In search of the best burgers
Everyone is abuzz about the new burger place by Chef Alvin Cailan —the celebrated Filipino-American chef behind Eggslut, Umami Burger, and Amboy (ranked #9 best burger in the world by Burgerdudes) and the host of First We Feast’s “The Burger Show” on YouTube.
During a trip to the Philippines, Alvin crossed paths with the powerhouse team behind some of Manila’s most exciting dining destinations — Wagyu Studio, Izakaya Geronimo, and Carlo’s Restaurant — led by the Clavano brothers and Fonso Pedrosa. What began as a casual meeting among passionate food lovers quickly grew into this always full burger joint.
In true Alvin Cailan fashion, the concept will have no name. Instead, it will be symbolized by a stoplight: Green means open. Red means closed. A simple, playful reflection of Alvin’s philosophy — that great burgers don’t need labels, just honesty, craftsmanship, and heart. That’s why this place with no signage is called Greenlight Burgers!
They can sell what they prepare (roughly 150 to 250 burgers daily) and they have closed as early as 1:50 pm since all the burgers had been sold out! None of their burgers are served with fresh tomato, lettuce, or pickles. They are served with a choice of three sauces (with the colors of a traffic light): red (classic burger sauce with ketchup), yellow (mustard based), and green (with herbs such as tarragon).
Just choose if you want a thin or thick burger, double or single, and choose your sauce! Each burger is 80 grams and thin burgers are smashed on the sides only to get those crispy edges but a thicker, soft center. The thick burger is a single patty of 160 grams.
Don’t forget to order their fries fried in pure beef tallow…excellent fries that can be eaten without the need for ketchup or mayonnaise.
Try to catch some of their off-menu items such as the Chili Cheese Burger and the Chicken Burger with Chicken Skin and Truffle Sauce. Also hope to be a lucky customer that will receive one of their special cookies! They also bake 12 super yummy chocolate chip cookies a day to be given to customers at random!
Here’s a tip! Best option is to pre-order and pre-pay your choice of burgers (check @burgersbyalvincailan) and just pick-up your order! Doing that will guarantee you a burger when you get there! They have an outdoor seating area plus a small counter inside should one choose to eat there.
(Look for a steel door with a green light at West Gallery Building, 9th Avenue, Taguig City. They open at noon daily with a 3 pm to 6 pm break then close by 8 pm.)
New chef, new specials at Azuthai
Azuthai Restaurant was established in 2008 by Chef J. Gamboa and Malu Gamboa Lindo. In 2017, Azuthai was the first restaurant in the Philippines to receive the Thai Select Award from the Thailand Ministry of Commerce for its authentic cuisine.
The restaurant that offers both classic and contemporary Thai cuisine is now led by a new chef: Leo Patcharobon, a talented Thai chef with over 11 years of experience in the culinary field. Before joining Azuthai, she was the head chef at Playgrounds Lembongan Bali Hotel and ran her own restaurant in Thailand.
I met up with siblings Malu and Chef J to try some of the new dishes. I have to say, the food of Azuthai has never been better and I am not just saying that since they are my friends. Chef Leo has several new dishes but here are some of my favorites that you have to try one day! I enjoyed Miang Kham, a traditional Thai snack that has ginger, galangal, lemongrass, red onion, peanuts, coconut, dry shrimp, chili, and lime wrapped in betel leaves and dunked in a traditional dipping sauce; Pra Tuna or spicy tuna tartar with mint leaves, shallots, kaffir lime and lemongrass Yum Nuea Yaug (a salad with grilled Wagyu beef, tomatoes, onions, and Thai herbs); Tod Man Pla Pu (one of my favorites — crab and fish cake with sweet chili dipping sauce); Tom Yum Haeng of Chef Leo’s Creamy Tom Yum “Carbonara,” which is contemporary Thai style fettuccine with tom yum cream sauce, prawns, squid, and mussels. I also enjoyed the two mains not to be missed: Pla Tod Nam Pla or Chilean sea bass with Thai sweet fish sauce and Khao Mok Kai or Southern Style Chicken Rice with curry powder, turmeric, ginger, yogurt, mint, ginger, and chili sauce; and her dessert, Buo Loy or Thai sweet rice balls with young coconut and coconut ice cream.
There are so many other specials made by Chef Leo that I have yet to try!
The restaurant operates from Monday to Sunday, offering lunch from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and dinner from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Private rooms for groups of eight to 30 guests are also available.
(Azuthai Restaurant is located at the Milky Way Building, 900 Arnaiz Ave.corner Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. They are open daily for lunch at 11:30 am – 2:30 pm and dinner at 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm.Contact (02) 8817 6252 or (02) 8813 0671 or (0927) 136 1306 for inquiries or reservations.)
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