Wabi Sabi Noodle House and Vegetarian Grocery

Pho

The boyfriend and I wanted to go out for dinner and didn't know where to go, so I fired up my laptop and started sifting through Clickthecity.com and Spot.PH. All those nights drooling over Vietnamese food in Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations' Vietnam episodes had me pining for good, authentic Vietnamese food.

I found a place called Wabi Sabi interesting. I called to check if they were still open, and they were, so off we went. Wabi Sabi is located at The Collection, at the old car accessories place along Malugay, you see it immediately upon turning left from South Super Highway coming from the Cash and Carry side. At first we had a hard time looking for the restaurant inside The Collection. It's located off to the side.


The Collection seems like a place for artistic people. The shops looked bohemian to me. It was still not fully fixed up but I did get the impression that it was like a young Metrowalk, only more artistic. Since we arrived late, most of the shops already closed so it was dark and I felt kind of a slight gothic vibe. I might come back to browse the shops in the future once they're all up and open.

Wabi Sabi the restaurant was homey with an Asian feel. I would call it Filipinized zen. It is a small place with a few tables and a bar by the counter. You only had two choices for noodle soup, the Pho or the Shoyu Ramen. They also had Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich) and potstickers. We ordered a Pho, a Shoyu Ramen,  potstickers and half a Banh Mi, so I guess we pretty much ordered almost everything on the menu.

We also spotted Bundaberg Ginger Beer on the counter and ordered that as well.

When the food came, we weren't expecting much. The Pho and the Shoyu Ramen only cost P95 each, but I was pleasantly surprised. I had the Pho and of course it wasn't as good as the Pho of my fantasies, but it was pretty tasty, and the clincher is, it's vegetarian! Okay, the "vegetarian grocery" part of their name should have tipped me off, but I honestly never considered a vegetarian Pho. Ever. But the broth was flavorful and I like cilantro. And I like tofu. So I actually liked the fake "meat" too. Even the boyfriend was very happy with his Shoyu ramen.

The potstickers (P45 for 3pcs) seemed like the usual frozen dumplings you buy from the Asian stores. The Banh Mi (P75 for half order), as simple as it is compared to the ones I saw on No Reservations, was pretty good too. I would like to say that it didn't seem like authentic Banh Mi, but really, it doesn't matter since I liked it.

The Bundaberg Ginger Beer was the perfect drink for the meal. It was served cold and was delicious. The boyfriend even ordered additional 2 beers for takeout. It only had a slight beer taste, a taste of ginger, it was a little sweet and not hot (maanghang) at all.

All in all, the boyfriend and I were very happy with our dinner at Wabi Sabi. We were full but the food wasn't heavy on the stomach.

Wabi Sabi Noodle House and Vegetarian Grocery
The Collective, 7274 Malugay St., Brgy. San Antonio
Makati City
(0918) 450-1714