Reviews Essential Goodness, For The Pilgrims.

Nice restobar at the top floor of Lub'd along Makati Ave! Great place to rest your weary bones on a Friday evening! We had a few cocktails (all were ok with Mojito & French 75 being good), nachos and Thai Fried Chicken. Nachos were good and fried chicken ok. Other cocktails we had were Bombay Gin & Tonic and Caipirinha.

Wagyu burger's really good! It comes with a lot of fries!! Love it!

Truffle pasta is also good. Use eatigo app for discounts up to 50% off!

✨Essential Goodness
📍13/F LUB’D HOTEL MAKATI AVENUE, BARANGAY POBLACION, MAKATI CITY.

✨MONDAY TO SUNDAY: 6 am to 10 pm

✨Newest food hub spot located in Poblacion, Makati. You get to choose from their vast menu and enjoy it with the great view of Makati.

✨They provide good quality service to their customers.

FOOD
✨THREE EGG OMELETTE -filled with turkey ham, mixed mushrooms & gruyere cheese accompanied with potato confit, mushrooms and local tomatoes. PHP. 310


✨HOUSE PEANUT & JELLY TOASTED SANDWICH - Toasted peanut butter & strawberry jam sandwich on brioche bread. PHP. 195


✨CAPPUCCINO - PHP. 115


RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

One of the most legit Western Restos I've eaten at. They have unique dishes which you won't see inthe other restaurants. Our server named Mr. Arlene was super friendly. He was attentive, entertaining and knowlegable. He is a huge of asset to your restaurant and deserves much kudos. We will definitely be back soon.

This place with its lengthy name positions themselves as a unique restaurant and bar that values quality and unusual ingredients in all their offerings.

I got to try them out today during an event hosted by Quaker Oats. Everything I had which were mostly brunch items, were stellar. I must say the chef and owners took the time to curate a menu that gives a whole new experience to customers.

It was a no ordinary Half-stacked Pancake. It had berry compote, lavender infused whipped cream, smoky bacon, topped with toasted coconut and maple syrup. It was soft bite with layers of tastes that intertwined too well with one another.

House Granola was my favorite. It’s their own mix of crunchy granola spiced up with cinnamon on a bed of homemade all natural yogurt, berry, sesame seeds, almonds, and coconut. This is the kind of cup that will energize you!

For savory and filling meals, I suggest having their modern take on the staple cheese sandwich. Essential Goodness for the Pilgrims uses buttery brioche bun and trap oozing melted cheese together with toasted honey.

Another worth having is the Wagyu Patty Melt. You can expect a merry go round of flavors here. It has tender wagyu beef, gruyere cheese, jalapeño, and caramelized onions on rye bread. Oh, they have a delish Prawn Toast as well if seafood is your thing.

A new destination is ready for you in Poblacion. The place is ripe for brunch all day and game for a party at night too. It is located at the rooftop of Lub’d building.

LubD Makati opens Essential Goodness, For The Pilgrims. Introducing the most exciting new rooftop bar & restaurant to Poblacion, Makati. LubD, South East Asia's leading travel experience hotel & hostel brand recently opened its 5th property in Makati, Philippines, last January 2018, further enhancing their global award-winning portfolio of properties in Thailand and Cambodia. The hotel has opened its rooftop restaurant & bar, Essential Goodness For The Pilgrims on the rooftop of LubD Makati, Makati Ave. Makati City.

looking for a fresher take on speak easies?! i recommend heading to the rooftop resto of Lub’d’s hostel in Makati avenue called Essential Goodness for the Pilgrims- yes, it’s a looong name for a resto and yes, i did seriously ask if they were serious about said name. if you break down this moniker, it simply means nourishing the wanderer. customers who journey to this place are not only fueled w/ food but they aim to provide an ecstatic dining experience as well.

press the #13 on the lift to make your way up to the rooftop restaurant and bar and once that door opens you’ll be greeted by the most hospitable, accommodating and well rounded staff i have ever encountered, by far. the servers ask for your name and throughout the course, they address you as such instead of the norm “Ma’am or Sir”. i mean, im good w/ either, but being called by your given name, makes it all the more personalized and genuine.

the interiors are well lit, simple and clean designs that have an earthy tone to it w/ a lil touch of industrial yet still chic and functional. it has an open kitchen w/c connects both the air-conditioned and al fresco dining area so that the CM can glance at what the back-of the house are preparing for them.

we were seated at the long table (well, the tabled were conjoined to make one long table) at the open area where we were left in awe as that beautiful Makati skyline view at night was just magically alluring, not to mention relaxing.

it was an honor to become part of the resto’s tasting experience as we got to learnin’ how the hostel and restaurant came about, straight for the heads of Lub’D themselves - Airfic, Jordan, Simon and Luke were nothing but wonderful, congenial and FUN! after just an hour of exchanging pleasantries and stalking each others SNS’s, it really felt like we’re friends... i guess there’s magic in their slogan “everyone leaves as a friend.”

now, the moment of food, hehe. the menu consists of 9-courses (2 vegan dishes and 2 desserts) all w/ a touch of thai and these items will become part of their dinner menu as well as an intro for Valentine’s; also, drink pairings were on cue.

a welcome drink in small shapely glass (bigger than a shot glass) was served, called French 75. it’s got gin, champagne and lemon juice- made me a lil whozzy ‘coz i have had a bite 7hours before and i don’t drink, drink... just sip-sip, so this got me talking a bit more than usual.

the tofu salad was the first to be deployed: marinated tofu slices that dressed w/ fresh spinach, cilantro, basil and squeezed w/ lime was an interestingly amazing bite. better though if the tofu had a thicker slice, to make it easier to fork w/ the veggies as well as get that taste going in your mouth. ***paired w/ caipirinha***

the crab curry turned up: it was a tad salty and left me looking for that heat w/c curries are known for, but it aint there. it was served w/ a fried, chewy and fluffy roti that when eaten together resulted to a much mellow taste that i appreciated. though the grease from the roti bread was something i felt like needed more tissue for pattin mg the excess off. ***paired w/ soursop black tea***

the salmon ceviche was served - im not a fan of raw meats or meats cooked in acid, but this one wasnt bad. the fish was sweetly fresh and bouncy to the bite, the pickled vegs were okay but lacked to give that tang that the ceviche needs to pop-out. ***paired w/ lemonade***

my eyes gleamed upon seeing the fried chicken poppers and my taste buds were more than impressed. crispy, juicy and toothsome thigh fillet, plunged in that tartly weird but nummy sambal crean cheese spread was 😻 - this was my fave#1 and paired w/ the essential iced tea was delish.

a lighter take in laksa, that’s all vegan was the vegan curry laksa. the broth was light, rice noodles were al dente but boy did the ginger scream through the soup. prolly, for ‘em vegans they’ll surely appreciate it because they can enjoy a laksa that’s suited to their food specifications.

the sous vide, thai fried chicken was next. one quarter chicken piece, that’s fried to perfection after being cured of spices, spread w/ a lil green chili sambal was delightful- of course, fried food is love, though the herbed rice was it’s downfall, it felt too mushy, a bit over cooked because it lost that al dente feel. ***paired w/ duke if earl***

another main course was busted out called the braised beef in guava sauce, it wasnt appralingnti my olfactory but boy it was tender, fall off the bone good. who’d’ve thought guava and beef works?! this was fave#2 ***paired w/ cabernet sauvignon***

for the sweet endings, the mango sticky rice and the earl grey chocolate. the former was okay, better if there was more coconut condensed doused on the rice while the latter was fave#3!!! i am ALL praises or this one. vanilla ice cream, spooned w/ earl grey chocolate mousse/spread + that brownes butter crumbs was a delicately delicious dessert to cap off one lovely tasting experience. if this is on the menu, i’d DEFO get one.

to conclude, it’s a 4/5 star culinary journey that took place in a 4-hour dinner set up as we bonded over stories, new friends and new food created masterfully by their chefs that brought you Hey Handsome and Your Local.

I had breakfast here for the first time. We ordered essential breakfast, three-way omelette and chicken & pork adobo.

-Ambiance / interior was really relaxing, clean and wonderful!!
-Price was reasonable and good food choices.
-Staffs were welcoming and accommodating.
-Plating was very luxury-like.

I really loved their chicken & pork adobo. IT WAS THE BEST!!!

This place is recommendable!! I'll be back here soon.

As I am writing this, I am currently on the last hours of my short staycation at Lub d Hotel. I have just finished my breakfast no more than 3 minutes ago, but still am enjoying the view on the outside rooftop portion of Essential goodness, for the pilgrims.

Chef Nicco Santos is the brainchild of this awesome restaurant. He was also the one that created Hey Handsome. Sadly, Hey Handsome recently closed, and I never will get the chance to visit that bookmarked place. Thankfully, Chef Nicco and his team have created Essential goodness, for the pilgrims. And... I am speechless and amazed at everything about it.

Right after checking-in yesterday, I opted to grab a late lunch. Nothing too heavy as I was more tired than hungry. With that said, I ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese. I was superb! The sauce was nicely balanced with the richness of beef and the acidity of tomatoes. The fine shreds of parmesan not only tasted great, but also added a tad bit of creaminess. The chiffonade of basil was the cherry on top for me as fresh basil is the best with a tomato based sauce. The pasta on the other hand was perfectly al dente. There was a slight bite to it. The consistency of the sauce, coated every strand nicely. I will admit that the Spaghetti Bolognese was the best--and I do mean the BEST bolognese that I have ever had in my life. Seriously!

Today, I woke up earlier than I expected. At first, I was bummed thinking I would sleep more, but no. While I was tossing and turning in bed, I remembered the breakfast items I saw on the menu yesterday, so, up I went. Yesrerday, during my lunch, there was a private party being held on the outside patio. This morning, it was available, and I was more than pleased to have the cool city breeze, great views, while having breakfast.

I was torn as to what to order, and asked the waiter for a suggestion. He suggested that I have there best-selling breakfast dish--Essential Breakfast. It consisted of pesto scrambled eggs, rye toast, English bangers, potatoes, mushrooms and tomatoes. On a side note, a few bites into my meal, the Pinoy in me was just too strong, that I had to order garlic rice. Haha! 😂

Anyways, the breakfast was fantabulous! I never had pesto eggs, and I quite enjoyed it. The eggs were cooked to fluffy, creamy perfection. The English bangers were a nice alternative from the usual longganisa. It had a light flavorful char, and the skin snapped nicely when biting into it.

The potatoes were my fave on the dish! It had some sort of orange-red coating that it was tossed in. A little cayenne perhaps with a few other things. Perfectly toasted on the outside and lightly dense inside. Mushrooms were good, adding earthiness and a natural umami flavor to the entire dish. I wish there was more.

The tomatoes were great too. Hard to believe that it was a local tomato. In my opnion, most local tomatoes are just to acidic. There's was really good. Again, hoped for more. 😂

Now, BACON, BACON, BACON! What's breakfast without it?! Here, I go saying it again... The BEST I have ever had! Dead serious here! It was different from all the ones I have tried. Super crispy and not at all soft, just crisp and nothing less. The flavor was so clean. Clearly, no commercial preservatives. I wouldn't be surprised if it was 100% made in-house from just a plain pork belly, that they brined and cured themselves. It paired perfectly with the rye toast. Absolutely no need for butter, and there wasn't any served.

And just the the bolognese, there was a spinkle of chiffonade basil over everything. Really, a great addition of flavor. You wouldn't exoect it to work with everything, but it actually brings everything together. They knew exactly how to serve things--no more, no less.

Truly an essential breakfast. It was a great way to start the day. 👍🏻😋❤️

Food: 5.0 - Excellent food! With everything I just wrote, what else can I say?! 😂

Price: 5.0 - You might think it's a bit steep at first, then after everything, it's actually worth it. Affordable 5 star experience!

Service: 5.0 - Very friendly, attentive and accomodating staff. They really come and ask if food is okay a few bites into it. Top service!

Ambience: 5.0 - Lub d Hotel is a hip hotel, with a playful vibe. Entering Essential goodness, for the pilgrims, is entering another world. It has modern, minimalist and clean designs. A great open kitchen and bar, plus killer views of the metro outside.

Most definitely coming back, staycation or not. I am still god-smacked at my experience. Even with the rains, it can't put a, damper on it. Wow, just... Wow!

Essential goodness, for the pilgrims, you have clearly stolen my foodie heart... ♥️♥️♥️

A refreshing spot on top of Lub D Hostel.
Superb view overlooking the Makati-Rockwell skyline especially when dining at night time. Friendliest staff I have met in a while the menu is super affordable without compromising the taste and quality. Will definitely be back 👍🏽👌🏽