Sunday, November 15, 2020

There's a New Carbonara in Town, and It's a Rich and Smoky One

PHOTO BY Elephant Grounds ILLUSTRATION Warren Espejo

(SPOT.ph) It doesn't get any more rich or comforting than a classic carbonara. You'll find lots of versions in Manila, ranging from the kind with cream and bacon to the more classic Italian style that gets its creaminess from eggs—but we recently tried one iteration that stands out. Elephant Grounds' new Guanciale Carbonara (P395) pays tribute to tradition with its use of eggs, guanciale (Italian cured pork jowl), and pecorino romano cheese—but also mixes in parmigiano reggiano and white wine, and comes topped with a smoky, salty strip of crisped guanciale and tangy sourdough, for that extra oomph without overpowering the main ingredients.

Elephant Grounds' Guanciale Carbonara successfully strikes the balance between classic and modern.
PHOTO BY Elephant Grounds

The Guanciale Carbonara is part of Elephant Grounds' new dinner and drinks menu, which you can avail of for dine-in at their One Bonifacio High Street outpost or get delivered through GrabFood. The new menu also includes crisp-on-the-outside, creamy-on-the-inside Croquettes—choose from the Creamy Crab (P420) with crab and bonito flavors, the Shrimp-Pea (P260) with shrimp and green peas, and the Smoked Ba-Corn (P280) with house smoked bacon.

Start your meal with their crispy-on-the-outside, creamy-on-the-inside croquettes. 
PHOTO BY Elephant Grounds

Seafood fans will want to check out the gambas-like Layu Paprika Shrimp (P485) and umami Baby Squid Aglio Olio with Garlic Confit (P460), both of which are served with toasted sourdough slices that are perfect to use for dipping. Meanwhile, carnivores will find solace in the Angus Beef Bolognese (P395), a pasta dish with a hearty Angus-beef sauce, bechamel, parmesan, and sourdough.

The Layu Paprika Shrimp and Baby Squid Aglio Olio with Garlic Confit make for the perfect pica-pica while catching up (safely!) with friends.
PHOTO BY Elephant Grounds

They've also got new drinks to keep you buzzed while you enjoy their tasty eats. You can't go wrong with the Red Sangria (P395) or White Sangria (P395) to pair with their new dishes. Try the cocktails, too: choose from the negroni-esque Formosa (P395) with Bombay, Earl Grey Tea, lemonade, elderflower, egg white, and orange peel; the whiskey sour-like Salt Lick City (P395) with Suntory Kakubin, yuzu, lemonade, egg white, lemon, and kosher salt; or the fruity Jungle Juice (P415) with Pimm's, ginger ale, lemonade, red apple, orange, strawberry, mint, and cucumber. The best part is, you can score a buy-one, get-one deal on all drinks during their happy hour, which runs from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily!

Pair the new dishes with any of their new drinks!
PHOTO BY Elephant Grounds

Elephants Grounds is a hip, laid-back cafe-slash-restaurant known for their wide range of coffee drinks, café food, and ice cream. They hail from Hong Kong and made their way to the Philippines in 2019.

Know what goes with carbonara? A hearty pizza, that's what—and some of our favorite pizza spots around Manila are a mano and Amare la Cucina.

a mano makes a wonderful Straciatella pizza.
PHOTO BY Vincent Coscolluela/SPOT.PH ARCHIVES
Amare la Cucina's Alvin's Pizza (P370/10 inches, P490/13 inches) has a one-of-a-kind mix of homemade basil sauce, bacon, mozzarella, herbs, and parmigiano reggiano
PHOTO BY Majoy Siason/SPOT.PH ARCHIVES

Elephant Grounds is at G/F One Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City. For more information, check out Elephant Grounds Manila's Facebook page.

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Source: Spot PH

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