Water & Wine Provisions
7/F Zula Hostel, 7840 Makati Avenue corner P. Guanzon, Makati City
Instagram: www.instagram.com/waterandwinepoblacion
Contact: 0917-876-2692, 0956-582-9496
Open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. (Sunday to Thursday); 6:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. (Friday to Saturday)
(SPOT.ph) The pandemic isn’t going away, but Metro Manila seems to be adjusting and cautiously settling into a degree of calm and normalcy when it comes to dining in restaurants again. Now we can go back to everyone’s favorite past time of looking for new places to eat with good food and interesting character and on all those counts, the Poblacion area in Makati never disappoints. But with all our old favorites and the new restaurants fully opening up again, an important consideration will always be: “is there an al fresco area to eat and spend time in?” Water & Wine Poblacion checks all those boxes, with a beautiful view of the Makati Avenue skyline to boot.
Also read: The New Poblacion Dining Spots to Put on Your Must-Visit List
Here's what to try from this under-the-radar Middle Eastern + Mediterranean resto and wine bar in Poblacion:
Located on top of Zula Hostel across A-Venue mall, entering Water & Wine gives off an instant chill vibe, with rustic but functional light wood furnishings that brings to mind beach cafés with sun and surf just outside the window. But in the middle of the Makati concrete jungle, Water & Wine brings the next best thing: a gorgeous open space on their balcony with outdoor seating. It's perfect for face-to-face meetings, and as a general chill-out space to just kick back and enjoy the urban city view.
For a restaurant called Water & Wine, it seems only fitting that the in-house wine selection is quite an impressive one. They proudly carry different brands of Natural Wine from small winemakers in Australia, natural meaning nothing artificial was added to the grapes on the vine or during the winemaking process. All the wines on the wine list are served by the bottle save for their house wine, the Harvest ‘Pinot Gris’ (P350/glass, P2,900/bottle). Each sip of this refreshing orange wine has notes of guava, lemongrass, and white tea and is the perfect sipping companion to the Israeli feast ahead of you.
The open balcony area of Water & Wine is truly what sets it apart from the many restaurants in Poblacion. It’s hard to top their grand panoramic view of the bustling Makati Avenue skyline and if you’re lucky enough to be there for some drinks to catch the sunset, do yourself a favor and whet your appetite with small plates that are definitely not your usual bar chow. The ZFC or Zattar Fried Cauliflower (P450) with harissa mayo and pickled peppers will make you sit up and shout “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fried Chicken!” with every crunchy, aromatic, and surprisingly meatless bite. Meanwhile, their ode to the universal bar chow comes in the form of the Eggplant Nachos (P550) with fried eggplant katsu, Wagyu keema, pickled onions, and a mix of goats' and cream cheese, topped with crunchy sweet potato chips to deliver that perfect bite. No more soggy nacho chips for you!
The menu of Water & Wine embraces the complexity and rich freshness of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine, with a special leaning towards Israeli food. Not only is the restaurant’s name a familiar Biblical reference, but the food that they offer also brings a different kind of miraculous experience for your taste buds.
For other Small Plate options, go down memory lane and imagine an old family reunion party of yore—we’re sure you'd remember that one Tita who'd always bring her own secret tuna spread sandwiches to potlucks. That seems to be the flavor inspiration for the Salt Cod Labneh (Php 680) with house-made labneh (strained yogurt cheese), salt cod, burnt fennel, and ikura spread on homemade sourdough challah or pita bread. The creamy and tangy yogurt cheese melds perfectly with the savory salt cod fish. Plus, the ikura (red caviar) is an inspired touch, as each briny bite with the roe on top heightens the umami character of the creamy-sweet-tangy spread.
Moutabal is a traditional smoky Middle Eastern dip made with eggplant and Water & Wine’s version has candied nuts, cured egg yolk, and balsamic gastrique that adds depth and flavor oomph to the mix. But if you want to elevate the classic dish, have it with a luxurious topping of Seared Foie Gras (P820) and be prepared to sink into sheer decadence as you slather the moutabal with slivers of the precious foie over pita or challah bread.
For diners looking for something light for their meal of the day, the Fruits and Feta (P470) is popular in traditional Israeli cuisine. Water & Wine’s snazzied-up version serves this with compressed hami melon, compressed watermelon, white wine, poached pear, grapes, olives, and micro radish. Be sure to slice all the fruit with the sprinkling of the secret spices together with the feta—and be prepared for a juicy flavor to burst in your mouth as you take a bite!
While deciding what your entrée should be after all the delectable appetizers, definitely check out the cocktail menu to see what you might be in the mood for on that day.
For the fans of a classic Aperol Spritz, try the Scrappy Coco (P380)—we'd call it the drink equivalent of basking on the beach on a warm sunny day. Instead of the usual sparkling wine base of an Aperol Spritz, Water & Wine uses soda water infused with green apple, lemon juice, and cilantro, giving this classic summer cocktail a herbaceous twist.
For the Moscow Mule addicts, try the Donkey (P440) for a smooth drink with a kick. The medley of vodka, ginger, and lime juice with blackberry syrup and egg white cool you down with every sip.
Taking inspiration from the famous Adam Sandler movie You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, Water & Wine has their very own Fizzleh Bubbleh (P380) which is their take on a Highball. This whisky-based cocktail is (ahem) berry berry good in more ways than one, as it prominently features the flavors of a strawberry gastrique (a sweet-and-sour sauce made of strawberries cooked in sugar and vinegar) and blackberry syrup—and the lemon juice adds that fresh zing to round everything off.
For sangria aficionados, there’s the WnW Sangria (P480) made even more special using the Harvest Pinot Gris house wine as part of the sweet sangria blend.
Now that you’re ready to order your mains and have a hankering for some Indian comfort food, the Black Dahl Apahap (P880) is your best bet. They take the classic Indian dish that uses black dal (legumes) and turns it into a flavorful, velvety, and creamy purée that's then served with fresh pan-fried local apahap and yogurt.
If you’re in the mood for juicy shawarma, the W & WP Shawarma with Roasted Boneless 1/2 Chicken (P950) has chicken that's painstakingly prepared—it's deboned and airdried to take out the excess liquid, then pan-seared with the skin side down, rendering it juicy and flavorful while retaining that appetizing crispy chicken skin that we all love. The shawarma is served with house-made pita bread and a tower of sauces with hummus, tzatziki, an Israeli salad with tomato & onion, toum, harissa mayo, and chili. You can also opt to have beef as your protein of choice with your shawarma with the Bone-In Angus Choice Ribeye (P1,900) option. Shawarma is a no-fail as far as most Filipinos are concerned, and the serving here is good enough for sharing with your group—or, ahem, the new friends that you may have made while hanging out in Water & Wine’s welcoming open spaces.
At the end of your hearty meal, it’s always good to save room for dessert and the Baklava Cigar (P320) is worth that tummy space. This traditional Greek dessert baklava is made even better with this incarnation known as the saragli, a variation of baklava rolled into a cigar shape that's easier to eat with your fingers. (Consider it the true finger-lickin’ good happy ending to any meal.) The nut filling in the phyllo wrapper has the traditional pistachios alright, but also local pili and cashew nuts in the mix. Yogurt, extra-virgin olive oil, and sea salt also join the mix to make every sweet-tart bite the perfect one.
From start to finish, a delightful dining experience awaits everyone that finds their way here to Water & Wine. Enjoy the literal over-the-top (get it?) view of Makati Avenue while you wine, dine, and chill all your cares away in this new not-so-secret spot in Poblacion overlooking the glory that is the ever-bustling city life right in the center of Makati.
Photos by Majoy Siason
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