Named after the flower, Wild Poppy is an aptly decorated, very chill place in a nice cluster of restos and bars in the Poblacion. It opened a couple of months ago, a nice garden inspired place amidst the urban jungle of Makati.
Disclaimers: we only tried 1-2 items on the average per place, and we had to try something with Sriracha. As someone with ancestry in the sili country that is Bicol, I found that Sriracha's original and best selling sauce is slightly sweet and not that spicy (about a 3-4 out of 10), but spiciness, like taste, is relative. Btw, this was a sponsored event by Sriracha (yes, that American jalapeno sauce brand), in partnership with |looloo. 😁
Wild Poppy at a glance:
Food: 4/5
I loved that the resto that did something different with the sriracha, avoiding chicken (or wings) as its protein of choice. Instead they chose pork belly, which they marinated with sriracha sauce, topped with a bevy of chopped veggies in light sauce (the topping was actually a pleasant Asian slaw), inside a soft bun (think siopao). The slaw softens the heat and adds crunch to the bite.
Loving the name, Bao Wow. Brilliant bit of creativity. To wit, when I asked Kaity, one of the owners and handling marketing, her favorite, it's the Pok-Pok Bites (alluding to the inherently well-deserved reputation of the Poblacion area), which is fried bite size chicken fillets. Pok Pok Bites. Love it. 😂
Bao Wow P175. Heat factor: 1.25/5 (not that spicy)
Service (Dine-In): 5/5 fast, attentive staff. Quickly served the beer we ordered, refilled our water, and they were friendly. Further, Kaity took us around, answered our questions, and was very nice. Very accessible.
Kitchen Service: 4/5 Again, disclaimer on just one order, but they did the orders quickly and the food was good. Can't give it perfect because we only had the one dish.
Ambience: 5/5 Brilliant piece of interior design. Whether you stay in the airconditioned area or the still breezy al fresco area, you'll see so much greenery in plants, decor and other items.
Value for Money: 4/5 Practically all of their bar chow are in small portions, hence are priced below P200. For Makati, this is a gem, very apt with Poblacion pricing levels, and their cocktails are well priced at within the P200 and below range. Beer is P75 to P95. (It still IS Makati, you know, while it'll be below P50 in the likes of Quezon City.)
OVERALL: 4. 5/5 ☺️
- - - - -
More details here:
Worth a Try: Yes. Reco for those looking for fairly inexpensive eats and drinks while chilling with friends.
Worth a Return: Yes, next time with the wife and/or the barkada.
Tips: Pok-pok Bites, and looking to try their Shrimp & Co (deep fried shrimp on a bed of spicy coconut sauce). Hard to find parking in the area, but it's close to Kalayaan Ave., so if you must park, park along Kalayaan at night; otherwise, take a cab or Uber it.
Verdict: From an ambience and service standpoint, plus what they did with their take on Sriracha, this is a must visit place. What's great about this cluster of restos and bars is that they're in one place only, so you can try out 4 to 6 different places without breaking a sweat.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes