GREEN SUN is a center for local creative talents in the Filipino art, design, music, culinary, and hospitality industries. It’s an art gallery, fashion store, bistro, events place, collab space, and hotel, integrated into a 20,000 sqm property dedicated to youth culture.
It was a former Toyota Philippines’ showroom and the corporate office of Solid Group, which owns Green Sun. It was redesigned by Architect Gil Cosculluela with a more youthful and minimalist feel.
Check out our different kind of staycation experience and surprising discoveries…
GREEN SUN
2285 Don Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City, Philippines
Soma Bistro Opens 6.30am – 11.00pm
Telephone: +632 548-9200
Mobile: +63 998 964-8718
Email: info@greensun.com.ph or reservations@greensun.com.ph
Facebook: Green Sun • Soma Stores
Twitter: @greensunph
Instagram: @greensunph
Website: http://www.greensun.com.ph/
ACCOMMODATIONS
We booked two separate rooms for the family. The first is room #283 with a queen bed, work table, TV, and simple cabinet.
The second room #285, which is across is the Junior Suite that can accommodate one big family, with dining and living room areas.
(Note: there are no windows)
The toilet is quite small, patterned after cruise cabins, but fully functional with hot and cold water.
They carry their own branded toiletries with a good quality bath gel, shampoo, and conditioner.
The table is conducive for working but the WiFi is too slow and unstable.
They provide complimentary water, coffee, and tea. There’s an empty chiller to store food but no minibar.
The safety box is quite small, just enough for jewelry and passports. Make sure to keep your laptop safe (just don’t leave it in the room).
SOMA STORE
Green Sun does not have a gym or swimming pool but you wake up to this inspiring fashion and art gallery by Manila’s up and coming artisans.
The ground floor is called SOMA, named after the part of a neuron (or nerve cell) containing the cell’s nucleus.
SOMA Store only accepts local aspiring designers and artists.
This is a space to showcase renowned labels and incubate new designer talents waiting to be discovered!
The designs are hip, unconventional, and youthful, presented in pop-up style booths.
Local Edition provides a good third wave coffee experience in the whole SOMA complex.
EVENT VENUES
SOMA Space, which co-exists with the bistro and store on the ground floor, is dedicated to fashion shows equipped with 20 meters of track lights for a fashion runway. It’s also a flexible space for different celebrations such as corporate launches, social parties, exhibits, and talks.
AXON was designed as a gallery for both visual and digital arts that can be used as a 952 sqm event space with great acoustics and nine Sony projectors for innovative demos and multimedia presentations. It’s named after a nerve cell’s fibers or conduit.
It’s a transformable enclosed space ideal for symposiums and conventions and is conveniently located on the ground floor.
THE EYE is a 360-degree blank canvas equipped with a Sony projection system that seamlessly casts digitally painted images that surround the audience. It’s located on the 4th floor and popular for creative events and weddings.
It’s named after the eye and aims to be the “window” to a whole new creative platform for themed events.
IMPACT HUB
Once you’re already at the 4th floor, you’ll see this stairwell leading to the 5th floor Impact Hub collab space.
Impact Hub is an internationally-connected collaborative space for “entrepreneurs, activists, creatives, and professionals taking action to drive positive social and environmental change”.
It’s also a popular event space for tech and internet startup events.
You can use your one-day free trial to work with high speed internet access.
You can be a member for P1,000/month with 1-day access and use of the global network via hubnet, or purchase a consumable and transferrable 5 half-day pass for P2,000, which is ideal for meetings.
For more info, visit http://www.impacthub.ph/membership
SOMA BISTRO
The entrance to SOMA Bistro features the old pillar of the building wrapped with 147 brass metal plates, resembling the body of a golden dragon protecting the foundation of the structure.
SOMA BISTRO MENU: Soups, Sandwich, Breakfast, Chicken, Brunch, Lunch | Pizza, Pasta, Ice Cream, Drinks, Smoothies
The golden scales of the dragon penetrate through the bar area and was designed by young independent Filipino artist, Jinggoy Buensuceso.
Straights Wine Company has a pop-up wine store and provides a curated selection of wine for the bistro.
On Thursdays, the bistro hosts an open mic for music and other artistic talents. On Fridays, it serves as a platform for young school bands to perform.
SOMA BISTRO FOOD
The USDA Prime Rib Eye (P1,100 – 8oz) cooked medium well was very tasty. Good value for a USDA Prime meat.
MrsAwesomePlanet’s favorite! Fried Pork belly (P250) served with sweet Binagoongan rice.
The Aligue Pasta (P230) is very comforting and addicting, but a bit deadly.
You can eat it It’s topped with your choice of either mussels or prawns. We had to order a second helping, which seldom happens.
Was pleasantly surprised to be served a good fish and chips dish, with a crunchy batter and a juicy fish inside.
Check out the recommended wines from Straights Wine Company.
For the boys, we ordered the cheesy barbecue (P320) oblong flat bread pizza.
Any Filipino comfort food-themed bistro isn’t complete without its own version of Truffle Mac ‘N Cheese (P250).
They also serve home-style Filipino rice meals for breakfast. Check out the In-house Breakfast List.
For dessert, order their signature Frozen Chocolate Madness (P190) with chunks of Oreo, Kit Kat, Chips Ahoy, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. It’s a little too rich so best to just share one serving.
Congratulations to Chef Gerald Diocades for the contemporary Filipino comfort food of SOMA Bistro!
We enjoyed our stay in the Junior Suite room, which was very spacious and ideal for a family with four boys. The lack of a gym and pool area was compensated by the visual stimulation we got from the showcase of different art and fashion. The slow WiFi can be addressed by working at Impact Hub, which is really conducive for working and networking.
The comfort food at SOMA Bistro is good. I like the high ceiling ambiance and the big family long table and sofa. The service is young and friendly but sometimes slow, especially during peak hours.
It’s ideal to go on a staycation here if you’re already attending an event at Green Sun or Impact Hub so you can maximize your stay.
Congrats to Green Sun for a solid and innovative concept!
GREEN SUN
2285 Don Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City, Philippines
Soma Bistro Opens 6.30am – 11.00pm
Telephone: +632 548-9200
Mobile: +63 998 964-8718
Email: info@greensun.com.ph or reservations@greensun.com.ph
Facebook: Green Sun • Soma Stores
Twitter: @greensunph
Instagram: @greensunph
Website: http://www.greensun.com.ph/
Check out low rates and availability from Agoda: The Hotel at Green Sun
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: Our staycation was courtesy of Green Sun. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. Trivia: “Green Sun takes its name and mission from a Chinese National artist’s painting of a green-colored sun gifted to Mr Joseph and Mrs Elena Lim–the founders of Solid Group. The dedication in the painting reads: “Though you are fifty, you will continue to do new things that are everything beautiful about your country”, fittingly summing up the mission of Solid Group. It is this phrase that eventually inspired the creation of Green Sun. On Solid Group’s 65th year, Green Sun was established as a celebration and renewal of the company’s commitment to this mission.”
I was just there for the Nuffnang event. Since I was so into the event, I did not have the chance to roam around the vicinity.