WOAH! That was my first reaction when the food was placed in front of me. HOLE IN THE WALL, located in CENTURY CITY MALL has been the talk of town since it opened and now it has become better. With the inclusion of a few more mini restos like GARDE MANGER, THE BEEF and FIRE in the HOLE. I was thankful that I have been to HOLE in the Wall a couple of times.
Like when I visited with a Chef Friend.
First stop was GARDE MANGER. A cold and fresh kitchen concept. Here different organic dishes are served. From Cold pressed fruits drinks to healthy salads.
I was quite pleased with the drinks. I tried the SUMMER FLING (120Php) and it gave me a shot of sour taste. Talk about memories. The mix of sour cherry and calamansi worked well.
Aside from drinks, they also served wraps. Pictured here are MU SHU Sesame Chicken Wrap (175Php), Thai Mango-Shrimp (175Php), and Tofu-Quinoa (175Php).
The bread and butter of Garde Manger is their selection of salads.
For the love of food, I tried a couple but not all. First up was the Marinated Watermelon Salad (255Php). Think Balsamic working with the sweet taste of watermelon and some oranges. It came with feta and pistachios too.
WALDORF SALAD (285Php). Apples, Blue Cheese, Bacon and Walnuts. I skipped this.
SISIG RILLETES SALAD (315Php). Pampanga sisig. Lentils. Pili Nuts. Skipped too.
What I enjoyed though was the SESAME GOCHUJANG OCTOPUS SALAD (285Php). Orzo, Redd Cabbage, Cilantro. Aside from these ingredients, the use of pine nuts worked pretty well in terms of texture. I enjoy nuts and as such, it went pretty well in the salad. It's base is a bit sweet too, but I did enjoy.
NEXT up was FIRE IN THE HOLE. This pop up restaurant, from the makers of wrong ramen, would only run until the end of the year. It serves different noodle dishes that are on the spicy side. You could choose between mild, spicy or flaming. The base they use is tonkotsu but the soup differs with what the different flavors they add in it.
BEWARE though, their mild soup is actually a bit spicy. In any case, I took one for the team. Even if I had the mild version of the HOT PRAWN and FISH HEAD LAKSA (390Php), it still burned me. The laksa flavor was spot on. It was incredible. It reminded me of the trips I had to Singapore.
If you are into curry, they have the THAI RED CURRY with BRAISED PORK RIB (390Php). As what one would expect, this curry dish is pretty much currylicious.
Although I didn't taste it, the KOREAN ARMY SOUP (390Php) was intriguing. KOREAN ARMY SOUP is basically everything but the kitchen sink. It had its roots from the Korean War. When the American GI's left their rations and what not, Koreans used these supplies and made whatever dish they could. From spam, sausages, fishcakes and kimchi, they wooped up this soup dish.
One thing I liked though is the SPICY DANDAN RICE (290Php). This is the bomb. The hot peanut sauce, chashu flakes, fried egg, crispy chicken skin and Japanese short-grain rice works well with one another. This is a must try. One of my new faves in HOLE IN THE WALL. The crunch from the chicken skin made it SISIG LIKE. Definitely the BOMMMMB!
Just for fun, they also offered the COCONUT ICE CREAM in SHELL (290Php). Somewhat similar to macapuno or sweet coconut.
Last but not the least, they made us try THE BEEF. A simple way to provide amazing burger to the masses. Although I have tried THE BEEF more than a couple of times, I can't help but having another go at it.
The CHEESEBURGER with FRIES (375Php). Enough said. I will definitely pick this over all the salad and the greens they would offer me. A simple dish elevated to new heights. The patty has all the moisture that you would ever want. The buns were properly buttered and toasted to fit the bill. I am also thankful that they have fries that are hand cut and not something from the market place.
With the addition of these options, HOLE IN THE WALL is the go to place in CENTURY CITY MALL for your appetite. A lot of choices for you to pick from. If you would only pick a couple of dishes, I would suggest you go for the CHEESE BURGER at the BEEF, the DANDAN RICE from FIRE IN THE HOLE and if you still can, a drink or salad from GARDE MANGER. Cheers !
HOLE IN THE WALL EXPERIENCE: Chef's day out
HOLE IN THE WALL
4th Floor CENTURY CITY MALL
Kalayaan Ave, Makati,
Metro Manila
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Disclaimer: was invited to try out these dishes from HOLE IN THE WALL. Wrote this based on my experience.
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