Wildflour Cafe + Bakery: Honest Good Food

The food scene in Makati is all things including both diverse and lavish. Of course, there still exists the crowd favorites when it comes to cheap grubs, but anyone who has been to this particular restaurant can honestly say that this restaurant appeals to a more...laid-back, but upscale crowd. I admit, visiting Wildflour was very intimidating. (For me, that feeling never wanes even after a second visit.) The facade gives you this relaxed vibe designed to make you stay longer than you usually do at restaurants and just enjoy a good chat with your friends. Due to Wildflour's popularity and distinctly authentic menu, it also attracts an affluent crowd--people in suits and black ties; foreigners with bulging bellies and genuine smiles; families with uniformed yayas and gadget-savvy kids; Makati girls with their corporate outfit and high heels and; the usual celebrities and well-established bloggers. Never mind the fine-dining scenes, apparently, well-heeled people still prefer a more mellow environment.

Wildflour Cafe + Bakery

On my first visit to Wildflour, I made the unfortunate mistake of dragging Borgy there during peak hours without a reservation. So we had to settle for a table outside the walls of the cafe. Even there, all tables are close to being booked. Nevertheless, the place's lighting and exposed milieu gave an edgier vibe to our otherwise fancy dinner.

Cool idea of re-using old wine bottles
as water pitchers :)

Wildflour is both a cafe and a bakery--Wildflour Cafe + Bakery. Chef Walter Manzke, together with his Filipina wife Margarita Manzke--a power couple of the culinary world--opened the first Wildflour in Manila last 2012 at Bonifacio Global City. Impressive, hard-earned, and proven, these chefs culinary backgrounds are both noteworthy and humbling. One of the three branches, Wildflour Salcedo is located along the quieter streets of Makati. Glass walls, simply sophisticated interior, and a counter displaying all their freshly baked pastries inviting anxious appetites all in the spirit of an honest good eat. The menu, printed fresh every day, ranges from tempting appetizers, focaccias, weird-sounding lunch dishes, and most of all guilt-inducing desserts. Nothing from their menu comes cheap. Price ranges from P200 - P600 for appetizers, P500-P900 for their main dishes and, 200 for their desserts. This isn't surprising since in their dishes, they use exotic and foreign ingredients one would likely to hear only on international food channels. In this post, I will try my very best to describe the euphoric experience of few from Wildflour's fascinating menu.

Wildflour's interior

We've had luck with the appetizers. The both times we've visited, we (actually, just Borgy. He has remarkable food instincts) were lucky enough to pick out great choices. The Parmesan Churros (P210) is what I can honestly call the cheesiest food I have tried. As you can see, the churros itself is flavored cheese, sprinkled with cheese, and is filled with a thick and generous amount of cheese. It garnered a thumbs up from my picky boyfriend.

Complimentary bread. A tad too tough for my liking.

Parmesan Churros (P210)

Parmesan Churros

The next appetizer we got to try was their Mac 'n Cheese (P280). Served warm and the cheese atop crusty, it has a bitterness Borgy and I can only describe as "a fried calamari taste" which is probably from the gruyere cheese. That sounded really weird but yes, that's the best way I can describe it. It's not bad, by the way. I liked that bitterness but I guess, it wasn't as "cheesy" as you would expect from a Mac 'n Cheese.

Mac n Cheese (with gruyere and cheddar cheese)

Mac n Cheese (P210)

The Sweet Corn Agnolotti (P450) was a fulfilling dinner that would likely appeal to anyone's sweet tooth. Each agnolotti pasta stuffed with sweet corn and mascarpone cheese is so delightfully addictive. A bite of it gives off a burst of sweetness in your mouth you're not likely to forget. The zest and full-bodied flavor of the shrimp was never dissipated by the sweetness of the dish. In fact, it complemented it and giving the course the "dinner-feel" instead of a "dessert-feel" one would expect from a dish this sweet. The small serving is the only source of disappointment for me considering its price. Actually, I'm still trying to figure out if the small serving is actually a good thing for this pasta dish. Food this sweet and heavy-on-the-stomach could be a cause of bloated-ness and an early feeling of satiation. It may actually be a good thing the it is served in small amounts so people with an appetit can still get to enjoy their other food! Haha!

Sweet Corn Agnolotti (P450)

The Squid-Ink Spaghetti (P450) is Borgy's favorite and I have to agree. This dish is possibly the richest and refreshingly unusual dish I have ever had the pleasure to try. The pasta is black, possibly soaked heavy in a special squid ink sauce (I'm not sure. Too hungry and busy devouring it to ask.) The salty seafood taste is brought by the huge prawns and flavorful clams. The saltiness is balanced out by the spicy kick of the Pamplona-styled chorizo. Everything in this dish screams perfect.

Squid Ink Spaghetti (P450)

The Kimchi Fried Rice with Crispy Pork Belly (P595) is a meal I was curiously brave enough to try because I saw it on Jin's (of Jin Loves to Eat) Instagram. Why curiously brave, you may ask? Because I have mixed feelings with kimchi and I'm very picky with pork belly. First, let me tell you that the Kimchi fried rice is absolutely amazing. If it weren't for the fact that I were still sharing Borgy's squid ink pasta, I would've gobbled that kimchi fried rice in the blink of an eye. It was the perfect medley of spicy and sour--a perfect Kimchi, if you will. For those of you wondering, no, it does not smell as much as an exact kimchi would. The pork belly best matched the rice. It isn't as crispy as I expected; the fat isn't as well-cooked as I would have liked to get rid of that umay factor but, it went well with the rice. Like I said, I am pretty selective on how my pork belly is cooked so I can forgive Wildflour for this one. :P

Kimchi Fried Rice with Pork Belly and Poached Egg (P595)

I first stumbled upon my curiosity for Wildflour when I was looking for a birthday cake for Borgy. A quick research will tell you that Wildflour serves one of the best chocolate cakes in Manila (and Los Angeles, apparently!) Awarded spot.ph as the Best Chocolate Cake in Manila this year and one of the best cakes in Los Angeles awarded by LA Weekly (Psst! Republique is Wildflour's LA-based sister,) you would understand my interest towards this cake. Unfortunately, this cake does not come cheap (P2,500 for an entire cake) and so I was not able to give it as Borgy's birthday cake. :| But! We got to try a slice during one of our Wildflour visits! And let me tell you, this Salted Chocolate Cake (P250/slice) is a cake probably baked by gods. One slice is already very huge. Borgy and I had trouble finishing a slice and that's saying something. :P The cake was so soft and sinfully moist and heavy. The chocolate frosting is a ravishing blend of both bitter, sweet, and a bit salty--the Valrhona signature evident with every bite and the salt, which I'm guessing is Fleur de Sel, reels you back to solid ground from your sweet-induced high. Atop each layer, the caramel oozes down, down, down until your resistance cracks.

Whole Salted Chocolate Cake (P2,500)

Salted Chocolate Cake (P250)

Taking the last bite of that cake slice is one of the scariest food moments of my existence. I mean, when can I possibly taste another cake as good as this?

Aside from that amazing chocolate cake, they also have a wide array of pastries freshly baked and ready for take-out. Kudos to Chef Walter's sister-in-law, Ana De Ocampo, one of the head bakers at Wildflour.

So far, I've only tasted their Creme Brulee Bomboloni (P90/piece) and it was as delicious as it looked. Now, Wildflour was the first to bring Dominque Ansel's Cronuts here in the Philippines and it was a pretty sad move when early this year they pulled out Cronuts from their bakery (RIP Wildflour Croissant-Doughnut). The successor, however, is this tiny cream-puff-like pastry filled with heavy cream. Can't say it has reached the same fame and followers as the Cronuts but hey, so far, no pastry has gone so far as the Cronuts did.

Creme Brulee Bomboloni

Many people have said that Wildflour is overrated and too expensive. Expensive, yes, definitely. Overrated? No, not by my standards. I can honestly see why it is so well-praised by prominent foodies and bloggers. The food is incredibly thought-out and prepared. The ingredients are exotic and premium. In the end, it all comes done to our unique food preferences. As for the service, I'm pretty satisfied. They will not look down on you as some servers from fancier restaurants tend to do, but they could use more smiles and better communication skills. :) Will I be back at Wildflour? A resounding yes! But because of the pricey menu, it may not be as often as I want to.