By: Raine Grey
West 32 is a Korean-American fusion restobar in Poblacion, Makati. Its façade is discreet, with the inattentive passerby almost missing it if they weren’t paying attention. However, the exterior of the building greatly belies the powerful tastes waiting within. From savory tteokbokki to mouthwatering ribs to melts-on-the-tongue Hotteok, Korean cuisine connoisseurs will greatly appreciate the entire menu at this small, but great value-for-money café.
Written is an honest review of the restaurant written by your Trend Hotspot team!
Paying tribute to the Pinoy taste
To start, on paper, the restaurant says that it’s a Korean-American restaurant, but the menu displays mostly Korean dishes influenced by the Pinoy taste and Western cooking styles. One such example is the rose tteokbokki that we ordered as an appetizer. The dish was a mild alternative to the traditionally spicy dish, making it suitable for all ages, as parents can safely serve the rice dish without fear. It is made for the gentler palette; and when taken with the house-made crispy fried cake, gives a delightful experience of something both familiar and exotic.
Though quite satisfied with the appetizers, we wondered if all the dishes would be just the milder form of our favorite Korean dishes. So, we were pleasantly surprised that this isn’t the case with the crowd’s favorite and best-selling Ssamyeopsal. The thick-cut 10-hour sous vide pork belly was both rich and flavored with what seemed like homemade sauces. The ssamjang, especially, was thick and rich – giving the lettuce-wrapped pork just the right amount of “oomph” to the tongue. This definitely is not your store-bought ssamjang! It has the right amount of authenticity but just slightly tweaked to suit the Pinoy tastebuds.
But what really caused our legs to shake was the full-rib galbi jjim. The slow-braised Irish beef short rib is a sweet and savory broth with carrots, radish, Korean chili oil, and crispy Perilla leaves. The meat slid off our forks as we tried to serve it. And it got even creamier as we chewed on it, with its almost buttery-like texture that mixed well with the savory sauce. Needless to say, this was the one dish that was completely consumed, with us wondering if we could ask for more.
We decided to order Hotteok for dessert and we weren’t disappointed. The flour-dough pancake was filled with sugary syrup with cinnamon and topped off with vanilla ice cream. It was the perfect end to a great meal.
Nightcaps
West 32 also features several cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages. We decided to get an Umeshu Spritzer which was made from unfiltered Soju, white wine, ginger ale, and fresh strawberries. The beverage was light and refreshing – you could hardly taste the alcohol. Still, it had enough of a kick to gently transport us to a happy place and made the tastes of our meal even tastier!
You may also want to try their best-selling Berry Berry Nice which is a refreshing cocktail made with Korean Wild Berry Wine, lemon, lime, ginger, strawberry, and mint. This one should come with caution, though. It carries a unique berry taste that some people may find overwhelming, especially if left too long and after the ice melts.
Overall, West32 is definitely worth a try, especially if you love Korean cuisine. Though some dishes may be too mild for traditional tastebuds, the general effect is delicious and worth the extra few hundred pesos.
West32 is located at 8464 Kalayaan Ave., Poblacion, Makati.
