Blog Event Food Trip

Nuffnang's Fifth Anniversary at Borough

Wednesday, February 29, 2012Ryan Mach

The lively chatter, the tinkling of utensils, the soft RB music downstairs - all these sounds faded in the background as I looked at the pictures on the wall, closed my eyes for a few seconds and imagined myself being transported to another place. The place I wanted to be at that moment - New York. After all, I was at Borough - a restaurant named after the five boroughs in New York - Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. Okay, I told myself, so this is how dining in the Big Apple feels like. 

WHAT WAS I DOING THERE?

Nuffnang celebrated its 5th Anniversary and they invited some bloggers to join the party. Getting an invite was easy - you just needed to greet them through a blog post. The first 50 would receive an invite. I was one of the first 50 who posted a birthday greeting. We could tag someone along, and so I tagged my good friend Phoebe.
  

I expected a grand party, a large swarm of bloggers and media people, a big buffet, lots of freebies and expensive raffle items. The first level was fully-occupied but they were not there for the party. They're customers of the restaurant having dinner. The event was at the loft, the guy at the bar told me when I asked him if I've come to the right place. 


Upstairs, there were about 8-10 four-seater tables already occupied by Nuffnang guests wearing blue - the party's dress code. I surveyed the area and looked for a vacant spotwhile signing the registration form near the stairs. The first attempt to snag a table was a failure. It's already taken, a petite girl told me. I tried the one next to her, occupied by a couple, two young girls, who looked more friendly than their neighbor. Could we take these? I asked. They smiled and nodded.

SO HOW WAS THE PARTY?
Frankly speaking, it was not very fancy as I expected it to be. Nuffnang prides itself to be a leading online advertising platform for bloggers but we could tell that they were not very generous for this party.  
Observation No. 1. They only served three food selection off their menu - buffalo wings, calamares sprinkled with popcorns, petite hamburgers. Though they had an open bar.

Observation No. 2. They had limited items for raffle and the prizes didn't include any gadget. I had a glimpse of the raffle bag the lady at the near table won - it contained a pouch. She didn't look very excited.


Observation No. 3. They had minimal number of sponsors. Only two, to be specific - Churp Churp and Jack TV.

There was no program to speak of, just a brief welcome speech delivered by Nuffnang Philippines' manager. We were told to mingle with other bloggers and enjoy the photobooth. Except for the nice girls we shared the table, we didn't make friends with other bloggers. They didn't socialize outside their own groups either.


HOW ABOUT THE FOOD?

Nothing extraordinary, although the experience would have been a totally different story if we paid the bill ourselves. I mean we didn't have any liberty to choose our own gourmet, so what we tasted was just basically a sampling of the menu. I have to admit however that their chicken wings were the best I've tasted in a while. They had the right kick of spiciness that exploded in my mouth.  
The calamares generously peppered with popcorns were eye candies but too dry and crispy that you could barely recognize the squid. 
Among the food they served us, I thoroughly enjoyed the plainly stuffed, unique-size burger. The buns were no larger than my fist, but the succulent beef patty could make you full. 

AND THE PLACE?

With its dark wooden interiors, floral stools scattered around and a few drop lights, the Borough exudes a homey feel which reminds some people of Brooklyn, New York.  I've never been to NYC so I wouldn't know for sure. 

 Borough is open 24/7 and is located at The Podium in Mandaluyong. It has two entrances, one facing the mall and another opening towards the driveway to the basement parking. We heard it doubles as a watering hole at night and a famous hang-out among yuppies who work at night in the nearby area. 

 Borough
G/F The Podium
Ortigas Center, Pasig City
570.8906

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