A photo of Aguirre Street, Makati
On weekend mornings, most streets in Makati City, particularly around the commercial business district area, are quiet with hardly anyone or any cars around.
On one particular Saturday, I walked around exploring Legaspi Village and Salcedo Village in Makati.
Here are three new places I went to that are worth highlighting.
A Hidden Restaurant Gem: Po & Pilar
The original plan was to have brunch at Scratch on Aguirre Street. But the newly opened place had a long waiting line. Walking aimlessly in search of where to eat is how we ended up trying out Po & Pilar on Salcedo Street, Makati.
Po & Pilar is from the team behind The Curator Coffee & Cocktails and offers a Filipino-Chinese menu that will remind diners of home-cooked meals. This is a pretty upscale restaurant, so be prepared to spend about Php500 to Php1000 per person. There is no dress code, so we were able to dine here even though we were only wearing shorts and casual tops.
Inside Po & Pilar
The interiors of Po & Pilar evoke warmth reminiscent of a Filipino family home. The walls have photos of the grandparents who inspired the dishes displayed all around. Once you enter the restaurant, you'll spot the bar first. As it is helmed by the Curator team, expect to find a great selection of creative cocktails and wines.
We got here before lunch, so we initially had the place to ourselves. Although people started trickling in by noon. I imagine this place can get pretty full fast, so it's best to book a table ahead.
The Food We Ordered
The food are categorized under smaller, bigger, filler, and desserts. It makes it easy to decide based on how big or small your group is.
This is chicken broccoli soup, which was served to us while we waited for the food we ordered. I loved this. It had a ma-umami taste with a hint of saltiness.
We ordered Tuna Panipuri Casserole from the smaller plates.
According to the menu description, Tuna Panipuri Casserole is made with tuna conserva, garam masala mushroom stew, and pickled vegetables.
The panipuri is crispy. Once I ate it, the richness and savouriness of the tuna mixed with the saltiness of pickled vegetables immediately greeted my taste buds. It's an interesting mix of flavors.
For our bigger plate, we ordered the Brick Chicken "Hawaiian Pizza Sauce" plus a side of brown rice.
I like that the serving of the fried rice is quite generous for a side order. As for the brick chicken, the menu describes this as half a chicken deboned and cooked until the skin is crisp. It's served with a sauce of pineapple, cheese, and tomatoes.
While it does say there's cheese, I honestly didn't taste that. It's the sweetness of the pineapple and the savory goodness of tomatoes that won me over. I finished this off.
It's quite a splurge to eat at Po & Pilar. There were only two of us, but our bill totaled around Php2000.00. Still, I think it's worth it. We had a good lunch.
Business Hours:
5:30 p.m to 10:30 p,m (Tuesday to Thursday); 5:30 p.m to 11:30 p.m. (Friday & Saturday); 5:30 p.m to 10:30 p.m (Sunday); Lunch: 11:30 a.m to 2:00 p.m (Saturday & Sunday)
Vintage Luxury Shopping
I saw an Instagram Reel from Tim Yap about a newly opened vintage luxury shop in Makati. They have designer brands like Dior, Chanel, etc., that retail for much less than what you'd find in the malls. so I was enticed to check it out.
Previously Yours, according to one of the staff, has been operating for about 10 years already, but their shop is located in Dasmariñas Village, Makati, and open only to an exclusive clientele. The shop is owned by entrepreneur Ricco Ocampo.
Here are some of the items that caught my eye:
Chanel necklace retailing around Php16k
Chanel blazer
This Gucci bag retails for Php50,000
And this is what I ended up buying at the shop:
This pair of Off White sneakers really caught my eye. I thought the size would not fit me because it was smaller than my usual size, but it did! I got this for only Php6,500 when a pair of Off White sneakers retails around Php18,000 and above, depending on the style. This is already a steal.
The shop features not only fashion items but also furniture, accessories, and other unique finds from Japan, the US, and personal collections. They accept cash, bank transfer, or GCash as a mode of payment.
Find them:
Previously Yours
Legazpi Street corner Castro in Legazpi Village, Makati City
Gelato Dessert from Down Under
Kariton is originally from Melbourne and rooted in Filipino nostalgia. It's from Chef Minh Duong, who found comfort in the kitchen and ice cream during the lockdowns. He teamed up with his long-time friend and Filipino chef, John Rivera. Kariton partnered with Erwan Heussaff to open its first store in the Philippines.
In Salcedo Village, Kariton is more than just a gelato shop. In collaboration with another Melbourne-born concept, Sabi Sounds, the shop is a Filipino-inspired gelato and vinyl listening cafe. There were plenty of people in the shop by the time we got there early afternoon. We managed to find seats by the bar.
We ordered 1 scoop Thrilla n Vanilla and 2 scoops Turon gelato. Both were good! I'll definitely be back. Gelato in a cup is around Php 200.
Find them:
Kariton: Open daily from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Tiffany Place, 156 L.P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati
Coffee AtCurbside
Coffee is almost always part of the agenda whenever I'm out. And for this particular #MakatiMaxxing day, we chose to try a newly opened coffee shop in Salcedo Street called AtCurbside. It's a small and cozy coffee shop serving freshly brewed, high-quality coffee from carefully selected beans. It's originally from Davao.
Iced Horchata and hot Spanish Latte
I usually order a Spanish Latte in coffee shops, so I tried AtCurbside's. I thought it was a good Spanish Latte. It's rich and creamy and not overly sweet. I also like the look of the cafe. It has an inviting, cozy appeal.
Find them:
AtCurbside
Fedman Suites
Salcedo Street, Legazpi Village, Makati
Four stops. Over 20,000 steps achieved. One weekend in Makati. It was definitely a costly but fun day!
