Essential goodness, for the pilgrims: Asian flavors in the heart of Poblacion

I did not know that Lub D Hotel has this gem located on the 13th floor. I know some people despise this number but to others, it means luck. Well, lucky me as I got to experience one of the best restaurant in Poblacion.

This restaurant is called Essential goodness, for the pilgrims that might be hard to remember but the dishes we tried were unforgettable.

This restaurant has an Asian feel with its wooden chairs and partition. The lights are warm to the eyes as well. Now, I said this is one of the best as this has an amazing view of Makati as this is located at the rooftop.

It has an open kitchen where you can freely see the Chefs doing all wonders to your food.

Tofu Salad – kinu tofu, spinach, cilantro, basil, lime
The Tofu was silky soft and has full of rich flavors given all the herbs in it. I am just having some thoughts on the cilantro. If you’re on a diet, this is best option.

Salmon Ceviche – salmon, green papaya, tomatoes, coconut cream, green chili, red eye chili, cilantro
That was one fresh salmon cooked from its citrus sauce. Love that the vegetable were crisp here, too.

Fried Chicken Poppers – thigh fillet, sambal cream cheese
Chicken was cooked to golden brown and the sambal sauce were bursting with its mild spicy, chili yet cheesy taste.

Thai Fried Chicken – cured fried chicken, pickled red bell pepper, green chili sambal, herbed rice
That’s crispy chicken with all its amazing flavors. The rice smelled good, too, but I though it was a bit mushy.

Vegan Curry Laksa – bean sprouts, shiitake mushroom, zucchini, banana hearts, rice noodles
The curry has a mild flavor that complimented the vegetables well.

Braised Beef – local beef, guava sauce, green papaya salad, herbed rice
The meat was so tender you can cut it effortlessly using a spoon. The guava sauce was perfect as it gave some acid flavor.

They also have some amazing desserts that made us all giddy. The Sticky Mango Rice has some caramel sauce which made it memorable. I usually tried one with condensed milk but with caramel, the flavor was stronger. The Earl Grey Chocolate it also has some vanilla ice cream so imagine all that tea and chocolate-y flavor in a bowl. The crumb gave some crunchy texture to this wonderful dessert.