Father’s Day is a difficult holiday to celebrate. Dads usually don’t make such a fuss about it, in my experience. Unlike our moms who virtually require a day of appreciation, the fathers usually just go with the flow. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t treat them on that special day though. We should still show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication to the family.
But what to give them? Where to take them? Dads are vague and indecisive in this regard. “Ask your mom,” our dad would usually say. Or, “Bahala na kayo.” This is a dilemma for the aspiring organizer. Thankfully, the township in Uptown Bonifacio has us covered.
Our moms want us to pamper them, to dine on swanky restaurants, and to be treated as queens on Mother’s Day. For dads, most of them want to be taken back to the time of their boyhood, before all the responsibilities of family and raising noisy kids.
Go to Filbar’s in Uptown, where they can wax nostalgic on the superhero comics, graphic novels, and paraphernalia they used to collect and spend money on when they were young. Items on the store will be on sale this coming Father’s Day weekend.
Treat your dad to the Ultra Cinema, also found in Uptown Place Mall. They have reclining chairs, two on each pod. Imagine the posh business class seats in your favorite airline. Push a button on the right-hand console of the seat, and you can summon a butler to bring you unlimited colas and popcorn, heaven in my book.
Why not treat the old man to a haircut? Slickville in Uptown provides the perfect “manpering” experience for the dads.
The shop features expert barbering and beard trimming, a manly interior aesthetic, and shelves filled with hard-to-find grooming products.
Pro-tip. The VIP lounge is open for all in the mall; not just for the senior citizens and breast feeding mums. The lounge is spacious, has comfort rooms, and tables where guests can play games from their prodigiously equipped board game library. They even allow the charging of devices in the lounge. Two foot massage machines are also available for the entire family.
After that sojourn, a little shopping for dad might be in order. Popular shoe brand, Base London has made their home in Uptown Place Mall. The brand is popular for their fine quality leather footwear, from shoes to boots.
If shoes are not to his taste, perhaps a Fred Perry shirt then. The iconic brand has evolved from a simple one colored shirt worn in tennis to a clothing line that features hundreds of designs and colors. Go to the shop in Uptown this Father’s Day weekend and be treated to a cup of coffee.
Food Selection
For foodie selections, Uptown Place Mall has a slew of new establishments that will tickle the taste buds of even the most discerning patriarch. Try the dishes at Tendon Kohaku. Tendon here means tempura and rice (don).
The restaurant’s namesake, the Kohaku Tendon dish is the bestseller. A heady mixture of deep-fried breaded chicken bread, black tiger prawns, squid, crab stick, green beans, shiitake mushroom, young corn, and pumpkin. Miso soup is also served with dish.
Try Mamma Mia, with their hand tossed, brick oven baked pizzas and pastas. The Mortadella E Pistacchio is particularly good – a cheese based pizza with mortadella, drizzled with pistacchio cream sauce and topped with crushed pistacchios.
We also tried their Spaghetti Carbonara Alla Mamma Mia, a rich dish with bacon and egg spaghetti with parmesan cheese, black pepper, pancetta.
Next is Oye Tapas and Grill, a modern tapas and bistro café. Try their Tres Tapas Ofertas selection – a threesome of dishes featuring Chorizo Chistorra, pan fried chorizo with garlic flakes; Gambas al Pilpil, plump pacific shrimps sizzling in olive oil, garlic and spices; and Paella Mixtra Valenciana, a classic Valancia-style paella good for up to 5 people.
Pizzas are a popular daddy fare, as any number of late night family movie marathons would attest. Pizza Express in Uptown Place Mall and Pizza Studio in Uptown Parade will satisfy the binge-eating wants of the old man.
Pizza Express specializes on many styles of pizzas, but most notable among them are their Neapolitan styled creations. Their Prosciutto pizza is particularly choice, a thin crust pizza with tomato sauce, ricotta, parmesan, rosemary, polenta, and prosciutto – a classic.
Pizza Studio in nearby Uptown Parade boasts that they can prepare any of their pizza variants in five minutes. We tried it out, and true to their word, we were munching on “The Beast” within five minutes of ordering it. The Beast is a chewy, thin crust pizza made with tomato sauce, freshly grated mozzarella, pepperoni, crispy bacon, shaved ham, beef toppings, crumble pork meatball, and grilled chicken.
Township
Apart from the shops and restaurant, Uptown Bonifacio is host to more spots that are perfect for this Father’s Day. The Uptown Bonifacio township is filled with walkable garden areas and al fresco establishments, great for strolling around with family and friends.
The well-planned development is home to three residential projects, 2,984 residential units, and 5 office towers. This is excepting the 90,000 square meters of restaurant and commercial space, to be sure. The township is an exemplar of the Megaworld maxim – LIVE, WORK, and PLAY.
It is strategically located in the heart of the Fort Bonifacio complex, right beside the Bonifacio Global City, which makes it the perfect startup point for a weekend stroll along the city with the family./Feliciano Rodriguez III
ADVT