Do a Good Deed By Eating As Many Of These Pintxos As You Can
Bar Pintxos seems to have always lived a charmed existence. From finding the perfect locations to its concept which was easily embraced by an eager local market, everybody’s favorite Spanish tapas bar can't complain about their road to success.
Chef and co-owner Miguel Vecin shares that they have been wanting to do a charity event for a while now. “This is our way of giving back,” he explains. “We’ve been quite blessed to be doing well with our business and we have always wanted to do something for others.”
For the whole month of October 2018, all three Bar Pintxos branches (Alabang, BGC, and Salcedo Village) will offer limited edition pintxos from eight of the Philippine’s best chefs. Pintxos are tapas or appetizers from the Basque region of Spain that is usually served on top of grilled, sliced bread.
Vecin and his partners decided to donate proceeds of the month-long event to Kythe, a non-profit that works for the benefit of hospitalized children with cancer and other chronic illnesses. Picking Kythe as a beneficiary was an easy decision for Vecin. “(My wife) Ria is a cancer survivor and I can imagine what other families inflicted with the disease are going through. Even worse, I’m sure, if the patients are children.”
For Pintxos for a Cause, Vecin thought it would be interesting to invite non-Spanish chefs to come up with their own interpretation of the beloved Basque appetizer. The line-up is an impressive mix of industry veterans and the local food scene’s rising stars: Margarita Fores (Cibo/Grace Park/Lusso), Claude Tayag (Bale Datung), Robby Goco (Cyma/Green Pastures/Souv!), Karla Mendoza (Pizzeria Mozza Singapore), JP Anglo (Sarsa), Francis Lim (Tipple & Slaw/NAV Modern Thai/Sup? Chow), Miko Calo (Metronome), and Josh Boutwood (Test Kitchen/Savage/Helm).
The special pintxos will be priced anywhere from P120 to P360. For the first 2 weeks of October, guests can sample the socarat pintxo of Tayag with its paella disc flavored with crab fat. Lim’s oyster mushrooms over mushy peas is a vegetarian iteration that is packed with umami. Fores’s turn is simple yet indulgent—a slab of seared foie gras with calamansi mostarda over buttered toast. While Mendoza goes for comforting and familiar with an apple braised bacon slab with garlic chips, scallions, and cream cheese.
Vecin is hoping for this event to be well-received so it can be a yearly habit. “We do plan to do this yearly,” he admits, “and the idea is to get as many people from the industry on board.”
Bar Pintxos Tapas y Mas has branches at G/F Gesu Building, Don Jesus Boulevard, Alabang, Muntinlupa; G/F Fairways Towers, 5th Avenue corner McKinley Road, BGC, Taguig, City; G/F Paseo Parkview Tower San Agustin corner Sedeño Streets, Salcedo Village, Makati City.
