(SPOT.ph) During weekends, when there’s no work nor school, we’d bet no one is eager to wake up early. You’d want to savor every last bit of shut-eye you can and reenergize yourself for the coming week. The problem is more often than not, our hungry tummies wake us up looking for a refill. Breakfast food when done right is great—it’s one of the best meals of the day, but is it worth getting up early for? Lucky for us, Your Local isn’t making us choose, it’s bringing us the best of both worlds—quality breakfast foods at normal waking hours, a.k.a. brunch.
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Your Local, of course, hardly needs any introduction; they've been serving feisty modern-Asian fare at Legazpi Village, Makati since opening in 2014. Physically, not a lot has changed on the interior-design front; patrons can still expect to see the modern industrialist chic vibe of the restaurant but one big change that happened to the kitchen side of things is a change in leadership. Chef Patrick Go (of Gochu-gang and Dripp) is now at the helm. Go brings his experiences as a chef in the Asian culinary scene as well as his travels as he slowly but surely gives his own flair to the classic Your Local menu while still maintaining the flavors frequent diners know and love.
Your Local serves up new brunch food items.
Part of the change Go is initiating with Your Local starts this weekend, as they start serving new dishes as part of their new brunch menu. These new items will be served only on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lucky for us we got a sneak peek at these new menu items—and let us tell you, they’re worth the visit. The menu consists of breakfast comfort food from all over Asia. From light toast- and bread-centric dishes to heavier carbo-loaded meals, Your Local’s brunch menu is a filling delight to your palate.
Your Local’s take on breakfast breads is both sweet and savory.
Sandwiches and toast are a must-have for any brunch place and boy, Your Local does not disappoint. This isn’t your average toast, butter, and jam joint—no sir, they elevate the basics to a whole new level and put their signature modern Asian twist to these classics. An example would be their take on the classic Singaporean Kaya toast which comes in two options: the Brown Butter Kaya Toast (P160) and the Pancetta Kaya Toast (P245). Both sport an in-house brown butter kaya that’s flavored with just the right amount of coconut and sugar to give it that sweet velvety coco jam-like taste, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Brown Butter Kaya Toast, as vanilla as it may sound, has a twist that brings it to a whole new level. As Kaya toast is often eaten with a soft-boiled egg on the side, Your Local’s version includes a smooth and silky, almost tofu-like tamagoyaki filling. This, coupled with the milk toast makes every bite a textural experience—the crunch of the milk toast meeting the soft and velvety tamagoyaki is a delight in every bite. The Pancetta Kaya Toast, on the other hand, has slices of pancetta as part of the filling with a sweet soy and soft-boiled egg dip on the side. This combination takes your taste buds out for quite the ride as each bite brings with it a push and pull between salt and sugar.
But if Kaya Toast is not your jam (Get it?). Your Local also has more savory options such as the Parma Ham Sourdough Toast (P425) and the Beef Brisket Hash Croissant (P550). The Parma Ham Sourdough Toast is an open-faced sandwich of shaved Parma ham, maple cream cheese, a poached egg on a sourdough bread bed topped with an herb salad. It’s a great fresh-tasting morning treat for people looking for a complete meal without feeling too full. The maple cream cheese along with the poached egg lends this sandwich a creamy and rich taste but the herbed salad cuts right through that with a zing making the dish more balanced—so remember to get each component in each bite. We asked Chef Pat Go on what he thinks would be the star of his new brunch menu and without missing a beat he points to the Beef Brisket Hash Croissant. It is a croissant stuffed with a beef brisket, caramelized onions, Laoganma sauce and a crispy fried egg—whew, that’s a mouthful literally and figuratively. This dish stands out because of the flavor and tenderness of the beef brisket. Each bite is a rush of what we could only describe as Filipino tapa-like flavor from the fork-tender beef.
If you’re looking for something heartier, Your Local’s brunch food featuring rice are sure to fill you up.
It’s a given: this is Asian cuisine so there’s bound to be something with rice. There’s a bunch of menu items with rice in one form or another. After all, rice flows through every Filipino’s blood. Some standouts include the Chili Crab and Chicken Congee (P370) which is the perfect bowl of warm rice porridge that we could see ourselves craving on a rainy day. You can truly taste the briny seafood crab broth with just a hint of heat and spice that just levels this bowl up from the common congee. There’s also a slight crunch with every spoonful as mantou croutons pepper the dish. The dish may look small but it’s definitely heavy enough to leave you feeling full and satisfied. Another must-try is the Hot Stone Breakfast Nasi Lemak (P650), as this creative presentation of the humble Nasi Lemak brings the dish to a different level. The flavors are on point, a perfect harmony of salt, spice, and creaminess makes this dish so alive. Also despite being served on a hot stone bowl, the beef striploin, the dish’s main protein, is perfectly cooked, tender and moist, a perfect vehicle for the sambal oelek and butter curry. But most importantly, the coconut rice. The coconut rice seems unassuming, a carb to make the dish complete—but no, it also lends an additional purpose, having been left to sit in a hot stone bowl leads to the crisping of the rice which lends a textural and taste component similar to the Spanish paella’s soccarat.
We could go and gush on and on about the Your Local’s brunch menu but all in all, we’re pretty glad we took the time to wake up slightly earlier than usual to taste these dishes. It also doesn’t hurt that they’ll be served on days when Makati CBD is relatively quiet and one can really take the time to digest the art and execution behind these dishes. They’re flavorful, hearty, and a great way to experience Asian food culture especially during these times when travel to international destinations is limited. There’s so much more on the menu and according to Chef Pat Go these dishes are just the start for brunch at Your Local.
Your Local is open for dine-in, takeout, and delivery—their brunch menu included on weekends. Your Local is available for delivery on Foodpanda, Grabfood, and Pick-a-Roo.
Your Local is at G/F Universal LMS Building, 106 Esteban Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City. For more information, visit the Your Local Facebook page.
Photos by Kai Huang
UPDATE (July 21, 4:34 p.m.): Your Local has posted an update to the schedule of their brunch menu via their social media platforms. Their brunch menu will be available on weekends starting from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.. The article has been updated to reflect that development.
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