Yesterday, we were invited to a media launch of a new food concept that was to be held at Fully Booked store at Bonifacio High Street. We had no idea of what the food concept that we were supposed to hear about, but when we reached the Fully Booked store and saw that the store space that used to be occupied by the Halal Guy was closed off, we knew at least that it would be a new food establishment that would offer take-out food. The next question on our mind was, what kind of take-out food?

Photo above: at the press briefing, media were invited to sample the food from the menu of Medley Modern Mediterranean

At the event place located on the 3rd floor of Fully Booked, we listened to the presentation of the owner of this new food venture. Called “Medley”, this new food store was the creation of an Israeli gentleman who arrived in the Philippines a few years ago. Having worked previously in an office setting, David Tweg felt that Manila needed more healthy options for urban professionals.This led him to conceptualize Medley, a fast casual restaurant featuring hearty, home-style Mediterranean cooking served with a modern grab-and-go twist in salads, bowls, sandwiches and pizzas.

Hang on, what is Mediterranean food? 

On the totem pole of popular foreign cuisines in the Philippines, Mediterranean food probably does not rank very high, and way below Italian and Japanese cuisines. We are no expert in Mediterranean food either, but we are sure that our vocabulary has to be expanded to include these words if we are going to try this cuisine:

baba ganosh :  it looks like a dip, and is a Levantine or Greater Syrian dish of mashed cooked eggplant mixed with tahini, olive oil, and various seasonings to be eaten with bread or other food ingredients.

falafel :  a deep-fried ball, or a flat or doughnut-shaped patty, made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both.

tabbouleh : a salad made mostly of finely chopped parsley, with tomatoes, mint, onion, bulgur, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

hummus : it is similar to baba ganosh, except that eggplant is replaced by chickpeas.

Since these are the staples of Mediterranean cuisine, and Medley is a modern Mediterranean eatery, you can see how Medley and Healthy Food go hand in hand.


Left: Seared tuna salad; Center: Beef kofte salad (hummus+pita); Right: Laventine chicken sandwich

Indeed, when we were offered to sample the food that will be served to the public when Medley opens to the public in the next few days, we consumed quite a bit of fresh and tasty greens and meat.The taste of the dishes, which included cheese pizza, beef kofte salad and seared tuna salad, while foreign, was light and crisp. The crunchiness of the greens went well with the softness of the bread and the tender meat, be it tuna or grilled chicken, and the hummus or tabbouleh added extra flavor and moisture to the mix.

We were given some coupons to try out their dishes when the restaurant is open to the public. We definitely will go there when it does!

Operating hours: 10 AM ÔÇô 11 PM

Social Media:

Facebook.com/MedleyModernMed

Instagram – @medleymodernmed

#MedleyModernMed

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