A new restaurant in the bustling area of food haven, Poblacion, along Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City brings the well-loved Korean cuisine to the Philippine market.
WEST 32, taking its name and inspiration from New York City’s Korea-Town street, is the latest food and beverage venture of Brooklyn Industries Group’s Notorious Concepts.
The concept of this Korean-American Restaurant was born out of Brooklyn Industry Group’s CEO Jeff Oh and Notorious Concepts’ CEO James Thomas experience growing up in the renowned street.
The two, who are life-long best friends, lived the majority of their lives in America as immigrants. They described West 32 street as “the strip where they felt most at home with their Korean heritage in one of America’s biggest melting pots of culture and race that is New York City.”
When they came to start a business in the country, they envisioned a place that has the resonance of “building a home for anyone who visits.” This then led to the creation of the WEST 32.
It aims to be the new hotspot of Manila’s trendiest personalities.
The design of the restaurant pays homage to the iconic street and bears trendy interiors that complement the dishes and cocktails that are prepared in a contemporary fashion.
The restaurant could aptly seat 32 people for every round of dinner and drinks. It is situated on the first floor of the building where the Notorious’ bar concept HQ is also located.
For its menu, WEST 32 offers a variety of Korean-American food items.
Appetizers
Diners of this restaurant may choose from the following seven appetizers:
- Corn Chi-Jiu Skillet – Yellow corn and tteokbokki in a mozzarella-garlic cream cheese sauce
- Classic Gyeranjjin – Classic Korean steamed egg
- Cheesy Gyeranjjin – Classic Korean steamed egg with melted mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese
- Crispy Pajeon – Crispy scallion pancake with a soy-sesame
- Crab Caviar Gamja Jeon – Crispy potato pancake topped with crab claw meat tossed in a gochujang-aoli and garnished with black caviar
- Fire chicken n’ cheese tteokbokki – Fresh rice cake in creamy mozzarella cheese sauce topped with spicy chicken and crispy onion
- Rosé Tteokbokki – Fresh rice cake in a mild gochujang cream sauce topped with melted mozzarella, cheddar cheese and house-made crispy fish cake
Mains
Patrons may follow it up with the main menu that seeks to satisfy the cravings of metro-foodies with its crowd-favorites chicken and beef bulgogi on the list.
Also among the favorites are the West 32 samgyeopsal, beef belly kimchi fried rice and the stone bowl bibimbap, among others.
To cap the night off, diners may enjoy a drink or two from the resto’s menu that features an all-Soju-based cocktail list.
Currently, the resto-bar’s best-selling cocktails are the following:
- That’s The One – A sparkling fruity and refreshing soju-based cocktail made with high-proof soju, strawberry shrub and grapefruit soda
- Korean Negroni – This is a mangosteen-infused soju in the classic Negroni cocktail reimagined
The edgy space of WEST 32 opens at dinner time on Tuesdays to Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
It welcomes walk-in guests subject to table availability so all guests are encouraged to make a reservation via its official Facebook page or Instagram page before coming to the restaurant.
