The Wholesome Table Has A New Menu For 2021, Founder Bianca Elizalde Shares
Known for preparing fresh, organic food, Wholesome Table has been our go to for healthy yet delicious finds. When eating their food, you can be sure that you are consuming good nutrients, fresh produce, and no preservatives. Bianca Elizalde, Wholesome Table’s founder, has been a long-time advocate for wellness and healthy living. She herself switched her lifestyle to being more mindful of what she consumes, often eating plant-based and gluten-free.
Her goal was to give Filipinos options and the ability to find healthy food, with ease. Many diners think that eating well means flavourless food, but Wholesome Table has simultaneously proven them wrong and become a favourite of many. Now, they have revamped their menu to introduce new soon-to-be favourites!
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“Right now you’ll find a lot of Latin inspired dishes - like our ultimate paella mariscos, grilled pulpo, and the chicken barbacoa with chimichurri - and some Middle Eastern flavours on our new menu too. We’ve got a Moroccan chicken bowl which has been quite popular, a lovely hummus, and a merguez sausage plate with a delicious labneh on the side. We’ve also added duck on the menu - a classic duck confit on a bed of pomme puree, which is a favourite of mine,” says Elizalde.
When creating a new menu she says: “the sales mix (which items were popular and which weren’t) definitely plays the biggest role in deciding what to remove from the menu. Seasonality and supply issues are also some things we take into consideration when it comes to creating a new menu and sourcing organic.” In truth, she says that customers can expect a bit more of an elevated dining experience. "The dishes are more well-composed. We’re presenting them differently, and there are so much more flavours we’re playing around with".
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In fact, they've even added unique cocktails like mimosas, frozen sangrias and mojitos! Perfect for the coming sizzling summer days. Elizalde noticed that there has been a lot of the younger office crowd coming to the restaurant to eat. “They bring their friends at the end of a workday to unwind and since we were developing new food already, we wanted to develop new drinks they can enjoy too. We made some low-ABV 'brunch-y' drinks that people could enjoy with their meals!”
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Being healthy is by no means equivalent to a brutal diet. There is no need to deprive yourself of sweet treats. “We also expanded the bakery just like we did the actual menu because again, we wanted to offer something new. Not to mention, I did a lot of baking and recipe developing in my kitchen during quarantine, so I really wanted to share all these creations with everyone.” As someone who personally loves to bake and indulge in desserts, she make sure they were totally worth every bite. “Two new bakery items we launched were the mochi muffins and mochi donuts. They’re incredibly unique and such a different take on the basic muffins and donuts, they’ve become a favourite in our home.” Elizalde shares.
Aside from mochi muffins and donuts (which sound incredible), sink your teeth into their rich mousse-like chocolate cheesecake which Elizalde says pairs perfectly with Wholesome Table’s tart raspberry compote and masala cream. She also suggests their banana cake which has bright caramel notes.
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As a regular at Wholesome Table, I often order the same items over and over so with the new menu, I was worried what would be removed. She says that: “sadly because of these additions, we’ve had to remove some of our old dishes, which for sure will be missed by a few of our regulars. That’s to be expected. But we’ve brought back dishes our customers all asked for in the past - like the caramelised onion and walnut pizza and kale caesar!” Thankfully my go-to Thai rice bowl is still there, but I can already tell that some of these new items will be on regular rotation for me, soon!
“One thing I never want The Wholesome Table to ever be is stagnant,” Elizalde explains. And, she makes a great point. “We have so many regular customers, I always want to be able to offer something new for them to try, so our menu is constantly evolving” she continues. With reassurance from her and the team, us regulars shouldn’t worry, but instead get excited for an expanded variety.