BGC’s Señorita Sunae takes on Southeast Asia for new menu offerings

MANILA, Philippines – It was just Sunae Asian Cantina’s luck that it opened its doors in Bonifacio Global City a week before the March 2020 lockdown. Having to shut down and temper operations due to the pandemic, it was only in 2022 that Sunae began to return. In 2023, Sunae is now fully back and booming, introducing a revamped branding and new seafood-forward menu last July.

Now called Señorita Sunae Asian Kitchen, the revamped restaurant ushers in a new and hopeful era with a fitting rebrand that puts a face to the name and new dishes on the menu.

The restaurant is helmed by Chef Christina Sunae, who is of Korean-American descent and grew up in Pampanga with an American father and Filipino mother. Finding her home base in Argentina, she established her Filipino restaurant ApuNena in Buenos Aires. Her expertise in fusion cuisine is even more impressive given that she never went to culinary school; everything she lays out on the table comes from years of practice in restaurants and taking inspiration from her multi-cultural background.

Chef Christina aims for the restaurant to be a centerpoint for Southeast Asian cuisine.

“The concept here is bringing all your Southeast Asian favorites in one place,” she said. “That’s what I cook, and that’s what I like to eat.”

Sunae is located at the mezzanine of One Bonifacio High Street Mall, giving patrons al fresco and indoor dining options. During the daytime, natural light comes in from the large windows, while the native wicker lamps take over in the evening for a dinner space that’s dim but warmly lit.

The branch’s wooden and tiled interiors exude a bright and colorful Latin American charm, while traditional bilaos adorn a section of the ceiling and bring us back to Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asian comfort

The restaurant is introducing new dishes to the menu soon, with a focus on local seafood. Chef Christina said that it was important for them to source their ingredients from Meliomar, a sustainable local seafood supplier. The dishes also come with a fruity twist, using strawberries sourced from Baguio. The prices for the new dishes have yet to be confirmed.

We tried the Kinilaw Tahure, a ceviche dish of fresh raw tuna laid on tofu cream and topped with dill, chili oil, shallots, crispy quinoa, and strawberry slices. As the first dish of the night, it really shone with just the right amount of acidity, a bit of heat, and a surprising tartness thanks to the strawberries, all balanced out by the tofu cream made from a mix of fresh tofu and tahure (fermented tofu). The crispy quinoa also brought textural variety to the soft dish.

Next, we had the Seafood Laksa, a Singaporean coconut noodle soup with clams, squid ball, tofu, prawns, basil, and sambal (Indonesian chili paste). The prawns, squid ball, and tofu all had that perfectly chewy and plump texture to them. The noodles also had a good chewy texture.

The coconut soup, though not as creamy as others I’ve tried, was rich with flavor and had a mild heat to it, thanks to the sambal. The bean sprouts and mint brought some freshness to the dish while the clams provided some pleasant salinity. While I thought that not much differentiated this laksa from others, it’s still pretty authentic and one of the best I’ve had because of how well all the ingredients came together.

Taking us to Thailand is the Mackerel Penang Curry. Its star is the pan-fried Spanish mackerel steak, soft on the inside with crispy, salted skin. The fish sits atop rich and creamy Thai penang curry, with Kaffir lime and strawberries (again!) adding zest and tartness.

Fried basil leaves top the dish to bring a freshness that balances out the curry’s richness and the fish’s savory flavors. Making good use of the fresh strawberries, it’s another of Sunae’s standout dishes.

One of the simpler dishes we tried was the Bangkok-style Crab and Prawn Omelette, which sat on a bed of fried rice, flavored with aligue (Filipino crab fat paste). Despite the Thai-style method of preparation, which entails frying the fluffy omelette in hot oil, it’s still a dish that very much caters to the Filipino palate – salty seafood with a bit of sweetness care of the shallots. As a prawn lover, I thought the dish could do with a few more morsels to bite into, especially with its generous serving of rice.

One of the new rice bowls Sunae now offers is the Chicken Inasal (P480 – grilled, free-range chicken thigh marinated in lemongrass, ginger, lemon, and turmeric. It was served the traditional way (sans the barbecue stick), with steamed rice, toyomansi, and atchara.

I’m fond of dipping my inasal in toyomansi (soy sauce and calamansi), but I found that this version did not need much, as the chicken was already rich in flavor. It paired well with rice. The meat was tender and juicy, with lightly crispy, charred skin. For its price, I do think the dish could benefit from having more chicken.

The last dish of the night was the Korean-style Fried Chicken Bowl (P380), marinated deep-fried chicken thigh coated in a sweet and spicy sauce that also soaks the bed of rice underneath. It’s sprinkled with sesame seeds and served with cucumber salad.

It’s packed with umami and has a mild spiciness that works well with the rice. The cucumber salad also possessed similar flavors, but with an added freshness thanks to the fresh cucumber and carrots.

We were also served Aperol Spritz (P350), consisting of Aperol, Cinzano Prosecco, and soda water. It’s light and citrusy, a bit bittersweet, and bubbly. Given the ingredients, it’s a reasonably priced drink and a refreshing companion to the flavorful menu.

Generally, Sunae’s prices lean towards the expensive side, but they can be justified by the good quality of the ingredients and of the final dishes themselves, as well as the skill that goes into the preparation. 

In my opinion, only the Chicken Inasal and Korean-style Fried Chicken didn’t really stand out in comparison to similar dishes I’ve tried from other places, so if you’re craving your chicken fix, you might prefer to head to other joints with more pocket-friendly prices. The two dishes were also quite the pivot from the night’s seafood concept, but I found that the overall menu was cohesive otherwise.

That said, Sunae knows how to bring interesting twists to favorite Southeast Asian dishes without completely differentiating them and compromising the familiarity of the flavors we love. With each dish serving two to three people, this is a great place to dine with friends and family and chat, especially “for the titas,” Chef Christina said.

Señorita Sunae Asian Kitchen is under the Nikkei Group, alongside Sakagura and Spanish restaurant Terraza Martinez. It is located at the second floor view deck of One Bonifacio High Street Mall, 28th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

They’re open from 12 pm to 10 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, 12 pm to 11 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 am to 12 am on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 am to 11 pm on Sundays. To book a table, you may contact them through Instagram or book through the official Nikkei Group website. – Rappler.com

Sophia Gonzaga is a Rappler intern.