The word “speakeasy” refers to a place where alcoholic drinks were sold illegally during the Prohibition era in the US back in the 19th century. Modern speakeasies have made their way to Asia and Manila is no exception.
Speakeasy in Makati officially opened in January but has been serving customers since November of 2013 only for a few days a week. Located at Alphaland Makati Place near The Columns at Ayala Avenue, it’s a place where you can savor a hearty meal and imbibe a potent beverage. Red walls, black leather seats, floor-to-ceiling gunmetal curtains, dim lighting and Jamiroquai on the speakers create an exclusive and inviting atmosphere.
Strictly Straightforward
“We won’t serve anything that we don’t like and don’t believe in,” says part owner and Executive Chef Mike Santos. “We want to give people a sense of comfort, something they’d want to come back to,” he adds. He describes their array of comfort food as “simple, familiar, not overcomplicated, straightforward, and clean flavors”, all made from scratch and presented beautifully on the plate, which can be attributed to the chef’s fine dining experience (he trained under Chef Cyrille Soenen of French restaurant Brasserie Cicou).
The choices on the menu may be relatively slim but the flavors are rich, the serving filling.
The pillowy soft Speakeasy Gnocchi (P260) in creamy truffle sauce was my instant favorite. “It’s not your traditional gnocchi; we wanted it to be more palatable. It was a gamble but we really loved it,” says Dondi Chiongbian, one of Speakeasy’s managing partners.
For sandwiches, we tried the Montecristo (P295) and the Speakeasy Burger (P520).
The Montecristo is a delicious assembly of Farmer’s ham and Gruyere cheese in between white loaf soaked in homemade batter then pan seared in butter.
The Speakeasy Burger is made up of arugula, lettuce, onion, tomato, Gruyere cheese, a hefty and juicy all-beef patty and topped with a sunny side egg. The brioche-type bun is made fresh every day and the meat is grinded and flavored by Chef Mike’s team that includes Sous Chef Bam Guevarra.
All sandwiches are served with a side dish of your choice (choose from mashed potato, side salad with strawberry dressing, fresh cut fries, potato skins, buttered vegetables, and creamed spinach) and we loved the potato skins served with the Montecristo.
Don’t skip on that squeeze of lemon on the Seafood and Crab Fat (P395) pasta (sautéed seafood in white wine) as it adds a nice contrast to the richness of the crab fat.
We also got to taste one of the well-received dishes from their Valentine’s Day menu: Pan seared Foie Gras with Apple Compote on a Potato Pancake topped with Alfalfa Sprouts and Drizzled with Honey Peppercorn Sauce (P688). A forkful of this is a party in your mouth because of all the different textures.
For dessert, the flaky Speakeasy Napoleon (P180) with pastry cream and drizzled with strawberry cream sauce is pleasant and not overly sweet.
You can also come by for lunch and try their newly launched Lunch Specials, which include Braised Pork Belly with chopped Shiitake Mushrooms and Egg with Rice. Speakeasy's lunch specials are served Monday to Friday, priced at P250.
Highly Spirited
Of course, Speakeasy wouldn’t be a speakeasy without the concoctions made by their resident Russian mixologist, Alyona Vinogradova-Jeffery (who is part of this year’s Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender competition).
“Just because it’s not on the menu doesn’t mean that we won’t make it for you – test our mixologist’s knowledge and order away” – it says on the menu. Whether you want it pure or deceptively fruity, she can make it for you. One such off-the-menu drink is the Coffee mixed with Frangelico and Bailey’s (P180).
Alyona says talking to people and learning about how their day went is what gives her an idea on how to create the perfect drink. “It’s more difficult to make the ladies happy. Men like it strong and effective while women like it sweet as if it has no alcohol–but still with a hit,” she shares. Vodka is her favorite spirit to mix with, while gin is her favorite to drink. “And if it’s good quality gin, straight up,” she adds.
Speakeasy has the classics (all priced at P250) like the Cosmopolitan and the whiskey-based Old Fashioned made with lemon juice and orange peel. But you can’t walk out the door without trying their signature drinks. The Speakeasy Standard (P300) is a cool mix of lychee, mint leaves and gin while Exit Strategy (P300) is a tequila-based cocktail with fresh pomelo, basil and a few drops of Tabasco. The most unforgettable one for me was the Blood Shot (P230) – a shot of tequila and a shot of tomato juice-based Sangrita chaser.
Though their name connotes keeping things hush hush, I’m sure Manila’s foodies and bargoers will not be able to contain themselves from raving about Speakeasy’s winning combination of superb comfort food and creative cocktails.
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Contact 0917-499-EASY for reservations. Get social with Speakeasy Makati: Like them on Facebook (SpeakeasyMakati) and follow them on Instagram and Twitter (@speakeasymakati).
