Hong Kong restaurant and café Elephant Grounds will be opening its second branch in the Philippines on December 9, 2020, at the ground floor of The Podium, Mandaluyong City. (READ: First impressions, prices: Hong Kong’s Elephant Grounds in Metro Manila)

Just like their first branch in Bonifacio Global City, The Podium’s branch will still have EG’s signature “coffee n’ chill” wall, spacious seating, a coffee bar, ice cream scooping station, and its brunch-friendly ambiance.

Elephant Grounds’ original menu will still be available at The Podium (hello rice bowls, fresh brew, and ice cream sandwiches), but with new dishes to boot. One of their new pasta stand-outs is the Guanciale Carbonara (P395), a creamy and cheesy linguine made with parmesan, pecorino, egg, white wine, and bits of salty, smoked guanciale (an Italian cured meat), served with a crusty sourdough slice.

Elephant Grounds also offers new, pescatarian-friendly appetizers, like the Baby Squid Aglio Olio (P460), a savory pica-pica dish of tender squid, salty chorizo Pamplona slices, olives, and melt-in-your-mouth roasted garlic cloves, served too with sourdough bread.

If you want something spicier, EG’s Layu Paprika Shrimp with Sourdough (P485) may do the trick – shrimp, green olives, and roasted garlic are coated in the spicy Japanese chili oil.

Elephant Grounds The Podium will be open daily from 8 am to 9 pm.

Elephant Grounds first opened in Metro Manila in late June 2019. They can also be found in Hong Kong, Beijing, Chengdu, and Guangzhou. – Rappler.com