MAD FOR GARLIC is a Korean restaurant specializing in garlicky Italian cuisine, franchised by the Global Resto group. They say this was the original inspiration of a localized resto concept called Krazy Garlik.
For Garlic enthusiasts and Spicy food lovers, this is the place to be — guaranteed to give you a garlicky breath finish. We enjoyed the Italian fare with a Korean twist because some of the dishes were sweet for the boys, and their super spicy pastas in the menu were great for me.
Here’s a rundown of what we ordered and some tips on how to have an awesome experience at MAD FOR GARLIC…
Related Blog Post: Krazy Garlik – A Celebration of Everything Garlicky
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The restaurant, which has a spacious, high ceiling ambiance, is described as a “medieval European rustic tavern”.
The walls are covered in wine bottle racks that give it a bit of an adult vibe (so we had second thoughts about bringing our kids here).
The garlic-inspired lights with actual garlands of garlic hanging from them were tastefully done.
Mad for Garlic Menu | Drink Menu | Mad for Garlic Favorites
I love that they have a one-page menu for food and a smaller menu for drinks, which makes it easy to navigate. The placemats are picture-menus, making it simple — even for kids — to order.
★ Dracula Killer (P195 +10% service charge). Soft Garlic Bread served with Garlic cooked in Olive Oil and Anchovies.
This is probably one of the best garlic breads we’ve ever had. We enjoyed the perfect crunchiness of the bread, which had the right amount of butter and garlic flavors. It’s best if you top it with garlic cloves cooked in olive oil with bits of melted cheese. Sarap!
Garlic Pane (P75 +10% service charge). Mad for Garlic Original Garlic Bread (2 pieces).
The Dracula Killer was so good, we just had to order extra garlic bread. We liked this ala carte version that had a thicker cut but was still as crunchy. The butter was also nicely and consistently spread out inside the bread.
★ Wine_Ade (P170 +10% service charge) and ★ Yuja_Ade (P110 +10% service charge).
We loved the innovative drinks too, like the Red Wine with Soda cocktail mix and the Korean Lime with Soda mix. We don’t usually order drinks when we eat, but these we couldn’t resist.
Dancing Salsa Rice with Steak (P295 +10% service charge). Garlic Rice served with Wine-Marinated Beef, topped with Fresh Bean Sprouts and Fried Egg.
We ordered the Dancing Salsa Rice (which is essentially a Tapsilog with beansprouts, served Korean-style on a hot plate).
The interactive table-side presentation of the dish was a joy to watch. It’s called Dancing Salsa because the waiter mixes it for you with a dancing beat and a salsa flair.
Arrabbiata (P295 +10% service charge). Three kinds of Chilis with Bacon slices in Homemade Tomato Sauce.
I like spicy food, and I hate it when restos in Manila tone the heat down — but not in Mad for Garlic. If they say this tomato pasta has a three-chili rating, it really has a three-chili rating. Nice and spicy!
★ Triple Garlic Pasta (P595 +10% service charge). Spicy Pasta served with Fresh Mussels, Shrimp, Cuttlefish and Garlic Sprout.
What I liked best was this seafood pasta — it’s very spicy but also a bit sweet with good chunks of shrimp.
Just make sure to stay away from the actual chili because it can burn your tongue.
★ Creamy Chicken Popcorn Pasta (P395 +10% service charge). Korean Soy Sauce Cream Pasta served with Chicken.
This tasted like sweet, creamy carbonara with chicken bits shaped like popcorn. Our kids loved it!
Another signature treat from MAD FOR GARLIC is their thin pizza with lots of garlic, topped with shredded cheese on the spot for that snowy effect.
Garlic Snowing Pizza (P545 +10% service charge). Mad for Garlic Special Sauce topped with Shrimps, Pineapples, and Fried Sliced Garlic.
The idea was good but we didn’t like the sweet pineapple combination — think of it as Seafood Hawaian pizza with Garlic.
If you don’t finish it, you can take it out in a pizza box. 🙂
★ Garlic Steak (P1,350 +10% service charge). Prime Rib-Eye Steak topped with Various Kinds of Garlic.
Finally, we ordered their signature Garlic Steak, which is rib-eye on a hot plate, topped with fried garlic, finely chopped garlic and garlic cloves cooked in olive oil.
(TIP: Make sure to order the Garlic Steak and not the Garlic Foryou Steak, which uses tenderloin and a different garlic topping.)
The steak itself is not very tasty, so you have to make sure to eat it with lots of garlic.
Garlicholic Rice (P325 +10% service charge). Special Fried Rice with Sauteed Shrimp and Vegetables.
Best to order garlic rice to pair with the steak.
(Although, for its serving size and taste, we found it a bit expensive.)
★ Garlic Sprinkle Gelato (P175 +10% service charge). Mad for Garlic Special Garlic Ice Cream served with Garlic Cookie.
This garlic dessert surpisingly worked. The garlic with ice cream and chocolate combination was great, but it had a bitter garlic aftertaste that lingered in the throat.
I would recommend it to complete your Garlic overload experience, though. 🙂
Overall, we had a garlicky happy time at Mad for Garlic. The service is pleasant and the ambiance is nice. Make sure to try the Dracula Killer, their Garlic-inspired pastas, Garlic Steak and Garlic Sprinkled Gelato. Budget about P800-P1,000/head, including drinks.
The only thing is, you’ll end up with really nasty garlic breath afterwards. It would have been nice if they thought of offering mints after the meal. Make sure to bring your toothbrush and toothpaste to clear the garlic taste from your mouth if you are still going out.
Related Post: Jin Loves To Eat | Mad for Garlic ♥ ♥
MAD FOR GARLIC
The Original Wine and Garlic Restaurant
W Global Center 30th Street corner 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Facebook: Mad for Garlic Philippines
Twitter: @MadforGarlicPH
Telephone: +632 808-9517, 808-9503
Contact Person: Joie Arvesu, Senior Operations Director
Mobile Number: +63 917 – 8492283
Email: jarvesu@globalresto.com
What’s New in BGC Restaurants in 2013?
- VASK: Traditional Basque Cuisine and Modern Gastronomy @VaskManila
- EARLY BIRD Breakfast Club: Start of the All-Day Breakfast Era in Manila?
- IHOP Philippines: Manila Goes Crazy Over IHOP? @IHOP_PH
- GYU-KAKU Philippines: World’s No.1 Yakiniku Japanese BBQ Brand now in Manila 🙂
- MAD FOR GARLIC Philippines: Italian Korean Wine Resto (and Garlic Breath)
- MESCLUN BISTRO by Chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara in Serendra
- SABOTEN Philippines: The Original Tonkatsu Flavor Now in Manila!
- URBN BAR & KITCHEN: The Secret Yummy Food of URBN
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Full Disclosure: We paid for our meals. I wrote this blog post myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I have no business relationship with any company mentioned in this post or any organization promoting it. As a policy, I don’t accept advertising from food and travel places we feature in the blog.
P.S. What do you think about MAD FOR GARLIC? Please share your experience in the Comments section.
Among all the restaurants in this building, I think only Mad for Garlic is only that is good enough to be worth visiting more than once. Italian-Asian fusion taste is unique so it’s ok even if a bit pricey.