MANILA, Philippines – After a five-year hiatus, The Bistro Group’s homegrown brand Krazy Garlik is ready to spice things up again in Makati City – and yes, garlic is still having its main character moment the second time around.

The garlic-centric haven is now open at One Ayala Mall in Makati City since June, back with a “krazy” and eclectic menu of different Asian cuisines, new and old items, and continental favorites, all made with garlic.

Krazy comeback

Krazy Garlik closed its original Greenbelt 5 location in June 2019 to focus on growing The Bistro Group’s international franchises (Denny’s, Italianni’s, TGIFridays, Randy’s Donuts). Now, the restaurant group’s aim is to rebuild its homegrown brands locally. They chose One Ayala Mall as Krazy Garlik’s new home – the transportation hub is becoming a prime spot with plenty of foot traffic, The Bistro Group told Rappler.

The cozy and contemporary interiors are both inviting and minimalist, featuring modern touches with neutral tones and pops of natural wood and muted red, adding warmth. It’s spacious, family-friendly, and comfortable, and can fit up to 120 guests.

If it wasn’t obvious, this restaurant is all about garlic. Drinks, dishes, and even desserts are infused with the famous aromatic, complemented by playful puns as their names, scattered throughout the menu and around the branch’s walls.

Fun fact: two to three kilos of garlic are delivered to the store every day.

‘Clove’ is in the air

Garlic is the star ingredient at Krazy Garlik, and it surprisingly works wonders across all dishes. The secret lies in the garlic confit they use – these are peeled garlic cloves roasted slowly in oil.

This method minimizes browning and produces a sweeter, more mellow garlic flavor with a creamy consistency, adding a unique, sweet, and slightly umami twist to appetizers, mains, desserts, and even drinks.

Krazy Garlik’s drink menu is as whimsical and creative in flavor as it is in its playful, Instagrammable presentations, made to order by Krazy Garlik’s lead mixologist.

We tried the Lychee Berry Cooler (P185), a refreshing mocktail with lychee, passionfruit, blueberry, simple syrup, and soda water – perfect for those who enjoy lemonade-like drinks with a fruity twist.

Kiss Me (P185) is a blended drink made with strawberry, guyabano, and honey garlic, with a fruity, sweet, and slightly tart flavor profile. The Whimsical Cloud (P195) is a specialty cocktail with pink moscato, house gin, lime juice, sour mix, cranberry juice, honey garlic, and a cotton candy cloud that’s nostalgic to snack on.

The Sunset Glow (P185) was a favorite – it combines pineapple, lychee, orange juice, honey garlic, and soda water, with a touch of roasted sweet garlic adding an intriguingly savory, caramelized note to the fruity beverage.

For those who like desserts-in-a-glass, the indulgent Champorado Koko-rama (P225) is a thick, chocolatey drink made with dark chocolate, rice crisp, pinipig, vanilla ice cream, and milk, which tastes just like the classic Filipino champorado.

All about the appetizers

Because of Krazy Garlik’s generous portions, it’s best to share a few appetizers across the table.

The Creamy Spinach Bites (P375) has cream cheese and spinach wrapped in a wonton, served with a marinara sauce. They were crunchy and creamy, though I was looking for more spinach in the filling.

The Wild Wild West Chips (P495) are addictive to snack on – thin, crispy potato chips are topped with Monterey Jack cheese, jalapeño, pico de gallo, candied bacon, and mixed cheese. The sweet-tangy BBQ sauce drizzled on top ties everything together, and the pico de gallo adds a fresh contrast.

The multi-textural Shrimp on a Roll (P465) is presented “krazily” – it has huge and chunky shrimp inside a fried, crispy wonton wrap, stuffed vertically inside thick zucchini slices and served with a garlic-chili sweet sauce.

Meaty mains

The mains at Krazy Garlik are packed with different flavors, depending on what you’re craving for – Southeast Asian spices, hearty stews, or simply baked chicken.

The Wag the Ox! (P795 | P1,325) was a favorite – the meaty, saucy, and umami-forward oxtail and chorizo stew with garlic bits is reminiscent of a rich beef bourguignon and is perfect with rice.

The 40 Kloves Chicken (P795) is a quarter-leg chicken baked to crispiness and served with garlic cloves, with a garlicky, gravy-like sauce poured on top.

If you want the same crispy chicken but sweeter, the Honey My Love So Sweet (P1,295) is a whole honey-baked chicken with soft and sweet garlic cloves on the side. The honey butter is served on the side and drizzled on top by you, so you can adjust the sweetness.

Going the Southeast Asian route is the Thai Me Up, Buttercup (P345 | P725), Chilean mussels in a green chili and green curry coconut cream sauce – a mildly spicy curry dish with well-cooked seafood and a soupy consistency that’s good with the bread on the side (for sopping up that sauce!) or even with rice.

The Tuna Turner (P675) is a pescatarian-friendly take on beef salpicao with a slight spicy kick – tuna belly chunks are served with cherry tomatoes, garlic bits, olives, and olive oil.

Served to you after being shaken vigorously in a plastic bag, Krazy Garlik’s Bag O’ Seafood (P1,495) is best eaten with your hands. Fresh crab, mussels, clams, shrimps, and fish fillet are cooked and served in a savory garlic butter sauce until the seafood is tender – even the garlic cloves are!

Every meal is served with complimentary sweet onion jam and creamy garlic sauce on the side.

Sides and sweet endings

The KG Veggies (P325 | P525) is like a sweet and saucy Southeast Asian chop suey – it has tofu, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, bean sprouts, French beans, and cilantro in oyster sauce.

If you can stand the heat, Krazy Garlik’s Hara Kiri (P245 | P445) rice is not for the faint of heart. The spicy rice dish includes onion, garlic, bell pepper, shrimp, squid, bacon, red chili, teriyaki sauce, and tobiko.

For something subtler, the Smokin’ Rice (P225 | P425) has smoked fish, egg, tinapa flakes, carrots, shrimps, and greens. 

A must-try dessert is the “KKK” Krazy Krema Katalana (P295), a Spanish-style crème brûlée with roasted candied garlic cloves on top. The creamy, custardy base is torched until slightly crisp and sugary on top, and the soft garlic cloves add their own depth of caramelized roasted sweetness.

The Tortilla Temptation (P245) is a dessert of varying textures that come together in sweetness and in decadence. Fried tortilla chips are topped with honey garlic, candied pecans, cinnamon sugar, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate and caramel sauce.

There’s so many more dishes on Krazy Garlik’s extensive menu, but at least you now know what to expect – a garlic-infused dining experience that prides itself in its uniquely garlicky, savory notes.

Krazy Garlik is open at the 3rd Level of One Ayala Mall, with its own al fresco dining area. It’s open Mondays to Thursdays, from 10 am to 9 pm, and on Fridays to Sundays, until 10 pm. – Rappler.com