, thin-crust pizzas, lamb madras curry, and chicken galantina, alongside an array of imported goods to bring home, from San Pellegrino bottled beverages to butter shortbreads and almond delights.
It was followed many years later with Benny’s Place, a modern Filipino restaurant sitting right across Rustan’s Supermarket in Makati. An homage to the family patriarch, this eatery has been serving tuna and crispy pork dinakdakan, sarsyadong pusit sa bihod, and fried crablets with crab fat sinigang since 2019.
In 2021, Rockwell in Makati welcomed the lifestyle space 1120 House, which has the Rustan’s Flower Shop and Bon Appetit Café under one roof. One can purchase home accessories including fresh and dry flowers and vases of different shapes and sizes, while indulging on crumble baked waffle, grilled ribeye with chimichurri butter, and even cocktails such as the Old Hag at Bar 11.
“Since Floret already has a strong following, putting it [in a country club] was not a problem,” says Margs Hernandez-Lopez, merchandise manager for Omnivores Manila. “It was also the perfect space for the restaurant since the owners have always known what they wanted—something detached, with lots of al fresco area, and most importantly parking. Through the magic of social media and word-of-mouth, our guests knew that 1120 House was easily accessible and definitely not a members-only destination.”
Late last year, they added Bon Bakery, an in-house artisanal bakery that showcases specialty cakes, pastries and signature products in their still-growing roster. Then, just last April, they launched two restaurants in Tagaytay, namely Bon Appetit, which is a branch of the one in 1120 House but with a breathtaking view of Taal Volcano, and Judon, a Japanese joint perched on the 3rd level of Hotel 8.
Spanish extension
“My sister-in-law Rica Lopez-de Jesus moved to Spain two years ago and it was then that she started discovering all the delicious Spanish products that Filipinos could potentially enjoy and love,” says Margs. It has always been her passion and habit to try new food and share her delicious culinary discoveries with others. Consequently, Omnivores recently released a line of imported Spanish products, specially curated by her.
There’s traditional biscuits such as turrones and mazapanes from Doña Jimena, which is one of the most important producers of specialties and chocolates in the Spanish market; canned seafood such as line-caught bonito tuna and Cantabrian anchovies from family-owned company Arroyabe; foie gras from free-range Moulard duck from Martiko; cured meats from Cartesa; Manchego cheese from Quesos Artesanos Hechos a Mano; and premium Iberian jamon from Ibericamente.
“Only the best of the best without prejudice to brand or price points,” claims Margs.
In line with the introduction of this extensive gastronomic line, Bon Appetit in 1120 House is running “Flavors of Spain,” a limited-time-only (ends September 30, 2024) set of dishes which features the imported Spanish products in mouthwatering plates.
There’s pan con tomato y boquerones and green olives, chistorra a la plancha, and hojaldre de ventresca or sardines in puff pastry for pintxos. Tapas for sharing includes angulas al ajillo or sautéed baby eel with seared shrimp, chopitos fritos or crispy fried baby squid with aioli, patatas bravas con jamon, and croquettes with different fillings—jamon, blue cheese, bacalao, and leeks.
They also have two kinds of pastas that make for heavier and heartier fare: huevas de bacalao or pasta with brined bacalao roe, and fideua sautéed with spicy chistorra sausage.
Omnivores is certainly geared up in time for busy “ber” months.
