Bono’s food trip in Manila
U2’s frontman and his team apparently knew where to dine
Showing up straight from the airport, the celebrity guests had the restaurant all to themselves, with chef Margarita Fores and sister Bledes rushing over to attend to the legendary band and the restaurant staff missing their Christmas party. It was apparently worth it, though, as an amiable Bono took pictures with their hosts, danced with chef Margarita, and even sang Christmas songs to the staff.
Well, even rock superstars have to eat, right?
That was proven when U2 frontman Bono, guitarist The Edge, and some companions, including current groupie and celebrity chef Mario Batali, spent their first night in Manila having dinner at Grace Park in Rockwell. They showed up around 9 p.m., straight from the airport after their flight from Seoul.
The restaurant was supposed to be closed due to a
staff Christmas party, but apparently the superband, in Manila for a huge onenight show at the Philippine Arena last Dec. 11, prevailed upon Grace Park’s management, as they wanted to feast on the fare of one of Asia’s best chefs, Margarita Fores, presumably upon Batali’s recommendation.
And feast they did. The group ordered several standards on the menu of Fores’ wellloved farm-to-table restaurant: cauliflower wrapped in parma ham, chorizo puff, lamb adobo, river prawns with crab fat, steak,
lechon and diwal pasta made with the famous shellfish. Bono declared the latter to be “the best pasta I’ve ever tasted.”
The celebrity guests had the restaurant all to themselves, with chef Margarita and sister Bledes rushing over to attend to the band and the restaurant staff missing their Christmas party. It was apparently worth it, though, as an amiable Bono took pictures with their hosts, danced with chef Margarita, and even sang Christmas songs to the staff.
The group also dined at Donosti, and had some drinks at Agimat in Poblacion the night before the concert.
Looks like Batali, who did the ordering at Grace Park, knew where to eat. And, judging from Bono’s charming behavior, rock superstars can be nice guys, too—especially when they’re hungry.