“Taste the Love is not just about food. It’s about the heart and the passion that goes into everything we do, from our concepts to our locations to our service to of course, our food. By focusing on creating a dining experience that diners will want to repeat and share, we allow our customers to taste the love from the moment they get hungry and think about our restaurants to the time they have polished off every bite.” This is shared by Ms. Lisa Ronquillo, AVP Marketing of The Bistro Group.
The
Bistro Group, the home of the country’s finest international and
homegrown casual dining brands, is launching its latest campaign,
Taste
the Love.
The campaign invites diners to taste the love behind every restaurant
concept launched and every international chain brought to local
shores, in every innovative dish prepared, and with every service
rendered with a smile.
The
campaign celebrates a series of milestones for The Bistro Group,
namely the opening of 50 restaurants spread across 12 concepts, the
appointment of Corporate Chef Josh Boutwood, and the launch of its
Premiere Card.
The
latest restaurant to join the group is Modern
Shanghai,
which brings authentic recipes from the region and serves them in a
homey, comfortable environment. It joins Watami,
a top food and beverage restaurant in Japan, the first Village
Tavern
branch outside the US, and Japanese-Western restaurant Ma
Maison.
The four are the latest international chains brought to the
Philippines by The Bistro Group, rounding out its restaurants.
Aside from new dining locations, the arrival of Chef Boutwood has seen the launch of new dishes, such as Black Pizza, Sesame Teriyaki Chicken Wings, and Fully Loaded Sweet Potato Skins at Village Tavern, and the a la carte Katsu Menu at Ma Maison.
As
a way of saying thank you to loyal customers, The Bistro Group is
also launching the Premiere Card, which offers multiple discount
offers up to 40% off the total bill; complimentary appetizers,
coffee, and tea; as well as birthday treats for the cardholder.
In
addition, for the month of hearts, The Bistro Group is offering an
exclusive deal for Citibank cardholders. From February 4-7,
cardholders will receive 50% off food and beverage orders worth at
least P2,500, with a discount up to P5,000.
“We
invite everyone to Taste
the Love
at the Bistro Group of Restaurants and to stay tuned as we roll out
even more exciting deals, menu items, and restaurants in 2013. We are
excited about what we have in store for our customers, and with great
food, great service, great ambiance, what’s not to love?”
Ronquillo states.
Chef Josh Boutwood is the
Bistro Group’s new corporate chef, having been appointed in the
position in late 2012 after serving as a consultant. The
Filipino-British Chef studied at the Escuela de Culinario Mojacar in
Spain, and apprenticed under French Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux
Quat’ Saisons in England. He has worked in various restaurants in
Spain, Denmark, and Sweden, most notably at Noma, touted as one of
the best restaurants in the world by San Pellegrinos’ 50 Best. Upon
his return to the Philippines, he set up his own restaurant in
Boracay before joining The Bistro Group. He also won several awayds
at the 3rd
Philippine Culinary Cup. Chef Boutwood is behind such signature
dishes at the Bistro Group of restaurants such as Black Pizza, Sesame
Teriyaki Chicken Wings, and Fully Loaded Sweet Potato Skins at
Village Tavern, and the a la carte Katsu Menu at Ma Maison.
Bistro
Group
The Bistro Group is a
collection of international hospitality casual dining brands and
home-grown concepts unified by a people-focused philosophy that is
the backbone of its success. Home-grown restaurant concepts, namely TGI Friday's, Italianni's, Fish & Co., Flapjacks, Pig Out!, Krazy Garlik, The Stock Market, Bulgogi Brothers , Ma Maison, Village Tavern, Watami, and Modern Shanghai.
The company began its
operations in 1994 with the opening of TGI
Friday’s,
the very first American casual dining chain in the Philippines.
Within six years, the flagship restaurant of the Dallas-based
Friday’s Hospitality Group expanded to five branches. As of 2012,
TGI
Friday’s
has 14 branches throughout the Philippines.
In February 1996,
Italianni’s
Philippines became the chain’s first international branch outside
the US. Its American-Italian cuisine, coupled with its unique
shared-style dining concept as essayed by its slogan “Amor de
Merrier,” made it an instant hit among Filipinos. Every item on
Italianni’s
menu is authentically prepared with the finest ingredients and is
built on a wide selection of classic American-Italian flavors.
In 2006, The Bistro Group
brought in Fish
& Co.
Seafood in a Pan, a Singapore-based chain with restaurants in Asia
Pacific.
Following Fish
& Co.,
homegrown concepts namely, Flapjacks,
Pig Out,
and Krazy
Garlik
were opened, giving customers a wide array of cuisines to choose
from.
With interiors that are
both sunny and fresh and with craveable menu selections available
from sun up to sun down, Flapjacks
offers customers a range of fluffy pancakes and ultimate omelets as
well as American comfort food.
In 2009, Bistro opened Pig
Out!, a
country-style family grill restaurant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Pig
Out!
serves meat and seafood grilled specialties cooked just right using
quality ingredients.
The following year, Krazy
Garlik
was launched, “a dining destination that glorifies the taste of
garlic.” The restaurant brings together the best garlic recipes
from around the world.
In 2011, making dining
experience a lot more fresh, The
Stock Market
was opened in Bonifacio High Street, where everything is prepared
“delightfully fresh.” The menu features a complete selection of
fresh and flavorful selection of soups and salads, sandwiches and
burgers, pastas, seafood and meat dishes, and dessert.
Also in 2011, The Bistro
Group launched a franchise, Bulgogi
Brothers
A Korean BBQ Restaurant, in Greenbelt 5, offering traditional Korean
cuisine. The menu offers classic Korean favorites using meat from
Australia, such as kimchi, barbecued meats, Korean steaks, stews,
noodles, and rice dishes. Since then, three more Bulgogi
Brothers
branches were opened.
Ma Maison,
another international franchise, was opened in 2011 at Greenbelt 2.
Offering Japanese Western food, Ma
Maison
means “my home” in French. It is also famous for its homemade
“brown sauce,” which is stewed carefully for 28 days following a
traditional recipe that adds a rich taste to meat dishes.
In 2012, Village
Tavern
opened, its 11th branch and the 1st outside of the US. It quickly
made a name for itself with hearty portions of great-tasting comfort
food made from premium ingredients and the best customer service.
Known for its flatbreads, salads, crab cakes, and its Cowboy Burger,
Village
Tavern
brings people together in a rustic but elegant tavern setting.
In November 2012, The
Bistro Group opened Watami
Japanese Casual Restaurant in SM Mall of Asia, followed by another
branch in Glorietta. The Watami Group is the top food and beverage
brand in Japan, with over 700 branches in Asia Pacific. With original
dishes and signature beverages, Watami Group’s slogan is “to
receive the most number of thank-yous in the world.”
Most recently, The Bistro
Group brought in Modern
Shanghai,
which opens its first branch in January. Stemming from Shanghai’s
most original home cooked recipes, Modern
Shanghai
offers the authenticity of local Shanghai cuisine in a casual and
home-like manner, reviving simple but hearty meals that connect
customers with traditions and memories.
To date, The Bistro Group
of Restaurants has 14 TGI
Friday's,
16 Italianni's,
4 Fish &
Co., 2
Flapjacks,
1 Pig
Out!, 2
Krazy
Garlik, 1
The Stock
Market, 4
Bulgogi
Brothers
, 1 Ma
Maison, 1
Village
Tavern, 2
Watami,
and 2 Modern
Shanghai
in its portfolio of casual dining restaurants – over 50 branches
and still going strong.
“We want to capture the tenderness of those
moments, which is exactly what everyone will see when they look at the
photographs.”
“Special Moments” shows that all types of moms shop
at SM, not only because SM has it all, but also because they believe in SM
Babies. 
