Spreading like Wild Fire: Wildflour Cafe and Bakery

EVERYONE was talking about it. Fellow foodies couldn't stop themselves from eating here more than once in one week. It seemed to be the new astounding discovery of the century, aside from stem cells.

So of course I had to go. 

Stephanie had eaten dinner there with her family on Friday night, but she said it was more of a brunch place. I wanted to catch the place while it was in its first few weeks of soft opening. So on the following Saturday morning, I decided that Antonio and I were going to Wildflour to see what all the fuss was all about. The day was a super rainy day where you could see the rain sideways - perfect day for a good ol' pig out. 

I liked the vibe of the place. White brick walls, high exposed ceilings and big picture windows gave it an airy atmosphere. It almost felt as if you were in New York or LA or something. At 2pm it was still filled with people.

I thoroughly enjoyed the freshly baked good on display. The kind that makes kids not want to eat their lunch. Freshly baked ciabatta, cupcakes, bombolinis and oh so much more beckoned to regular diners and tried to seduce dieters on the Cohen. O! Foul carb! 

Ciabatta saying, "Eat me!"

This handwritten blackboard made me crave breakfast food but unfortunately I was too late. Really? No brunch food at a brunch place? Feeling a little like a jilted Juliet, we had to order off the regular menu.

Based on the reviews of JJ and my cousin Tricia, I decided that I absolutely had to have the Tarte Flambe. And it was a monster.

Mercifully this bad boy with Gruyere, bacon and caramelized onions was light and crispy. It may look like a pizza but it was on a delicate flaky crusty flatbread. A perfect appetizer for a main course. The next dish that came was the prawns with tomato.

The prawns were huge but its texture was soft and mushy. We had to send it back for more cooking. 

Definitely a miss. I wanted to order the Bahn Mi Sliders but unfortunately they had run out it. Instead, Antonio opted for the Chicken Meatball Sandwich.

 

Oh my. This sandwich, as you can see, was simply a mess to eat. I am a big believer in eating a sandwich with your hands and not having to use a knife and fork (come on! it's a SANDWICH!). But to save my outfit from any potential stain disorder, I think I had to use utensils to eat this. The bread was great but the chicken meatball was meh. 

This experience was a great experiment in the higher expectations are, the lower you fall. Thank God for their dessert which saved this sinking ship. We ordered the Chocolate Pot de Creme with nuts on the side (I am allergic to peanuts and walnuts and since they didn't know what nuts it came with they gave it to us on the side. It turned out to be almonds, which I can eat, and love!)

The pot de creme was sooooo good, after one bite I told Antonio I wanted my own! But it was also rich and I was just being a glutton. So in the end, we didn't order another one but decided to have some tea to settle our tummies.  

We didn't see what all the fuss was about. So I decided that I had to come back IN TIME FOR REAL BRUNCH. And with minimal expectations.

Wildflour Cafe and Bakery

G/F Net Lima Building 4th Avenue cor 26th Street

Bonifacio Global City

Tel +632.856.7600

Open 8am to 10pm

Oh Glorious Brunch

I love brunch.

Not quite breakfast, it can be as filling as lunch, with a yummy mimosa or Bloody Mary to boot.

There are only a few places in Manila that serve a true brunch, and I am happy to say that the ever-elegant Masseto has started serving brunch on their "day" off: Saturdays, from 11am to 2:30pm.

So it turns out I've eaten at the place twice in a row. G wanted to get dressed up and have dinner somewhere. I had just gotten a text from Masseto saying they were going to have their chantrelle and truffle festival and I got excited, so I suggested Masseto, only to find out the festival was to start on Friday, July 1.

Duh!

Then on the day of dinner, M and I wanted early dinner and G and S wanted late dinner, which just turned out to be drinks. When S arrived at Masseto, she called G on the phone, saying, "You should see the place! It's a proper restaurant!"

So it was M and I that were the only ones who ate; sharing a very delicious foie gras and having a pecorino cheese ravioli each. But the truffle/ chantrelle festival was still lingering in our minds.

Then, upon looking at their website, I noticed Masseto had Saturday brunch. OMG.

Every single dish on its menu called out to me. Lamb sausages. Fresh homemade corned beef Benedict. Gruyere frittata.

So I trooped over there to see what all the fuss was about. And oh there was a fuss.

First, the fuss was about the dress code: apparently sandals and shorts are not allowed in Masseto, not even on a casual Saturday.

But when they saw it was me (and I had just been there a few days before), they let us in.

Chef Tippi sent over some mimosas to start our meal (thanks Tippi!!)

The menu confused me. I thought I knew what I had wanted but I had forgotten the truffle and chantrelle festival had started and so there was another menu of dishes to tantalize the taste buds.

To start we decided on chantrelle mushrooms in puff with 5 grams of truffle. If you don't know what 5 grams looks like, check it out here:

It comes out to about 3 slivers of truffle.

The puff and chantrelle was beautifully presented. The chantrelles did not disappoint but unfortunately the scent and flavor of the truffle was a little too subtle. In fact, you could only smell a woodsy aroma, not the usual truffle one, if you sniffed it real close.

I had just come from London in mid-June, and I had attended Taste of London where chantrelles and truffles were all the rage in many of the dishes. So do you think I was A) spoilt; from the abundance of fresh truffle or B) desensitized from being sniffing it everywhere back then or C) being greedy.

Unfortunately, I think the answer is that on its way to the Philippines, the truffles drank and partied too much and didn't maintain themselves properly in airtight containers so the flavor and aroma had lost some nuance. But that didn't stop me from saving a sliver of truffle for my next dish.

The mushroom lover that I am, I ordered the poached egg with bacon and mushroom in hollandaise and red wine sauce, with a side of fried potatoes. It kind of looks like a Rembrandt painting, if Rembrandt painted eggs instead of portraits.

I thought I was really hungry but I could hardly finish my food. The wonderfully greasy bacon with the woody earth-flavored mushrooms and rich hollandaise on this bread that just soaks it all up makes for a very heavy meal - possibly to soak up a lot of the alcohol from the night before. Well, I didn't have any alcohol from the previous night, so it had filled me up all day until dinnertime. 

A ordered  the lamb sausage with potato hay, two eggs sunny side up and a side of greens. Another fabulous choice.

The lamb sausage was full of succulent flavor. When you pair it with the sunny side ups and the crispy fried potato hay, it created a perfect bite that blended flavors and textures.

And just when I thought I couldn't eat anymore, Chef Tippi sent over another dish for us to try, the cheese frittata (thanks again Tips!)

It was fluffy and light, with the cheese harmoniously blended into the egg, to make it sort of like a souffle. Unfortunately, there was not a single centimeter of space left in my tummy, so we couldn't finish it.

I would highly suggest anyone who loves their brunch to head over to Masseto the next Saturday. Not only do you get to enjoy a delightful gourmet meal in ultra-lush settings, you can enjoy your meal in peace, where waiters don't rush you but are quietly on hand to bring you whatever you want. This is definitely not a Chelsea!!!

Masseto
114 Valero Street
Salcedo Village, Makati City
tel +632.810.3565

The truffle and chantrelle festival started on July 1 and will go on until supplies last. Try the chantrelles and truffles with other things on their menu, such as with roast chicken, quail, fresh pasta or en cocotte.