Elephant Grounds marks decade in the Philippines with new, returning items

MANILA, Philippines — Hong Kong-based cafe concept Elephant Grounds is celebrating 10 years in the Philippines by putting up a couple of new items on its food menu as well as the return of a crowd-favorite dessert.

The actual anniversary date was last October, but the cafe opted to begin the accessibility of the new items this January as they will be available until the end of the year at its two branches in The Podium and Bonifacio Global City.

First among these is the Americano Air beverage, which has long been a specialty coffee in Hong Kong.

The velvety micro-aerated iced americano follows the same coffee-making process initiated in Hong Kong, but everything else is unique to Manila.

Chef Gabriel Garcia, who helmed the 10th anniversary concepts, told Philstar.com the distinctive process makes the Americano less bitter while the foam gives off a sweeter taste, therefore "bridging the cap between milk tea and coffee."

The new menu item that Garcia is particularly proud of is the EG Cheeseburger, made with premium beef, buns and pickles all curated in-house, topped off by the cafe's signature sauce.

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Garcia explained he wanted a dish that could represent an All-American Cheeseburger, seriously quipping it would like a Krabby Patty from the beloved cartoon series "Spongebob Squarepants."

The chef further expounded on the burger's unique process: the meat is blast-frozen right after cutting, thawed to zero degrees to be shaped, blast-frozen again for transport to the cafe, and will only reach a warm temperature when it is being cooked.

He added that he took inspiration from the cheeseburgers from White Castle, where onion slices are cooked on top of the patty, whereas for his burger, the onion slices are cooked by the meat's oil by being around the patty.

Also new on the menus are fresh milkshake flavors Toasted Rice, Acai, and Hazelnut, which Garcia said are flavors that best complement the EG Cheeseburger.

Finally, the cafe brought back its iconic freshly-made flavored cones — Original, Red Velvet, Charcoal — after a three-year hiatus because of the pandemic.

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