Nizrhane Abdallah
The Earth Kitchen Review
Nowadays, the organic movement is gaining traction here in the Metro that restaurants have sprouted across the cities with the basic premise of healthy, sustainable, organic eating. Personally, these restaurants serve as a welcome break from the grind of professional life and the usual eating choices that are readily available. One such restaurant is The Earth Kitchen on Bonifacio High Street. The Earth Kitchen has its main branch on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City and they have found a perfect spot on BHS recently.
Inside The Earth Kitchen
Established to support local farmers and indigenous communities, The Earth Kitchen is a project made by Got Heart Foundation, Hizon’s Catering, Chef David Hizon and Chef JR Trani. Two hundred community partners from Luzon to Mindanao are being served by The Earth Kitchen to bring us fresh, sustainable produce to our dishes.
nature inspired design
Stepping inside The Earth Kitchen is like a breath of fresh air: you know you’re in for healthy, delectable eating. Will you look at the very vibrant green interior! All photos by Ric Caliolio Jr.
The Earth Kitchen Counter
The green interior plus the wooden furniture, and the soft lighting gives the whole place a relaxing vibe. The calming effect makes it a welcoming venue to pull one in from stress. We visited the restaurant on a grinding Friday night, and it was payday Friday at that. Coming inside was a relief.
At last, after marvelling at the interiors, it was time to order. The menu was chock-full of selections, all yummy-sounding. And all I could do was imagine how the food will look once served. The servers were kind enough and very accommodating that they knew we were hungry and excited.
The Author
mango yoghurt smoothie
Pinky, our host, explained that all food are made fresh upon ordering, and their ingredients are delivered straight from their commissary on Katipunan Avenue. The Earth Kitchen takes pride in making their own produce straight from Got Heart Foundation farms in Tarlac. So, that sounds promising! I still cannot wait, though.
I took some time by drinking their mango yoghurt smoothie. Very rich and creamy, perfect for fruit shake fans who love a bit of yoghurt in their drinks.
Lo and behold, I was even thrilled when the food came.
The Earth Kitchen Favorites
We ordered Goat’s cheese pacherri (top) and Scallops in Squid Ink with Crab Fat (bottom). At first sight, the dishes were beautifully presented, all colourful and vibrant. The pacherri was crowned with fried shreds of squash and adorned with edible flower petals.
pacherri
When we were beginning to eat the pacherri, I was a bit curious about how it looks. Turns out that it has an easter egg of an ingredient (surprise, surprise!).
Edible flowers ontop of pacherri
In this dish, the goat cheese is the star. It gives you the saltiness and once you find the surprise centre, you’ll enjoy the whole dish even more.
You’ll admire the pacherri for its presentation: all the colours complementing the whole look.
The scallops in Squid Ink was the most coveted between me and my partner, in my opinion. To be honest, it was my first time in years to try something drenched in squid ink (the last one was Paella Negra waaaay back) and I can happily say that it was a glorious first time. I love the whole dish.
scallops in squid ink pasta and aligue
To me, it’s a simple dish, almost like a comfort food which you can whip when you’re at home (as long as you readily have the squid ink). You can actually taste the sea in this pasta: the mild flavour of the scallops melding with the more-pronounced flavours of aligue and squid ink. Their pasta is also good for sharing.
pure awesomeness
Up close, you can see how rich the squid ink was, coating each pasta noodle in silken perfection. The scallops were tender to the bite, and the aligue is not as overpowering as one would think. I don’t normally eat seafood (especially fish), but I give this a thumbs up.
We’ve ordered chicken with baby potatoes and rosemary as our main course. Chicken cut in half, braised in its own juices. Rosemary is baked chicken’s best friend, and it really made the chicken taste better.
Chicken with baby potatoes and rosemary
The dish reminds me of my mother’s very own baked chicken recipe with the same ingredients. This is something that brought me home even more. I’m hoping next time they serve a whole chicken, and I will be glad.
Goat’s cheese ice cream with pili nuts and fig newtons
Now, here comes the fun part: dessert. Pinky suggested we order the goat’s cheese ice cream. Goat’s cheese, we asked ourselves. But, of course! And it tasted better than we expected.
We were so interested at the fact that we ordered goat’s cheese for dessert. How excited can you get, knowing that the very ingredient would be something made into a dreamy, creamy one? Everyone knows goat’s cheese is salty and firm, and now we were about to be bought.
This particular dessert is really enjoyable, the whole thing isn’t satiating at all; in fact, it’s something you’d want in an ice cream, something that relieves you of stress on a Friday night.
The ice cream itself is made from carabao’s milk. Sugared pili nuts sit on top of the scoops, and warm fig newtons add sweetness to the repertoire. It was the best we’ve had so far in our history of ice-cream eating, not even Ben and Jerry’s could contend.
Peanut Butter Crunch with Turon
We’ve tried another ice cream off their dessert menu: Peanut Butter with Turon. Hey, I am a turon fan and this didn’t disappoint. For peanut butter fanatics whose tastebuds lie on the sweetness part, you’re in luck. It’s vanilla ice cream with a dollop of peanut butter on top, flanked with two pieces of turon (wrapped banana fritters). You’re welcome.
The Earth Kitchen Restaurant
Overall, the experience was wonderful, 4 out of 5 stars. Fresh food made from fresh produce, lovely, filling mains, capped off with two very delectable, rich ice creams that were worth savouring. All of it banished Friday traffic woes. I am very sure we will be back for the rest of the dishes The Earth Kitchen offers, and I can’t wait to go back again.
Special thanks to Pinky Parra of Got Heart Foundation.
The Earth Kitchen
Upper Ground Floor,
C2 Building
Bonifacio High Street Central
Taguig City
Open everyday from 10am to 10pm.
