Bench Cafe opens its 4th Branch at the Trinoma Mall

Bench Cafe serves simple, yet elegantly-executed Filipino dishes. It gives the homegrown delicacies we all love a refreshing look by combining traditional practices and modern twists that are well-received by foodies.

It recently opened its 4th Branch at the Trinoma Mall and I was lucky to get first dibs!

Here are the fares I tasted:

Tinapa Cones (P 129) are crispy lumpia wrappers  filled with tinapa (smoked fish) mousse and salsa.

Binagoongan Ceasar (P 149) tossed Romaine lettuce,  dilis and croutons dizzled with a creamy dressing made from  bagoong (shrimp paste) and queso de bola.

Gising Gising (P 195) is a spicy dish of chopped beans cooked immersed in coconut milk and chilis.

Sisig Skillet (P 249) is two-way cooked Pork cheeks and belly  topped with calamansi foam.

Bench Cafe's Crispy Pata (P 689) is a generous serving of deep fried pork leg delicacy. Underneath its crunchy skin, the meat remains tender and moist! It was easy to cut through into the entire pork and divide it into bite size pieces!

Crispy Pata

Fried Chicken (P 480) is whole spring chicken fried to a golden brown with crispy flavorful skin and juicy meat served with a honey patis sauce.

Dancing Fish (P 400) is crispy, butterflied tilapia in escabeche sauce.

Silogs (SI-nangag and it-LOG ) are breakfast staples that Bench Cafe serves with garlic rice, fried egg and atsara. The  Tendon Silog (P 199) is beef tendon in pares sauce served with fried rice and egg.

Bongalmusal (P 349) has
Spam, US beef tapa, tocino, daing (dried fish) and corned beef.


Bench Cafe specializes in its Bench/To (Bento) set meals, which is a local play into the Japanese wooden trays with one main dish, one vegetable dish and steamed Ifugao rice boxed in to form a complete meal.

Crispy Bagnet Kare-Kare Bench/To

The Bagnet Kare-Kare (P 339)  has a rich peanuty sauce that there is no need for bagoong.

Beef Pares Bench/To

Variations of this offering include the Inasal Liempo (P 299) which is Bench Cafe’s take on the Visayan grilled pork belly; Salted Egg Fried Chicken; Chicken Pork Adobo; Lechon Kawali; plus Bangus Bistek Ala Pobre. All Bench/To meals have vegetables, atsara, and Steamed Ifugao Rice with the option to upgrade to specialty rice--- garlic, dilis, aligue, or bagoong rice.

Bench Cafe has its own takes on dessert classics as well. Flan B (P 185) is a creamy leche flan shaped like a letter B. It comes with a macapuno topping.

Classic Turon ala Mode (P 49) is Bench Cafe's take on this local plantain favorite.

Halo-Halo and other shaved ice desserts were made similar to that of the Korean Bingsu. Variants include White Halo-Halo (P85 for 12oz | P129 for 16oz) - coconut shaved ice loaded with garbanzos, caramelized banana, leche flan, nata de coco and coconut ice cream; Ube Halo-Halo (P95 for 12oz | P149 for 16oz) - has ube halaya and palm beans added to the White Halo Halo; Mais con Hielo (P60 for 12oz | P100 for 16oz) - a corn-flavored shaved ice combined with milk and kernels of sweetcorn plus Mango Otap (P90 for 12oz | P109 for 16oz) - mango shaved ice mixed with crushed otap, mango puree, cream and fresh mango cubes.

Whether you're looking for a party treat or a delicious snack for your family, you can't go wrong with Bench Cafe recipes. Visit them soon!


Bench Cafe
GF Trinoma Mall
Quezon City