Mono Beef Bar in Makati Doesn’t Hold Back on the Wagyu or Steak Fried Rice

(SPOT.ph) It isn’t always obvious—that is, there isn’t often an opportunity to show it—but we have a lot of respect for a short menu. Whether it’s to cut costs or to highlight a certain ingredient or style of cooking, making it work is the thing. Some people venturing into the restaurant business think they’ll find their edge in being everything to everybody, but we have to ask: Where’s the fun in that?

Mono Beef Bar (Stall 6 at The Grid) doesn’t only focus on one ingredient—don’t guess, it’s beef—but fully highlights just a few of the ways in which one can enjoy it. “I knew I wanted to do something completely centered around beef,” says Chef Pat Go, of Your Local fame. “The versatility of this one meat is still severely unexplored, I think. Everybody does steak, but somehow other dishes and techniques are still niche.”

Fair warning: every order is a set, complete with a cut of beef of your choice, rice, sauce, an onsen egg, shiitake-miso soup, and two side dishes. If sulit was the name of the game, this stall would render the arena useless. Take the 48 Hrs Angus Beef (P590)—no, really, take it. It’s hard to imagine it not finding itself among the perfect beef-centric meals of the world. Tender, perfectly seasoned, and unbelievably comforting, it barely needs the sauce you’re required to pick with it. But since ‘no’ is not an option (or, at least, not one we’ve considered when it comes to Chef Pat’s repertoire), it’s hard to go wrong with the Roasted Black Pepper Sauce (P40 for an extra helping). 

The Beef Burnt Ends (P650) may sound like a throwaway thing or a copout, but those who know and love the world of North American barbecue will recognize the words ‘burnt ends’ as a beacon of decadence. Cut from the ‘point’ of a brisket slab, the charred, chewy bark gives way to a rich, fatty meat. And, remember, this all rests alongside a low-temperature boiled egg over hot rice. Any sauce will only add to the fun, but we think that the Spicy Gochujang Sauce cuts through the fat for peak enjoyment.

But for some choice paralysis can still rear its inconvenient head—it happens when even a short menu is filled to the brim with good things. The Mega Mono (P990) has you covered, and then some; it’s not specifically designed for the indecisive, but given the generous spread of A5 Wagyu, Roast Beef Aburi, and Burnt Ends, it really is a little bit of everything. This is one bowl you’ll definitely have to share.

The upgrades really do feel like upgrades, and we wouldn’t put you up to them lightly. The plain rice does what it needs to do, as any good pile of rice should, but for a little extra, you can get the kick of Japanese Curry Rice (P50) or the umami chew of Stir Fried Noodles (P60). But if you really want to crank things up to 11, the Steak Fried Rice (P70) is the best bad idea anyone could ever act on. At least at this end of The Grid.

There was a time when such a concept would be considered niche, maybe even weird. Things have a funny way of working themselves out, though; places that offer a little bit of everything are all well and good, but finding a world within one ingredient is a feat that few can pull off without reading like a theme park.

And why beef? Again, like many chefs, it’s just his protein of choice: “It’s hard not to think of [beef] as, you know, very indulgent, very comforting, plus there’s really a lot you can do with it. Here at Mono it was just a matter of narrowing it down for efficiency while still showcasing what I love about it.”

This stall is a carnivore’s carnival (yeah, we were dying to drop that one) to say the least, and a great source of inspiration for the home cook, if one is so inclined. Can’t be bothered to take notes? It’s still one of the best non-steakhouse spots for great beef.

Photos by Hans Fausto