The Earth Kitchen (Soft Opening)

What do you do if you have a supply of fresh and organic vegetables, and if by making use of them you get to help indigenous farmers and local communities? You open a restaurant and serve delicious food.

For reasons I cannot divulge yet, we found ourselves walking in on the newly-opened Earth Kitchen which, at that time, was just on its third day of operations. Earth Kitchen serves organic food, vegetables from Got Heart shop next door. Got Heart PH is a non-government organization and its shop "serves as an outlet to showcase the products of local farmers, artists and indigenous com
munities. The profits are given back to them in the form of cash and projects so they reap the fruits of their hard work and get to grow their enterprise sustainably."

That part already makes anybody feel good. So, let's get down to business. Ambiance.

So in case you missed it, the restaurant is composed of wooden chairs/benches, wooden tables and  lots of plants. Yep, those aren't fake. The roof was light green, so (1) it made all the plants look greener, and (2) it made all my photos weirdly greener or yellower. We were told this used to be a shed. Or something for the plants, hence the pillars in between. They just added the roof. ...okay, food.

Prawn Spring Roll (PHP 245)

We started off with this gorgeous fresh spring rolls and had the first bite into the freshness of their vegetables. Its lime hoisin sauce is served on the side so you can control how much you want on it. One caveat for me though was the mint, which I'm not fond of--maybe less of it would make this better for me. I had two, still.

Braised Pork Belly Soft Taco (PHP 220) 

After agreeing to "roll it" and eat it like a lumpiang shanghai, we started gobbling the tacos. Using our hands, it was quite messy but a yummy experience. This one above, not my order, had quite too much sauce for my liking. It left me craving for more tacos, or water. If not a fan of animal fat, skip this.

Beef Bulgogi Soft Taco (PHP 235)

True to my Korean descent *not* I ordered Beef Bulgogi Soft taco. Served with kimchi rice, and tender beef, this dish was perfect for me. The kimchi rice balanced out the flavor of the beef, and so did the greens. Spicy level 0 for me, level 1 for others maybe.

Roast Chicken (PHP 350)

Seasoned well, this organic half chicken is served with baby potatoes (unpeeled), and french beans. I am thankful to finally learn what french beans were called. We ordered rice to pair this with; they serve mountain rice.

Frozen Cheese Cake (PHP 220)

We were all complaining we were full, but we still ordered desserts! If you're a fan of peanut butter, you'd like the one Vanilla Peanut Butter Crunch: vanilla ice cream served with a dollop of peanut butter and banana 'sticks.' We were intrigued with the Frozen Cheese Cake that's made of goat cheese. It left a different powdery texture in my mouth. Hmm. Tolerable. It is drizzled with wild honey, cashew nuts, and dried figs... Uh, I know they say figs are healthy, but it just makes me feel nauseous.

Overall, I had a really good time in Earth Kitchen. I was gushing about it the following day to my office mates. I have always been complaining how difficult it is to find healthy food, and choices are limited; so with that many [yummy] choices made with organic, fresh vegetables at a good price, I'd definitely go back.

At the moment they are on soft opening, only open Tuesdays to Sundays for dinner, but will eventually open for lunch.

Earth Kitchen 

Lot 10 B 10 White Plains, Katipunan Ave., Quezon City

www.facebook.com/TheEarthKitchen

Tuesdays to Sundays: 6pm-11pm (soft opening schedule)

Got Heart Foundation

www.gotheartfoundation.org

Weekdays: 7am-7pm | Weekends: 8am-8pm