The Perfect Pint Celebrates One Year of Hoppiness

A good drink that jives perfectly with a sumptuous dish is enough reason to celebrate—but what’s even better is when a restaurant manages to deliver this consistently. Rewind to one year back, when The Perfect Pint quietly opened its doors to the hungry (and thirsty) crowd of BGC. The Tempongko brothers’ proposition was simple: provide a venue for the “evolving” diners of Manila to experience how it’s like to enjoy our favorite bar chows with fresh craft beer—but only those that are made locally. As brewers themselves, all they wanted was to provide customers with what was precisely in their tagline: good times.


Then one thing inadvertently led to another. My first visit to the pub was during a dinner with friends. I kept bugging them to try this new beer place in BGC, and convinced them to try The Perfect Pint. The next thing I now, we were coming back weekly, and at times I would go alone and just sit by the bar, nursing a tall glass on my own. Sometimes, it’s with friends—fellow drinkers or virgins I wanted to baptize by introducing them to this awesome concept. Looking back, I’m happy to say that among those whom I took to The Perfect Pint, not one told me that he/she didn’t like it.

It was indeed a colorful year for this bar—my favorite bar in BGC. From a handful of brands and homebrews, The Perfect Pint now boasts of 70 local brands and 30 homebrews: each one distinct, with its own flavor profile and personality, each perfect with a specific type of dish. What’s more important is how the restaurant managed to bring this concept to life and convince people to embrace it—evidenced by the jam-packed nights, the huge crowds of diners enjoying food, beer, and sports. And for this, I want to congratulate The Perfect Pint!

Now, to celebrate their anniversary, The Perfect Pint is looking at expanding its food menu to provide diners an even more exciting and diverse experience. After all, a couple of new brews have arrived as well—so what else is the right thing to do but search for their perfect matches, right?

Luckily, The Perfect Pint has Chef Gene Gonzales and his equally creative teammates—Gino Gonzales (his son) and Toto Erfe—to come up with fresh creations. The Tuna Tenders, for instance, was a crowd pleaser—golden-brown balls enveloped in a light but crispy batter. And by balls, I mean real balls—they’re made with tuna testicles! These treats were insanely good; popping it into your mouth feels like eating kwek kwek at first, but a few more chews releases a rich, slightly saline flavor. The accompanying tomato-onion salsa makes this even more delicious.

Wash it down with Joe’s Brew’s 34th Pursuit IPA—a brew with a citrusy, floral taste. Somehow it tasted a bit like their more popular brew, the Sierra Madre Wheat Ale (which won in The Perfect Match Food and Beer Pairing Showdown, by the way), but hoppier. The pairing with the Tuna Tenders works wonderfully.

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I loved The Holy Grail IPA, The Perfect Pint’s signature homebrew. This concoction boasts of hops and balanced refreshing flavors—something I think would be great with meat dishes. However, we paired it with the light and creamy Scotch Eggs, and still found it to blend with the dish beautifully!

Chef Gene introduces two new sandwiches: the Bibimdog and the Pastrami. The former is like a dirty dog with an Asian twist, whereas the latter is hefty sandwich showing off thick slabs of corned beef in between, served with fries and their delicious truffle mayonnaise. I liked the Pastrami with Crows Craft Beer Brewing Company’s Mala Hierba—an intensely hoppy brew that hooks you and refuses to let you go with its lingering bitter taste, perfect with any meaty dishes. Similar to it is the De Puta Madre, from the same brewery—except that this one was bolder and stronger. The more audacious drinkers must try this!

The Crispy Corned Beef reminded me of Rodic’s tapa at first glance, but I found the beef strips to be too crispy to enjoy—I craved for meatier flavors. However, the light and balanced Here Comes the Sun Summer Ale (a Perfect Pint homebrew) works well with it. There’s also a new crispy noodle dish curiously called the Tasty Medusa, which was as savory as it was sweetish.

Get the Baby Back Ribs, which was nicely done paired with a Japanese-style mashed potato. Fans of ribs wouldn’t be disappointed with the smoky flavor and the serving size of this dish. While you’re at it, order a pint of the Hoppy Road IPA, another Perfect Pint homebrew.

Of course, there are also beers meant to be paired with desserts. Check out the St. Francis the Bearded Regional Stout—a rich, full-bodied beer with hints of chocolate. It was fantastic with The Perfect Pint’s new desserts: the Panna Cotta with Beer Caramel (devoured three of this) and the quirky Salted Egg Banana Fritters, which was like maruya, topped with a salted egg-caramel sauce and a sugar crisp, and served with vanilla ice cream. What a delightful meal finisher!

I didn’t know that the day would come when people would be craving for a specific type of beer to go with their fries, sandwich, or pizza—or better yet, with their dessert. We owe it all to The Perfect Pint—to the Tempongko brothers, and to everyone behind it—for introducing us to this concept that isn’t really that hard to embrace, considering that the Philippines is beer-loving country. With its advocacy to promote local beers and to inspire brewers and chefs to be more creative and playful with their prowess, The Perfect Pint will leave—actually, has left—a legacy in the local dining scene.

Congratulations and Hoppy, Hoppy Birthday!


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The Perfect Pint
2/F Crossroads Bldg., 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
02.823.1320
Operating Hours: 10:00AM – 2:00AM
Budget: around PhP500 for 1 dish and 1 drink

"Local is the new premium."

My meal was sponsored by The Perfect Pint. All opinions, however, are my own.

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