Wabi-Sabi Noodle House and Vegetarian Grocery

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Restaurants
Cuisine:	Other
Location:	The Collective, 7274 Malugay St, Makati City, Philippines

I first read about Wabi-Sabi from a friend's post in FB this week.

I lived and work in Makati, but I never ventured far out into the edges of the city to try out new eating places. A growl slipped out, and it wasn't from my stomach.

A day or two later, Marie texted she would be going to "The Collective", and if I wasn't busy how about we meet up there?

Was I busy? *ding-dong*
The Collective? That does ring a bell though I don't know exactly where its located.
Apparently I am not that busy when I am food-motivated - I can already smell the bánh mì on my plate!

I had just woken up when I read her text and so blearily scrambled up to google the map of Makati after dealing with a small number of emails (thank goodness!). After a quick wash and costume-change I set about texting a couple of Kayumanggito friends while I tried to catch a bus.

At least I was able to get a nod from Che, and we three girls met up way past lunchtime for a hearty fare of Viet pho, bánh mì, steamed buns (asado). and guzzled a couple of glasses of lemongrass iced tea.

THE PLACE:
The interior's decor is simple and well-lighted but warm and cosy.
A big fat fly was the buzzing fifth wheel but settled down after a while...on another table.
Wooden tables and chairs, plus an adequate supply of chopsticks and napkins along with other condiments you did not have to holler for was a good point in their favor.

GROCERIES?
The groceries were stacked up on the left side near the counter, but my eyes were drawn to the ginger beer.
I can't critique it though as I had at least 2 glasses of their thirst-quenching and luscious lemongrass tea and was too full to try that other particular beverage.

WINNER - ICED LEMONGRASS TEA!
The lemongrass tea was a perfect partner to my one whole bánh mì. (You can get half-order if you are afraid of big sandwiches).
It was filling enough to last me till after snack time, but light enough not to give me a stomachache.

ME AND MY BáNH Mì
Bánh mì or bánh mỳ is a type of sandwich traditionally made with a baguette. Call it the influence of the French on Vietnamese cuisine, but since I love sandwiches of all kinds (and not so normal kinds), I give their version an empathic nod of approval.

The sandwich is usually made up of thinly sliced pickled carrots and daikon (do chua), cilantro, chili peppers, cucumbers, pâté, mayonnaise and various meat fillings or tofu. This time, in keeping with their vegetarian label, they used veggie meat as the beef substitute. I was glad, as usually if beef is not that tender, I have a devil of a time picking it out of my gnashing teeth.

AAH, THE PHO!
Since I didn't order any soup, I can only judge it based on the sneaky sips and slurps I had from Che's bowl. The basil fragrance drew me in. Hmm....

The Viet pho looked rich with its numerous chunks of vege meat.
I stole a couple of noodles with my attacking chopsticks and gave a noisy slurp of the broth....alas, I cannot give it high-praise...

Could it be due to the vege meat?
I think soup, to be flavourful indeed, needs slices or slabs of meat such as beef or pork in order to qualify as having that particular flavor. In this case, it was noticeably absent *sad*

It wasn't like sipping water, but there was no oomph to make you brave enough to take that next gulp regardless of the threat of burning your tongue.
For now, I can still say I personally liked the taste of the pho bo kho in the Palawan Viet Ville restaurant in comparison.

CONCLUSION:
I will definitely come back and visit this place, if only to assuage my guilt in frequently munching on crispy bacon by balancing it out with some veggie fare.

Now since they forgot to serve my veggie cracklings (and its delish dip), that along with the pot stickers will be for next time I visit this place.

The Collective itself seems to be also a good place to explore with its other restaurants (e.g. Pasta Box), varied shops (a bike shop, some old vinyl collections etc.), clothing and bags (Hysteric Wacko, Yadu) and organic off-beat ones (Ritual).

How to get there:

If you are in Makati already, you can either take a taxi or take a bus.
1. From Ayala Avenue, ride a bus to Buendia (tip: it has LRT as a signboard).
2. Get off at Buendia corner South Super Highway. The Collective is at the back of the University of Makati so you can just ask the driver or conductor to make sure you get off before the bus crosses over the South Super Highway.
3. Make a right turn at South Super Highway and walk for a couple of meters.
4. Then make a right turn at Malugay Street and walk around 100 or so meters to reach The Collective.

Wabi-Sabi is located in The Collective.
Mobile +63 918 4501714

The Collective
7274 Malugay St., San Antonio Village,
Makati City