Fall in love with Nic’s

If Nic’s were a lady, she would be adorable, a head turner. She would steal any gentleman’s heart and make him fall in love with her. Other women would want to be like her — classy but not intimidating, elegant and comforting, warm and heartwarming.

Nic’s is a stylish, 81-sq.-m. restaurant that serves mouthwatering delights at the ground floor of Park Terraces (near Glorietta 2 and Holiday Inn) in Makati City. A corner at Nic’s is a cove of happiness, what with a well-lighted place with walls depicting the eclectic scenes from the Big Apple and the City of Light. (Ivy Almario did a superior job with the sophisticated interior design of the restaurant.) But the stars of the show, so to speak, at the restaurant are its food offerings.

Let’s start with the Christmas offerings of Dip ‘N Toss, crisps and bruschetti. The parmesan pimiento melt you slather on parmesan wheat crisps is so divine you can finish a small bottle of the spread and a tub of the crisps in one sitting. The plain bruschetti goes well with spicy smoked milkfish in tomato basil or mushroom capers. Or try the bruschetti aglio olio with seven-herb cheese and forget your name. Nic’s, for all its sumptuous finds, is heaven on earth. I’m not kidding.

Crispy adobo flakes.

Its cheese rolls are the best in this side of town. They are plump and soft and melts in the mouth. The cinnamon sticks are short but they last long in your memory long after you finish them.

Its menu reads like a food nirvana: Chicken relleno, Maggie’s East Coast Turkey, Salmon crunch platter, Meat lasagna, Chicken parmigiana platter, Cobb salad, Sizzling gambas, Smoked salmon on bagel, Waldorf chicken sandwich, Tomato anchovies sandwich, Vongole pasta, Clam chowder, Salmon in tomato cream pasta, crispy adobo flakes, Sirloin tapa. Ahh, I can go on and on.

Nic’s is the brainchild of Rina Go, an entrepreneur whose taste, either in food or fashion, is impeccable. “I was struggling as a single mom and named my food venture in 2010 after Nicole, my first child,” she begins. Nic’s started as a cafe in San Juan in 2010. It can now be found serving good food at U.P. Town Center in Quezon City and, two months ago, at Park Terraces in Makati City.

Blue cheese pizza.

Rina looks back to the past to trace the beginning of her love affair with food. “My sister Maggie started baking in grade school and together we developed recipes. Our family became known to friends for good food. In 2001, we focused on supplying corporate accounts. It’s still an existing business.”

Nic’s, it can be said, is a playground of love between Rina and her two beautiful daughters, Nicole, 23, and Madison, 14. “My business has always started at home. My mother, Aurora Silayan-Go, felt I would be closer to my kids if I did business at home. My father, Henry, helped me learn by teaching me the numbers part of the game.” 

Ten years ago, Rina’s mother suffered a massive stroke, leaving her paralyzed. Rina lives with her mother along with her two girls. Her sister Maggie succumbed to cancer six years ago. In 2014, her dad  also passed away. The vacuum is gracefully filled with the presence of her two daughters.

Nic’s parmesan and cinnamon sticks.

“Together I enjoy girl time with them and tap into the mind of a millennial and a Gen-Z,” she says.

“She means the world to me,” Madison says of her mom. “She taught me to always treat people with respect; to prioritize family over other things.”

“The greatest lesson I learned from my mom is that I should work towards my independence so I can take full control of my life,” says Nicole.

Rina, strong in character, is a loving mother who is proud of her girls. “Today, Nicole is particular about strengthening the Nic’s brand. Being in communications and sophisticated in travel, food and fashion, taste comes naturally to her. On the other hand, Madison has a flair for art. Being a creative person, she knows how to balance color, graphics, shades. Everything they know they apply to our business. I often listen to their opinions.  They both play classical piano and enjoy the theater, museums, performing arts, music and film. All our appreciation for the arts in the family came from my mother,” she says.

Nic’s Parmesan Wheat Crisps, Tomato Basil Smoked Milkfish and bruschetti.

She adds: “Our love for NYC contributes to the vibe you feel when you walk into Nic’s.”

The vibe at Nic’s is filled with positive energy that people — mother-and-daughter tandem, husband and wife, a whole family, officemates, lovers — who walk towards the restaurant already have that indelible smile on their faces. They enter the door and are welcomed with a battalion of cakes sitting pretty by the display counter. Try the apple pie with quezo de bola and be mesmerized with the symphony of something sweet and something salty. The lovely yema cake brings joy to the soul. Try eating it with roast Angus salpicao — heaven.

‘Tis the season to indulge — in love, in joy, in friendship, in family. No celebration is complete without a good meal. Indulge now — it’s Christmas. Or indulge any time, it’s Christmas all the time at Nic’s.

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(For orders and reservations, call 0999-9933231, 0999-9933234 or 958-5574.)

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(E-mail me at bumbaki@yahoo.com. I’m also on Instagram @bumtenorio. Have a blessed Sunday.)