Happy Garden Cafe is such a great name for a “garden” cafe as it adeptly fits the ambiance. Indoor plants everywhere set the stage for a secluded retreat from the surrounding concrete. It’s a spot that mixes the inside and outside well. So if you’re looking to take a break from the urban grind in Makati City, Happy Garden Cafe is the place to be. It serves a variety of excellent food fare with clean and healthy ingredients including gluten-free and vegetarian delights. My sister chose this venue to celebrate her birthday this year. 🙂
Review of Happy Garden Cafe (Bel-Air, Makati City)
Ambiance:
Whether for a casual evening or meal with your pals, Happy Garden Cafe supplies well-executed food in an indoor garden-like contemporary, “unhurried” atmosphere. Hanging plants and flowers and lounge chairs with green upholstery line the area and complete the theme. There’s even a part where you can spend a large family gathering or hold a special event. We took advantage of the balloon decors and backdrop setup for a birthday party since we came early for dinner. 😉 At the front, they sell Bizu pastries, bread, and other packaged food.
Food:
We went straight to the mains, not minding the appetizers. 🙂
Their OMG Pasta (PhP 495 – for sharing, PhP 265 – personal) closely resembles the traditional palabok but with more delectable elements in the mix. It consisted of crab fat, scallops, smoked fish, and angel hair shrimps shell sauce. The flavors were rich without leaving you in a food coma.
Ox Tongue with Mushroom Sauce (PhP 795) was delicious! Ordering anything with truffle sauce always turns out a good decision for us. The mushroom sauce was taken up a notch with white wine. We loved how the heady aroma even intensified the robust earthy flavors.
Wagyu Beef Salpicao on Shiitake Black Rice (PhP 495) was one of the highlights of the meal for me. It was composed of Saikoro wagyu “melt-in-your-mouth” beef cubes that demonstrated a really pure tenderloin beef taste.
Tofu with Black Pepper Sauce (PhP 295) is a vegetarian-friendly and gluten-free dish that treat tofu the way it deserves. It featured an intriguing display of flavors and textures with fresh shiitake mushrooms, mixed greens, tahini, and orange dressing.
In their Margherita Pizza (PhP 525), the boldness of the tangy tomato stood out most, which we liked a lot. It was nicely complemented by the pomodoro sauce and mozzarella cheese, all punctuated by overarching notes of fragrant basil. The crust had a puffy-edged character that I also enjoyed.
Price for Value:
Prices are generally on the expensive side but deliver good and reasonable value. Happy Garden Cafe in Makati dishes out straightforward, satisfying fare in a relaxed setting. This cafe represents the owners’ love for fresh food, even welcoming those with gluten intolerance. It’s doing an admirable job in nurturing the area with a great concept which combines approachable healthy dishes with comfort food favorites (without the guilt!). Check it out.
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
Imagine getting off work and going to a place like Happy Garden for dinner! It would be so nice and refreshing. I just love how the place looks! And the food looks amazing too!