Wildflour Italian G/F The Finance Centre, 9th Avenue corner 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City Open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Tuesday to Sunday)*
PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
(SPOT.ph) Only second perhaps to Filipino food, Italian food has the ability to provide instant consolation. Whether you’ve had a hard day or simply want to celebrate personal milestones, you can turn to a warm bowl of spaghetti or a cheesy slice of pizza to lift your spirits or indulge your senses.
Wildflour Italian has a rustic, Italian-home feel. PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
Designed by architect Lara Fernandez Barrios, the space still feels very much like a Wildflour. PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
Italian food owes this inherent homey quality to its simplicity—a lot of pasta dishes have less than 10 ingredients and, most of the time, a great pizza doesn’t go beyond three toppings. But, the general simplicity of Italian food means it’s also easy to mess it up. Luckily, the folks at Wildflour Italian know exactly what they’re doing—they’ve got 12 years of experience in the local food scene to count on.
Chef Allen Buhay oversees the kitchen and restaurant operation at Wildflour Italian. PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
“I’ve never been to Italy,” Allen Buhay, executive chef of the Wildflour Group of Companies, candidly shares. “But with Wildflour Italian, what we really thought of doing was to create an Italian restaurant that served [food] as classic as it can get. But it’s still very much our interpretation of Italian food.”
These cathedral-like windows give the restaurant a distinctive old-world feel. PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
There’s no missing the Wildflour vibe from the moment you enter the restaurant, which is still designed by architect Lara Fernandez Barrios. Wildflour’s distinctive interior elements of dark wood and brick are still present, but colorful tiles and a high concave ceiling give the space a unique, old-world Italian-home feel. “How we make our food has always remained consistent,” says Chef Allen. “So you walk [inside] and you know it’s a different type of Wildflour—but it is still Wildflour.”
Pizzas get baked in a wood-fired brick oven. PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
While at Wildflour Restaurant + Café puts the focus on local, farm-to-table produce, Wildflour Italian branches out, sourcing their ingredients from all over the world. “Italian food, from what I understand, is super simple food,” Chef Allen explains. “When we were exploring Filipino food [at Wildflour], one of the things we were able to prove was when we make a dish and change an ingredient from a regular one to one of higher quality, the dish changes. So I think the focus of Wildflour Italian is we’re gonna make carbonara [or] cacio e pepe but we’re getting the best available ingredients in the market.”
PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
One can’t be blamed for expecting freshly baked bread at Wildflour Italian—it is, after all, one of the things their predecessor is known for. “We do sell bread here. And every table has free grissinis or Parmesan breadsticks,” says Chef Allen. “But because Italian food is so carb-centric, with the pasta and the pizza, we decided we’re not going to give out free bread because people might get too full.”
And the chef is right: You do want to reserve as much space in your belly as you can for what Wildflour Italian has to offer.
The Tuna Crudo is brightness and freshness on a plate. PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
Start light with the Tuna Crudo (P595), which has fresh tuna, cucumber, tomato, pink radish, and microgreens arranged in what can only be described as a work of art. The combination of flavors and textures impress too, from the delicate tuna to the crunch and tang of the vegetables, and the brightness from a drizzle of olive oil and lemon.
The crunch of the Crostini pair well with the velvety foie gras. PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
The Crostini (P220), too, maximizes the contrast between the velvety chicken liver and foie gras, and the crunch of the crostini. The burst of salt from the pancetta crumb is the metaphorical icing on the cake.
Porcini mushrooms give the Rigatoni a lot of umami. PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
The Bucatini Carbonara is made the traditional Italian way: With eggs and cheese. PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
Bucatini gives the Bucatini Carbonara (P495) a heftier bite, and the pasta’s al-dentetenderness is a perfect fit to the creamy egg-and-Parmigiano sauce. Also deceptively simple is the Rigatoni (P495)—but this dish packs rich earthiness and umami with a straightforward sauce of porcini mushrooms, Italian sausage, and Parmigiano.
Chef Allen is especially proud of Wildflour Italian’s pizza. “A friend once said that the best pizzas are made on the best bread. And we’ve got the bread down, and we have Chef Marge [Manzke], one of the world’s best pastry chefs in our team. So it was kind of easy to take our bread recipe and then just turn it into pizza.”
A crisp-yet-chewy crust makes the Prosciutto pizza a standout. PHOTO BY JILSON TIU
With such high expectations for their crust, you want to have a pizza that lets it shine with uncomplicated ingredients, as it does in the Prosciutto (P795). Baked in a wood-fired brick oven, the crust gets a smoky crispness but also a chewy center—the best base for the classic combination of salty prosciutto, creamy mozzarella, and peppery arugula.
Chef Allen’s work in the Wildflour Italian kitchen never stops, even though they’ve already been open for two weeks. “I talked to Chef Walter Manzke and he told me, ‘There’s this really great pizza restaurant that popped up in [Los Angeles] last night,’ and he said they had one of the best pizzas he’s had. And I said, ‘What makes it the best pizza?’ Because in my mind, why can’t we make the best pizza? Let’s keep tasting and then let’s get there, right?”
One thing’s for sure: If this isn’t their best yet, we can’t wait to see what is.
After months of heated anticipation, Wild Flour Italian Restaurant finally opened today, June 4, to a fully packed crowd.
Located at the ground floor of The Finance Centre BGC, this beautiful corner restaurant brings the best elements of previous Wild Flour restaurants and brings it to all-new heights! With eyecatching interiors, an extensive food and drinks selection, we’re bringing you the most authentic Italian dining experieince like only Wild Flour can.
For the first time ever, a Wild Flour restaurant has pizzas on its menu– and not just any pizza, but baked in-house in a special woodfire oven flown straight from Italy! If you were wondering what a Wild Flour pizza would taste like, we’ll spoil it for you: it’s delicious (but you probably guessed that already).
Fans of Wild Flour’s unique homemade pastas will find plenty of new favorites at our Italian Restaurant.
No meal is complete without refreshments to match, and our wide selection of drinks (of both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variety) perfectly complement our dishes. For all those wishing for an elevated wine or cocktail night, wishes granted.
Some desserts that our master chefs and pastry bakers have been keeping in their vault for years are finally on full display at Wild Flour Italian. Take this Tiramisu for example– not just any ordinary tiramisu, but a masterful recipe taught many years back to Wild Flour’s owner by an elderly woman in Italy. It doesn’t get more authentic than that.
For those that value a little more secrecy (or want to be a little louder than other guests), we have a special private room that you can reserve for events and functions. Feel like you’re dining in Italy– right in the heart of Metro Manila.
There’s so much more we want to share with you about the new Wild Flour Italian, but you’ll have to try it for yourselves first. We’re open for dinner for now, but a completely new brunch menu is coming soon (stay tuned for July 1st)! Till then, you will have a lot of time to try Wild Flour Italian’s dinner courses (and come back many, many more times to try everything on the menu)! Ta-ta for now!
Wild Flour Italian Restaurant
Open Tuesdays-Sundays 5pm-11pm
Located at Ground Floor, The Finance Centre, 9th Avenue corner 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
For inquiries or reservations, call 244-3930 (landline) / 0917 632 9384 (mobile).
Exciting news for those that want to start spending their Sunday family dinners at our original branch in BGC!
For the first time since opening in 2012, Wild Flour Restaurant BGC is now open until10pm every Sunday (the branch would originall close at 4pm on Sundays). Now you get to try our extensive dinner menu and wine and cocktail selection to close out your weekend!
No better way to spend the most relaxing day of the week, and satisfy your appetite before the hustle-and-bustle of Monday than at Wild Flour!
Wild Flour Restaurant BGC
Ground Floor, Net Lima, 4th Avenue corner 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Ciyy
Open Mondays-Saturdays 6am-12mn, Sundays 8am-10pm
Contact the branch directly at 856-7600 (landline) or 09178520950 (mobile) for inquiries or reservations.
Your favorite restaurants in Manila are open almost the entire Holy Week this year! Find out more about our schedule and how you can get a table at Wild Flour, Farmacy, Pink’s, and Little Flour over the Holy Week holidays.
For those always on the lookout for new and noteworthy restaurants, here’s our list of up and coming restaurants we can’t wait to try in 2019.Cyrene de la Rosa | Jan 17 2019
This shortlist of new restaurants that just opened or are scheduled to open in Manila this year features an exciting and eclectic mix of well-known international brands plus novel homegrown concepts—with Italian cuisine poised to dominate.
Wildflour Italian
Photograph from @wildflourmanila on Instagram
Opening in March, also at the ground floor of the new World Finance Center, is the Wildflour group’s first Italian restaurant. It will feature a wood-fired pizza oven imported from Italy, along with a wood-burning hearth for cooking grilled meats and seafood. The menu will also have a selection of freshly made pastas using high quality local and imported ingredients for the best results.
Follow the author on Instagram and Twitter @cyrenedelarosa
This is the opinion and analysis of the former managing editor of FOOD Magazine, who for 10 years wrote and edited many restaurant features. She’s also privy to the other side of the coin, having done public relations for one of Manila’s top hotels.
Your favorite restaurants in Manila are open almost the entire Christmas-New Year stretch this year! Find out more about our schedule below and how you can get a table at Wild Flour, Farmacy, Pink’s, and Little Flour to end your 2018 right! Find out more about our special Christmas baskets perfect for the season too!
The perfect gifts for your loved ones this holiday season: give the gift of Wild Flour and Little Flour this Christmas as we have beautifully wrapped assortments of holiday baskets to stuff yourself silly before the New Year’s resolutions roll in!
Christmas Basket (Php 2,500.00) – inclusive of 500g homemade pasta, butter cookies, chocolate chip cookie, homemade granola, homemade jam (choice of strawberry, guava, pineapple, mango variants), jar of polvoron (choice of regular, pinipig, or cereal variants), panettone
Basket of Polvorons (Php 680.00) – inclusive of 3 large jars of polvoron in regular, pinipig and cereal variants
Basket of Ensaimada (Php 950.00) – inclusive of 8 pieces of homemade ensaimada
Basket of Jam and Biscuits (Php 900.00) – inclusive of butter biscuits and 2 bottles of homemade jam (choice of strawberry, pineapple, mango, or guava jam)
Basket of Jams (Php 1,050.00) – inclusive of 3 bottles of homemade jams (choice of strawberry, pineapple, mango, or guava jam)
Holiday Ham (Php 1,450.00 for 1000g ham, Php 850.00 for 500g ham) – inclusive of Christmas ham, parker house rolls, and a jar of pineapple jam
Chocolate Chip Cookie Tin – (Php 480.00) – inclusive of 10 chocolate chip cookies in a gold-colored tin
For pre-orders or inquiries, you may call any of the Wild Flour or Little Flour branches at the contact numbers above.
They say the opposite of “stressed” is “desserts”, and there is no better way to cool down from a long day of work in the middle of the week than by ending it with ice cream and a drink at Farmacy Ice Cream & Soda Fountain!
Every Wednesday starting today, December 12, from 5pm onwards, chill at your favorite ice cream and soda fountain in BGC, as feel-good music care of our live DJ Dave Hahn from Hawaii becomes your soundtrack to enjoy that beautiful Manila sunset on a hump day, plus Happy Hour on select beers and cocktails to drink your worries away!
If you have yet to try our “Farmacy After Dark” menu– a selection of ice cream and sorbet-infused alcoholic drinks– now would be the perfect time to take these sweet treats to the test!
Now with Sundown at Farmacy BGC on a Wednesday, Throwback Thursday at Pink’s BGC, and Retro Night every Friday at Wild Flour Rockwell, the Wild Flour group has got the end of your work week covered.
Entrance is free! For inquiries or table reservations, call 887-3622 or 09176249006.
Miss the times when you could sing or rap along to every song on the radio?
Let the Hotel Bar at Pink’s bring you back to that era every week at Throwback Thursday! Starting tonight, November 29, at 9pm onwards, our live DJ David Hahn from Hawaii (who has 30 years of experience DJing in the US) will be playing your favorites from the 90s and early 2000s as you enjoy our hotdogs and burgers, and of course a few drinks too! With happy hour on select beers and cocktails until 10pm, our Throwback Thursday will make you feel like the weekend starts early every single week (though don’t blame us if you have a hangover and call in sick on Friday).
For inquiries or reservations, call 772-1147 or 09171622848.
For the first time ever, Shawn Litlicker, the bar operations director of one of the hottest restaurants in Los Angeles, Republique, is in town this week and will be introducing new cocktails to the Wild Flour groups’s bar menu starting with our weekly Retro Night event this Friday, November 16, 9pm onwards at Wild Flour Restaurant Rockwell.
Republique is Wild Flour’s (literally) sister restaurant based out of LA, owned by Wild Flour’s co-owners and renowned Chefs Margarita Lorenzana-Manzke and Walter Manzke (sister and brother-in-law of Wild Flour’s co-owner and president, Ms. Ana Lorenzana de Ocampo). Republique is so popular in LA that it has been graced by the likes of Beyoncé, Kanye West, and Michelle Obama. Shawn is the genius behind the bar operations of all of the restaurants owned by the Manzkes (some of the very best in LA!), including Republique, Petty Cash Taqueria, and Sari-Sari Store (which partly inspired the Filipino rice bowls at our very own Little Flour).
The Mandariquat: one of Shawn’s own signature cocktails at Republique that will soon see a debut of a similar cocktail at our Retro Night!
In an effort to further highlight our delicious dinner menu and extensive wine and liquor selection (and show that Wild Flour is more than the brunch-leaning “Café + Bakery” that it has become known for), Wild Flour Restaurant in 8 Rockwell has been holding weekly Retro Night events every Friday since August in which our restaurant by day transforms into a lively bar by night, as we dim the lights, live DJs play throwback classics from the 70s, 80s, 90s and early 2000s, and we clear the dance floor for guests to get down and enjoy (complete with a disco ball)! We also have Happy Hour promos on select beers (buy 1 beer, get the 2nd 50% off) and cocktails (buy 2 cocktails for Php500) during these events.
Wild Flour’s very own version of the classic Whiskey Sour
These weekly events have been very successful as the only place in the Rockwell neighborhood to experience a laidback yet festive atmosphere like this that harkens back to the vibe of the old days (together with Wild Flour’s signature dinner dishes and drinks), and we decided to feature Shawn of Republique and his masterful new concoctions this Friday to further spice up our Retro Nights. This week, we have spin doctor DJ Gerard Henson (formerly of STI– a huge DJ collective in the 80s) and industry veteran DJ Raulin Cayado playing vintage hits all night long.
Double trouble: Wild Flour’s very own classic Martini and lemon Sazerac
As with our other events, entance is absolutely free! Call 850-5503 / 09177053329 for any inquiries or reservations. RSVP through our official Facebook event page is at this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/295795024479446
This little one just keeps growing and growing! Three branches in less than a year and no signs of slowing down, Little Flour Café is now open at the ground floor or SM Mega Fashion Hall (right in front of Zara, beside the escalator)!
Our bountiful pastry display is ready for you to ravish it.
Those from the Ortigas area that have been jealous of their BGC and Makati friends for having a Little Flour nearby can finally put their envy to rest, as the Pasig-Mandaluyong area now has a Little Flour of their own!
This cozy nook houses the best all-day brunch meals, Filipino rice bowls, coffee, pastries, and desserts in Manila that you’ve come to know and love.
If Little Flour Salcedo has a wall full of mugs, Little Flour Mega has a wall full of piggybanks!
Not content with living in its older sibling Wild Flour’s shadow, Little Flour has come into its own with its own strong following in such a short time.
See it for yourself and have the one-of-a-kind Little Flour dining experience!
Little Flour Café SM Mega Fashion Hall
Ground Floor, SM Mega Fashion Hall (Megamall Building D), EDSA, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
