Bone marrow! Yes, that creamy, silky-rich, slightly sweet treasure made up of fat and collagen that’s found inside the bones, preferably long and large bones. Filipinos are partial to beef bone marrow and call it bulaló. The shank bone, with meat still clinging to it, is boiled for hours until the beef broth is rich and flavorful. The marrow nestling deep inside the bone stays firm yet it is so soft that it melts in the mouth. I learned to love it when my family would visit our relatives in Tanauan, Batangas. My brothers and I, to this day, fight over the bone marrow in the Nilaga, despite the spikes in our cholesterol levels.

I did not think that bulaló or bone marrow could be even more addicting and delicious until I discovered Chef J Gamboa’s Roasted Bone Marrow at El Cirkulo. Smear a good dollop on toast, then drizzle with rock salt and parsley and pair with an amazing beef molé asado. Oh my Lord, that was an exquisite Eureka moment for me!

And recently, I tried Gaita Fores’s Roasted Bone Marrow — it was sooooo divine, I could have died from the cholesterol and gone to foodie heaven! The bones are cut vertically (the more easily to scoop you up, my dear) and served with toasted herbed ciabatta. I would have preferred a slightly thinner, blander toast — the better to savor the buttery umami of the marrow to the utmost. But I did love it paired with the siding of portobello truffle pesto. It was one of her classic dishes at her restaurant Pepato, but now one can enjoy this dish at Fores’s Grace Park bistro at One Rockwell.

Needless to say, the charming Grace Park is always full to the rafters, so it’s best to reserve. Call these numbers: 0939 9347223 / 843 7275. More about this bistro in another post. Or you can check out their facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/GRACE-PARK/129956300517869

For the meantime, let us sing “to marrow, to marrow, I love ya, bone marrow…”