A Hotel, a Café, and its Must-Try Noodles and Wings

El Mundo Café at U Hotels Makati

Aside from being the first art hotel in Makati City, U Hotels is home to El Mundo Café which offers two dishes everyone should try: Just Noodles and Buffalo Chicken Wings.

I first experienced El Mundo Café's goodies when the owner, Carter Yu, saw my post about using Chef Decker Gokioco's (of White Flower Tea House and OK, Bob at The Grid Food Market) Ahma’s Chili Sauce and he ended up surprising me with a giant feast that’s good for a small army.

Just Noodles (Yes, that's the name)

I really love Just Noodles, a Fookien-style house original recipe from the Carter’s family. It’s got chewy, bouncy noodles and fragrant shallots topped with lots of minced pork. It's crowned with a crusty fried egg with a gloriously jammy yolk, adding another layer of creaminess and flavor to the already delicious platter. It’s a hearty noodle dish that goes so well with chili sauce and we (yes, the café and I) are highly recommending homemade Ahma’s Chili Sauce by Chef Decker. It’s not crazy hot, so you can still enjoy the actual flavors of the chili while also feeling a little bit of the heat.

Since he sent me a giant tray of Just Noodles, I share some with my sister and she told me how much she enjoyed it... and how Papa would’ve also liked it if he’s still with us (which is so true because Papa loooves great noodles).

Buffalo Wings

They also sent a tray of their signature Buffalo Wings. Their version of this famous bar chow features crispy fried chicken wings tossed in house-made buffalo sauce until every nook and cranny of the wings are glistening with fiery goodness. It looks ominous with all those red chili bits, but it’s actually not super spicy! You can still enjoy a little bit of acidity, a little bit of sweetness, lots of savory flavors. The wings are served with their garlic ranch dip that cools and flavors the chicken at the same time. This is literally finger-lickin' good.

Dark Happy Soul by El Mundo Café

And since it’s a café, of course they also sent their cold Mocha and Latte brews! It’s made from Dark Happy Soul, El Mundo Café’s house blend that’s composed of Arabica beans from Brazil and Vietnam. It’s smooth, rich, not too sweet, and it doesn’t have that weird sour aftertaste that some coffees tend to have (which I find off-putting). These babies are perfect for me because I work the graveyard shift and it’s too hot to drink coffee, so iced coffee is per-to-the-fection.

If you find yourself in Poblacion, Makati, make sure to drop by for their signature bites! Get to know more about El Mundo Café by U Hotels and their signature offers by checking them out on Facebook and Instagram!