The Common Good Launches

Enjoying a meal or two at a hotel always sound fancy and rather expensive. But more and more of these lavish establishments come up with options that appeal to yuppies and to those who want good value food with great ambiance to match. And this is exactly what I'm Hotel's The Common Good did with its lunch packages. 

Hello, The Common Good.

The Common Good is I'm Hotel's food playground which showcases different cuisines to satisfy everyone's palate. It has been one of the bang for the buck dinner buffet options in Makati and it has further pushed the envelope by offering lunch sets to cater to the Makati professionals. 

Its pioneer set lunch menu consists of Japanese/Korean Treats, Western Delights and Filipino/Asian Favorites. We couldn't decide on which ones to get so we went with the five Chef's Recommended dishes. 

We started off with Beef with Kimchi Fried Rice (PHP320) and Japchae (PHP400). 

I was looking forward to feasting on tangy kimchi fried rice but it was a bit bland. It lacked that sour fermented taste and it also was not spicy at all. We were told by Chef Gary that they recently fermented their homemade kimchi and needs at least two more weeks to fully ferment. The beef, though tender, had a flat flavor to it. It would have been nice if it had a bit of sweet and tangy flavor to it, similar to the Filipino classic, tapa. But I also understand why they marinated the thin beef slices like that. It was suppose to balance the flavorful kimchi. But it was just not ready yet. It would have been also nice if there were more cabbage bits with the rice for crunch. If you can't wait for the fully fermented kimchi, best to ask for vinegar for that tangy kick. 

I always get Japchae when dining at a Korean restaurant and I'm glad that The Common Good's take is just as yummy. I also love that they topped it with some beef strips for that extra flavor. Though I'd consider this as a bit expensive at PHP400, you'll surely get full with its generous serving. 

Pasta is usually my carb of choice for lunch and I was looking forward to this plate of Tomato Basil Pasta with Rosemary Grilled Chicken (PHP400). And I loved it! The pasta was simple yet oozing with bold flavors. It had that delightful tangy taste per mouthful! The grilled chicken's light flavor perfectly balanced the strong flavor of the pasta. 

I was a bit confused with the Mango Tandoori Pizza (PHP310). Though it tasted okay, I was expecting the crust or base to be similar to a tandoor bread. But this pizza had this dense and rather mochi-like texture. It might have been better to just call it Mango Pizza instead. 

But the winner dish for us was the plate of Chicken Inasal (PHP330). One order comes with rice and a side of fresh greens. I loved the smokey flavor of the chicken which was basted with chicken oil. This would have been even more scrumptious if they add chicken oil on top of the rice and some toasted garlic bits with atsara on the side.

Note that all lunch sets come with a choice of iced tea or coffee. You can also top it with unlimited soup of the day for just PHP70 or complete your meal with unlimited soup and a plate of three desserts for PHP180. 

During our visit, we also got to meet the gracious hotelier behind I'm Hotel, Melissa. She even invited us to try the dinner buffet while we're there. Sadly, I was too full to enjoy it so I'll save that for some other time. But here are some of the picturesque dishes you can expect:

I'll definitely be back to get a full experience of the buffet. And perhaps try its Onsen Spa while I'm at it. 

The Common Good is located at 4th Floor, I'm Hotel, Makati Avenue corner Kalayaan Avenue, Poblacion, Makati City.

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