First Bite: NoKal

The night was still young yet our bellies were about to pop when we got to our last stop for our Poblacion food crawl. But when we heard "Longganisa Mac and Cheese" we all felt our appetite strutting back and ready for something mouthwatering. And knowing that the talented Raul Fores of Made Nice Supper Club is involved made me even more excited. 

Hello, NoKal. 

Nokal or short of North of Kalayaan is a hot spot for night cap. Located along the busy street of Kalayaan, the three-storey resto bar caters to foodies, night owls, beer and cocktail enthusiasts and music lovers. 

The first floor is designed like a casual diner where you can grab some of NoKal's savory dishes and milkshakes. You can also enjoy your favorite cocktails or hard drinks here. 

The second floor is dimly lit and best for those who want to grab a couple of drinks with friends. 

The third floor is NoKal's al fresco area and where most events take place. 

Since we were there to try its food, we headed back down to the diner and tried its Cheeseburger (PHP295), Longganisa Mac (PHP300), NoKal Steak Rice (PHP295), Hot Wings (PHP200, 6 pieces | PHP390, 12 pieces) and Chocolate Milkshake (PHP220). 

Service was quick and we got our orders in less than 15 minutes. 

I love its thick milkshake. Rich and undeniably chocolatey in every sip, this drink tickled my taste buds pink. However, I found it a bit overpriced for its serving size. A part of me would rather buy a gallon of chocolate ice cream for the same price and have two to three servings of milkshake. Then again, I wouldn't mind grabbing this drink when I'm in the area. 

Its cheeseburger is your no frills and straightforward burger which made it more appealing to me. It focused more on the (double) patty which I found flavorful and juicy! H found the buns a bit too thick but I thought that it was just right. 

Hot Wings were definitely spicy and not the "Cheetos Jalapeño" level kind of heat that I could tolerate. But its dip made it less hot.

Longganisa Mac on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment for us. Don't get me wrong. It was good. But we all thought that it was mac and cheese topped with the Pinoy breakfast sausage. It wasn't. It turns out that it's longganisa penne pasta topped with modest amount of cheese. It made me wonder if we all heard wrong about the whole mac and cheese bit. The smokey taste was great though. 

The NoKal Steak Rice was pretty good and rather bang for the buck. Fluffy rice topped with succulent Angus beef chunks and sunny side up egg, this bowl would energize anyone for the long night ahead. 

Curious with its cocktails, we all tried one each. I got Sex and the City (PHP300) which is a combination of tequila, blood orange syrup, lemon, pinch of salt and sour candy. Citrusy with a mild kick of alcohol, it was a lovely drink to have on a weeknight. 

If you are dropping by, note that NoKal is part of Zomato Gold and offers 1+1 on food! And if you still do not have a Zomato Gold account, use my code MARY8587 for 20% discount. 

NoKal is located at 8464 Kalayaan Ave, Poblacion, Makati City. For table reservations, contact NoKal at +63 9173181385.