A Burger Lunch at Wine Depot Cafe

At the far end inside Wine Depot, after the wine racks and past the chiller is Wine Depot Cafe, offering some of the best burgers in the metro, and one of the little known secrets this side of Makati.

With branches in Makati, Greenhills and Alabang, Wine Depot offers an impressive line of premium wines, the very best from Europe, South America, Australia and the US, along with imported cheeses, cured meats and other gourmet deli products, all in one place. 

As you walk past the shelves and wine racks, one takes a virtual tour of the world's wine regions, with labels from France, Italy and Spain neatly arranged and displayed, along with more labels from Australia, Napa Valley and Chile. It's all here. Seriously.

But there's more. Inside Wine Depot, you'll also find Wine Depot Cafe, offering some of the best coffee, desserts, mains, appetizers and gourmet platters. In fact, the menu offers the popular retail items of Wine Depot, so you know you're getting the good stuff. To give you a better idea of what's available, a wall is creatively transformed into a giant menu. And Wine Depot Cafe continues to surprise...

The spacious interiors is both modern and rustic, casual and relaxed yet one feels a subtle elegance with Wine Depot Cafe's zen-like spartan look giving it a cool vibe.

On the table, one is reminded of Wine Depot's wine business, with recycled wooden wine crates to hold condiments. It's subtle touches like this that make dining at Wine Depot Cafe special and different.

Wine Depot Cafe also has a cool garden area for al fresco dining, or afternoon tea. But the afternoon rains had other plans, maybe I'll have my burger in the garden some other time...

After a long decision process going through Wine Depot Cafe's cool menu on the wall, I go for Wine Depot Cafe's Lamb Burger (P 420), premium Australian lamb grilled to medium rare perfection and served on a freshly baked ciabatta, with thick-cut country style fries, mint jelly and garlic mayo dip. And one bite tells me immediately I made the right choice.

The lamb is tender and juicy, and the house-baked ciabatta has a nice crisp outer layer that pairs perfectly with the patty. Simple yet rich, meaty flavors on a freshly baked bun, proving once again that simple dishes using the best ingredients will always deliver the most flavorful and satisfying dining experience. This one definitely goes on my list of top burgers.

Wine Depot Cafe also offers a premium beef burger, the Wagyu Beef Burger (P 420), served with thick-cut country fries, coleslaw and garlic cream dip with Wine Depot Cafe's signature ciabatta.

For dessert, go for the rich and indulgent Belgian Chocolate Mousse (P 190), a thick, moist and creamy slice of pure chocolate bliss.

Pair it with Wine Depot Cafe's Latte Macchiato (P 110), served with premium honey from Australia and a chocolate-dipped biscotti. Perfect. And the best part? All this in one cool place.

I also got to sample a special iced tea prepared with Wine Depot's La Maison Du The, a premium French handcrafted tea (more on this in a future post), as Wine Depot continues to surprise.

An afternoon High Tea at Wine Depot? Sounds cool. Stay tuned for my next post on Wine Depot's High Tea Wednesdays with La Maison Du The...