Chef’s Liver Pate – chicken liver and Pork terrine served with cranberry jam and sourdough crostini.

One Way Restaurant Makati: Great Food Done the Right Way!

When in Manila, there surely is more to being a foodie than enjoying great-tasting meals. I personally think that understanding the story behind how a dish is conceived and prepared makes you savor each bite even more. There are definitely no shortcuts to creating a great meal – the selection of fine ingredients, the amount of time spent cooking, and the extra care given in preparation all becomes evident in the finished product served on your table.

One Way restaurant at the corner of Salcedo and Buenavides Streets

These are the qualities I’ve come to observe at the recently opened One Way restaurant along quiet Salcedo Street in Makati City. This three month-old restaurant has been causing quite a stir with packed seats every night, even on Mondays. I dropped by One Way with the WhenInManila.com team recently and we soon found out why.

Aglio Olio with jamon serrano and asparagus

Roquefort Burger – quarter Pounder served with bleu cheese

One Way restaurant features an array of cuisines hailing from Norway, Austria, Sweden, and other Scandinavian regions. One Way’s in-house chef tells us that Scandinavian cuisine is all about the tedious and detailed; he describes its preparation methods to include simmering, braising and marinating lasting for hours.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Greek Chicken Salad – traditional greek salad with grilled chicken breast

Cioppino – fresh pomodore with mussels, shrimp, and salmon fillet

Braised Oxtail, cooked in red wine and served with mushroom risotto

One Way applies this principle in most of their dishes and sauces, and you can easily tell that much effort was put into each dish simply by how they taste. The Mushroom soup was rich, creamy and chock-full of meat, the Cioppino or fish stew perfectly cooked with its flavors and spices thoroughly absorbed, and the Braised Ox Tail so tender the meat slides off the bone with ease. All of One Way’s breads and cheeses are made in-house, and their salads made from the freshest ingredients with generous helpings. One Way sure doesn’t scrimp on flavor, servings and ingredients, leaving you with the satisfaction of knowing that you got your money’s worth for your meal.

Pamplona Pizza – sourdough crust-pizza with jamon serrano, Spanish spicy chorizo, arugula, cherry tomato and lemon dressing

Carbonara Pizza – mushroom, bacon, cream cheese

One of its most highlighted dishes is One Way’s range of sourdough pizzas and breads. The pizza boasts of an ideally crisp and thin crust that retains its freshness. Also worth a mention are their inventive combinations of toppings that must’ve been inspired by Pinterest Food Porn boards. My most favorite variant is One Way’s Carbonara Pizza, a unique take on creamy carbonara sauce, mushrooms and cheese that had me going back for seconds – and thirds.

Tournado Rossini – King of all steak topped with duck foie gras and black truffle sauce

Yet my absolute favorite out of all the dishes we tried is One Way’s Tournado Rossini, an evident piece of work with its juicy filet mignon paired with foie gras and topped with black truffle sauce that grounds the richness of the foie gras with its strong earthy flavor. This dish is made of all sorts of win. I can’t even.

Our dessert being cooked right in front of us!

Mango Jubilee – fresh mangoes and oranges with rum

Despite its literal take on pedestrian symbolism for its interiors, or subpar service stemming from the unprecedented influx of diners every night of the week, One Way proves that in cases where elements to complete an overall dining experience fall short, food itself becomes the focal point and speaks for itself. Besides, they bear their growing pains with grace, and tell us that they strive to improve on their service each day.

Ate Mae can’t get enough of One Way’s bread! She packed a baguette for the road.

There is definitely only one way to a great meal, and this restaurant knows that it does not involve cutting corners or taking shortcuts. It’s all about embracing the cooking process, despite how laborious or time-consuming it may be.