Hatch 22: Expertly Catering to Your Needs from Breakfast in the Morning Until Drinks at Night

When in Manila, who hasn’t heard of Erwan Heussaff? This talented man is a cook, a blogger and a health buff and he is one of my weight loss heroes, suffice to say. (Watch his video on How to Get Healthy in 5 minutes here: https://www.wheninmanila.com/how-to-get-healthy-in-5-minutes-erwan-heussaff-the-fat-kid-inside-teaches-us-how-its-done/)

I first tasted Erwan’s delectable sandwiches at a Manila Pop-Up event last year and I knew from then on that this guy definitely had more to offer than what meets the eye. So, when I heard that he was opening a new cafe and bakery in Rockwell called Hatch 22, I knew I had to try it out and, of course, he did not disappoint.

Hatch 22 is pretty easy to find if you are already familiar with Powerplant Mall, Rockwell. It is basically located outside near Starbucks and the famous ‘outfit shot bridge’. :p There is also an entrance to Hatch 22 from inside Powerplant Mall, as well, though.

Upon entering, from the outside, you will instantly see the quaint Hatch 22 bakery to the right. This area constantly had a steady amount of traffic coming in when we were there. We even spotted a few celebrities coming in to get their fix of Hatch 22 breads, cakes, and other pastries. My first thought? “Gotta get my hands on some of that bread later!” :p

The first thing that I noticed about Hatch 22 was that it had a mixed vibe between jazzy and homey. It’s hard to explain. Haha. Basically, there was one area that reminded me of Studio 54 and looked like the perfect place to lounge with your friends while catching up over good drinks…

…but then the rest of the place gave off a homey coffee shop vibe, which looked like the perfect place to lounge with your friends while catching up over coffee! Best of both worlds if you ask me!

I later asked Erwan if that was intentional – and yes, it definitely was. The word play on Catch 22 comes into play here as he didn’t just want to serve breakfast; he wanted to provide a place that would cater to anybody’s needs – from people who wanted to have breakfast, lunch, dinner or drinks – and he definitely succeeded in the matter!

The best part is that all of the food at Hatch 22 is served home-grown and fresh before Hatching again the following day!

Erwan Heussaff talking about Hatch 22

What I loved the most about the event at Hatch 22 was the fact that they thought ahead and catered to bloggers’ needs. See, a lot of the time when we get invited to review restaurants and try out the food, we end up with so much food and such big servings in front of us that we end up getting overwhelmed, not knowing what to try out first and then eating too much of one thing that we get too full to try out the rest of the deliciousness in front of us.

At the Hatch 22 event, however, everything was served buffet style and in mini portions, so that we could try the best things on the menu in perfect mini bite sizes. Here are some of my favourites: