Jonas, BGC, Serving Real Food, Pure and Simple

Jonas had been probably around for more than two decades already.  Jonas is a familiar name to people who loves eating home-cooked good food at a corner carinderia.  With Pares as their best-seller, Jonas had been synonymous with that dish. Pares which meant pair, was said to originally coined by the owner Lolly Tiu.



My husband and I love eating Pares.  When we used to attend our Sunday service at Lord Jesus Bible Church, a family member would cater for church events attendees, and we would even ask if they could set aside some for us to take home, or at times we would order from them.  Pares is a cross from a soupy dish to a stew which uses beef and innards then paired with garlic fried rice.  But some years after we moved to a new church in Market, Market, we lost touch with them, thus missing their Pares.

Jonas' Pares according to Lolly is a Chinese version of Beef Stew, their family's heirloom dish, which she would cook and sell, and diners would buy it in bowls and pair it with rice.  People would order saying "Pares nga!" That's how the nomenclature came about.

This bowl is an honest-to-goodness comfort food.  Mastered by a cook who was passionate enough to serve real food that he or she would bet on to.  With the beef braised until it's tender, choiced cuts and parts are cooked slowly overnight and seasoned with secret herbs and Chinese spices.  The finished product is meltingly tender beef brisket in a pool of dark velvety sauce, something savory with a twitch of spice, for others it may be a little salty, but when added to rice, it turns out to be less than perfect.

Their fried rice is unique in its own and garnered the title, greaseless fried rice.  Make sure to mix the toasted garlic in, for added taste and texture.

Now that they have a branch in BGC, at the Fort Strip to be more precise, people from this side of Manila can enjoy this famous carinderia only it's has evolved into what millennial foodies can enjoy too.  More so, Bhogs and I, together with our hungry pack can now enjoy the dish we had missed for so long. We don't need to source hem out from the North.

BGC branch has that laid-back feel, with some modern touches from the light beaming on the walls, to the sleek tables and chairs.

I love this modern accent chairs on some tables.

There are some nook inside that carries some local delicacies for either takeouts or pasalubong.

You can enjoy eating as well as taking home some of the dishes in their menu.  So convenient specially when you need to grab and go for office meals.

A huge glass showcase that houses cakes and pastries serves as a warm welcome to diners.

Their beverage menu is extensive, from local juices and shakes to flavored yogurt drinks.  I finally found the best yogurt drink.  Made locally in the farms of Nueva Ecija is this Blueberry Yogurt Drink from carabao's milk.

I was planning to have a light meal so I ordered this sandwich, Kani Salad Sandwich,  This is perfect for those on a diet and are into healthy eating.

I also love their Mami, in this case, it's A Bit of Everything for me!  Yes, that is the name of this dish on the menu.  You can actually describe the noodle dish by its name. it has chicken strips, some seafood, siomai and it's Pares topped on a piping soup and their house-made noodles.  

Their Sago and Gulaman is also a hit, best had with your Pares.

The winning dish for me, of course setting aside Jonas' Original Pares is this Chicken + Salted Egg Yolk.

Many say that salted egg infused or inspired dishes is the trending food of the year.  But lo and behold, Jonas has had this dish for a long, long time.  It is perfect in itself, but is served with fish crackers.  But I had it with some fried rice and it's also a good combo.  It's a chicken meat ball coated in some kind of salted egg yolk batter and fried to crisp.  You'll definitely miss a quarter of your life if you haven't tasted this yet.

Another thing I would definitely go back to is this serving of Kikiam, it's Kikiam like no other...hahaha...no green minds allowed...

When it comes to preserved meat such as sausages and chorizo's, I would turn on a blind eye, but if it qualifies in my taste then, I'll just keep quiet and eat some more.  There is a special blend in these Kikiam that makes you say, "where the hell have you been in my life!?"  It's really yummy.

These Chicken Wing  Salt + Pepper is a stunner.  Agree?! I wasn't able to taste it but according to the fellow foodies who ordered these they are also worth-ordering.

Eidhra, a lifestyle blogger joined in with the singer and guitarist 

Another steal when dining at this joint is their Friday Night Acoustic.

That's good food plus good music, what more could you ask for?

I wouldn't know and try Jonas if it weren't for this lovely and aced entrepreneur.  Thanks Dee Ledonio for having us foodies indulge in Jonas' best-selling dishes right at the party capital of The Fort.

Jonas has four branches already and BGC happens to be it's biggest in terms of area, it's newest, barely a year and the most dapper in terms of location and restaurant style but the service stands impeccable.

JONAS Pares
Address:  The Fort Strip, 28th Street,
                Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City