A Second Visit

The Wildflour experience the first time around was a pleasant one that it seemed a write-up and three food selections were not enough to do the restaurant some justice. The fennel bulbs decided to come back and try more of what Wildflour Café + Bakery has to offer.

This time, some of their menu has changed; and this led us to think that they change some of the items in their menu regularly. For tonight, vegetable tartine (Php270) and escargot (Php445) were ordered firstly. The vegetable tartine proved to be a summer night's treat - it was cool, refreshing, light, and basically healthy. On what seemed to be a wheaten crunchy rusk were baba ganoush, and a cool salad of chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers and olives. The Middle Eastern taste was prominent, the tartness of the chickpeas blending in well with the slightly bitter and roasted overtones of the baba ganoush. The cucumbers and tomatoes provided a cool contrast.

Next was the escargot. They were served in individual cups which were initially hot. Covered in puff pastry like a pot pie, one has to use the small-pronged fork to get to the escargot. It was quite difficult to eat it, as the cups tapered towards the base and had little sense of balance. The puff pastry stuck onto the mouth of the cup that if one were to consume all that pastry the only option was to hold the cup and chew on the lid to eat the pastry.

In spite of the inconvenience, the flavours were the merit of the dish. The oil was just delicious, redolent with the herbs. The escargot had the right texture, and it was not tough to the teeth. The more typical way of serving escargot was on an escargot plate with several depressions. Even with the puff pastry on top, it would have been more practical to eat escargot that way. A fancier way of serving it would be creating little escargot pies, but with all the oil, a little bit of skill and innovation would be required.

For the main dish, Steak and Egg (Php495) were ordered. Oriental hues characterized the dish, as the steak and the egg were served over kimchi fried rice. The steak was done medium, and it was very good. The center was pink and the outer ring had the brownish-greyish color of cooked beef. The beef was definitely seared well, and it was tender to the bite. The dish would have worked better if thin chops of beef akin to Japanese-style teppanyaki were used. But then, we do not know whether the intention was to capitalise on the steak and egg, and the kimchi rice as a secondary means executed for delivering the dish. But then again, we feel organic unity should be deeply considered.

Lastly, Macaroni and Cheese (Php280) was had. A mixture of gruyere and cheddar was used. Not too salty, this must be the ode to the macaroni and cheese found in school cafeterias. The generous incorporation of cheese was just too comforting - the flavours pervade gently in the palate.

Wildflour Café + Bakery indeed does teach diners a lesson or two on what a good dining experience is. Good points abound, and so do points for improvement. And we also realise what it really feels like coming back after the initial try - a deepening of perspectives, as it were.

But definitely, this is one of the restaurants that we will always keep on coming back to. The fennel bulbs can only hope that Wildflour Café + Bakery will keep on doing their best!