Rambla: Special Brunch Meals Every Weekend at Rockwell

Wazzup Pilipinas!

There's a quite new (only a few months old) Spanish Mediterranean restaurant at Rockwell, Makati located at the La Joya building along Joya Drive that you should check out. The restaurant is named after a famous street in Barcelona and is from the same hombres who gave us the Las Flores Tapas and Bar Restaurant over at Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

Rambla, with Spanish Chef Pepe Lopez as head chef, now offers special brunch dishes available during weekends. I was invited by Uri Singla, one of its owners, to try out them out so I could share my experience to everyone here in my blog. It was several months when Uri and I last saw each other, and I was glad he remembered to invite me again to share an afternoon with them.

Actually, I was earlier invited to try out some aged-old cocktails when they invited Giancarlo Mancino over at Rambla as a guest bartender but I had a previous appointment that I couldn't let go that night so I just sent over some representatives. They said the guy owns his own Vermouth and will present a master class for a few press people. According to my representatives, Giancarlo explained the process of the aged cocktail and gave everyone a chance to try them all. Too bad I missed it, but I have an article about it on Wazzup Pilipinas contributed by one of the representatives.

Anyway, I am grateful there was another event at Rambla where I got to dine on some of Chef Pepe's brunch creations available from 11 am until 4 pm.

The Rambla signage

Rambla was not as big as Las Flores but it had a second floor for more seats and another bar where customers can have a more intimate and private dining experience.

The bar is actually more like an extension of the kitchen as you can clearly see that the kitchen is all the way back to the end where you can see glimpses of how the chef and his team prepare and cook the meals. You won't get the same "entertainment" at Las Flores since they have a closed kitchen

It's a great sight especially if you are seated at the bar because you get to see them in action while you drink your wine. I can imagine how the Chef and his team feels when all eyes are upon them.

The Gin Tonic cart

Bar at the ground floor of Rambla

From the bar you can see all the way through their kitchen

Sausages and olives at the bar

What a huge piece of meat!

Is that a bicycle I see upstairs?

 Neat and simple table setup

The dining areas are decorated by framed illustrations while the table setup was neat and simple - a thick paper table mat, knife and fork, a glass, plus a lighted candle in the middle. There is a stair leading to the second floor where you can opt to stay or hang-out.

The 2nd floor also has a smaller bar

At the 2nd floor of Rambla, there's also an "aging cabinet" on display

Decors at the 2nd floor bar area

Tempting to try them out and find out what they taste like

View of downstairs from the 2nd floor

The Rambla logo on the table napkin

There were already a few members of the media when I got to the place at around 1 pm. They were probably just waiting for more people to arrive so the owners could start the presentation of dishes. However, later I realized it was a very informal gathering since we were just requested to order as we pleased. 

The Brunch Menu clipped on the table mat

Uri gave recommendations on what to order from the Special Brunch menu when I asked for some, but he allowed everyone to order whatever we wanted. Naturally, I ordered the dishes he mentioned since they must be the best, and also because they were the most expensive.

Complimentary Bread

Egg Benedictine with Smoked Salmon and Crispy Jamon Serrano (P 425)

If you like eggs then you better try out the Egg Benedictine with Smoked Salmon and Crispy Jamon Serrano. You will enjoy the tender flakes of smoked ham generously on top with spanking-fresh poached eggs with richly dripping yolks and smoked salmon plus pancake underneath all of these smothered in hollandaise sauce.

Revueltos with Foie (P 485)

They also have the Revueltos with Foie which is actually pan-seared foie gras with scrambled eggs plus some green veggies and red tomatoes to add both color and taste to the appetite. The actual dish has a few really large potato wedges with it but they call it French fries on the menu so don't be surprised.

 

Sausage Skewers (P 415)

The Sausage Skewers is made up of two sticks of butifarra, chistorra, and eggplant plus white beans and egg in the pan. I wasn't able to taste it because I was too preoccupied with my Egg Benedictine meal. Maybe when they invite me again I will have to try it because it looks so yummy in the photo.

Estrellados with French Fries and Gambas (P 395)

The Estrellados with French Fries and Gambas fortified my love for gambas. Though it only comes with three pieces, the potato wedges and sunny side-up egg will close the deal for a full and satisfactory brunch.

Crispy Rustique Bread Sandwich and Brie Cheese, Smoked Salmon and Organic Arugula (P 595)

Under the sandwiches category is the Crispy Rustique Bread Sandwich and Brie Cheese, Smoked Salmon and Organic Arugula.  It has the right combination of taste you'll appreciate that's perfect wioth your favorite drink.

Other sandwiches available to satisfy your cravings

They also have two similar sandwiches with the crispy rustique bread like the  Jamon Serrano that comes with sliced tomatoes, romaine lettuce, and parmiggiano cheese, and another one with Butifarra - msliced tomatoes, romaine lettuce, parmiggiano cheese and caramelized onions.

The Brunch Burger (P 395)

The Brunch Burger is 200 grams of 100% Wagyu beef, sliced tomatoes, romaine lettuce, parmiggiano cheese, sunny side up egg, pickles, dijon mustard, plus their tomato and basil sauce.

Now if that load doesn't make you full, then make room for the potato edges. This meal will surely make you wish you shared it with a friend. You may want to have the burger sliced into four so it will be easier for you to eat it, otherwise be ready to get a little bit messy.

Burger and Goat (P 695)

If you want an alternative for egg, then try their goat cheese that comes with their Burger and Goat. It's basically almost the same as the  Brunch Burger minus the egg, parmiggiano cheese, pickles and dijon mustard. Apparently, the grilled goat cheese is an expensive ingredient to the burger.

Cranberry and Blueberry Sensation (P 295)

Now there's a drink that's already heavy as a meal by itself because its composed of yogurt, milk, oats and berries. The Cranberry and Blueberry Sensation is really "good for you" as advertised.

Pancakes with strawberries, cream and honey

Rambla also has Pancakes with a generous topping of strawberries, cream and honey. The three layers of pancakes is enough to allow me to go through the rest of the afternoon coupled with any of their other drinks like the Banana Smoothie which comes with half of a banana, white chocolate and 151 Bacardi.

Croissant, Pain Chocolat, Apple Tatin, Raspberry Tatin and Apricot Tatin

Haven't had enough? Try their assorted sweet breads with choices like Croissant, Pain Chocolat, Apple Tatin, Raspberry Tatin and Apricot Tatin for only P 85 per piece or only P395 for all of the five.

Churros (P 145)

Lastly among the sweets we tried are the Churros that comes in a serving of 10 pieces, plus the cup of chocolate dip. This is indeed a sweet reward for a hard day's work.

I couldn't really show you everything on the menu since there's just a bit more choices and we were already full to the brim to request for more. Maybe on our next visit, I can update this blog feature.

What is also great about Rambla is that the owners are hands-on and always there to personally greet their customers and attend to their needs if necessary. They are very approachable and easy to strike a conversation with. They will probably take the extra effort to get to know you especially if you are a new face.

Right now they hang out a lot at Rambla since its new and of course they want to become more intimate with their guests to probably discover ways on how to improve their food and services. I'm sure they will keep on reinventing themselves by coming out with more special offerings to make our dining experiences really spectacular. Don't be surprised if suddenly you'll see a new dish on your next visit.