The Poblacion area in Makati City (Philippines) has come a long way from being seen as a sleazy red light district. The area used to be frequented only by backpackers or dirty old Western men who were looking for a good time or quick “date.”
Nowadays, the flashing lights of the go-go bars on Burgos Street are still there. The scantily clad women are still calling out to passing customers. However, a new scene has popped up. The young hipster crowd and younger expats have started to frequent the area due to a good number of restaurants and bars that serve great food, good booze and a genuine good time without the hanky-panky.
One such joint is the Wicked Dogs restaurant. Originally from the BF Paranaque area down south, this hotdog restaurant and bar is one of the hidden gems along Burgos Street.
It’s not easy to find. First, you need to navigate through a street full of girly bars. Then, go inside a small entryway between two bars to find the stairs leading up to Lokal Hostel. Wicked Dogs is on the second floor of the building with an open concept kitchen and dining area.
The edgy interiors appeal to a young, hip crowd. This particular neon sign on the wall was a big hit in our group:
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| Everyone cracked up upon reading this sign. |
The bar area shows off a colorful mix of bottles that really catches the eye. For such a small place, they appear to have a well-stocked bar. Bottles of hard-to-find beers appear to be in stock as well as a wide range of spirits and hard liquor.
We visited this restaurant as part of a bar crawl so we tried a good variety of their cocktails. I’ll tell you more about those in a separate post. For now, let’s concentrate on the food.
A chalk board on the wall suggests some of the specials. We tried out the Tijuana Bacon Dog first. I would describe it as a classic breakfast in a bun. Apart from the meaty Frankfurter, there’s bacon and a beautifully fried egg on top. A Mexican twist is added by the cheese sauce and chili con carne. You can’t go wrong with that combo.
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| Tijuana Bacon Dog (PHP250.00) |
The No. 5 Dog had an unusual name. Apparently, the owners liked the creation but they couldn’t really figure out what to call it. Described on the menu as an east-meets-west hotdog, the Schueblig is topped with purple cabbage and fried wonton. The Hoisin sauce gives it an extra Asian flavor.
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| The No. 5 Dog (Php260.00) |
My personal favorite was the Wasabi Dog. This one tasted like takoyaki in hotdog form. The wiener sausage is smeared with wasabi mayo, katsu sauce and generous amounts of bonito flakes and nori strips. Yum!
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| Wasabi Dog (Php250.00) |
The spicy chicken tenders were also legit. If you don’t want to go too fancy, the classic hotdog sandwich is also available plus a selection of toppings of your choice. The specialty hotdogs are a bit pricey but they are hefty enough to share between two people.
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I can say that I would definitely come back the next time I find myself in the area. It just gets a little warm at midday and in the afternoon since the place is al fresco. However, a pleasant evening can definitely be had here.
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