I am a certified meatlover. So when Zomato Philippines invited me to attend the launch of Morganfield’s in the Philippines, of course I couldn’t resist!
Morganfield’s is located at the 2nd floor of Uptown Mall, 9th cor. 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City. It’s the first branch to open in the country and is actually the first restaurant venture of a group of friends.
Morganfield’s serves American food, barbeque, burgers, seafood, Southern and Tex-Mex dishes. However, you’d be surprised to know that the brand actually originated in Malaysia.
The branch itself is very modern yet homey. There’s lots of wood, an open ceiling, large glass windows, and very cool furniture. Service is really good too. I don’t know if it’s just because of the launch but the servers were really accommodating and enthusiastic to explain what the dishes were all about.
So anyway, let’s get to the most important thing – the food!
Morganfield’s is known as the “Home of the Sticky Bones”, serving the biggest and juiciest pork ribs in town. Such an ambitious claim but you’d be happy to know that they don’t disappoint. All their meat actually came from Spain and so you know they’re really the best. Their pork ribs are really big too and are slow roasted to perfection.
The Pork Spare Ribs
Their spare ribs are available in four variants: Hickory BBQ Spare Ribs, Garlic BBQ Spare Ribs, Spicy Asian BBQ Spare Ribs and Smoked Peppercorn Spare Ribs.
Hickory BBQ Spare Ribs (Half Slab – P 750, Full Slab – P 1,395)
These are really tasty, sweet and has a smoky feel to it.
Garlic BBQ Spare Ribs (Half Slab – P 750, Full Slab – P 1,395)
This was served with a generous amount of garlic on top. It’s a great combination of sweet and spicy.
Spicy Asian BBQ Spare Ribs (Half Slab – P 750, Full Slab – P 1,395)
Those who love spicy food will really like this because it has Asian spices and chili flakes. It tasted good but this was my least favorite among the four.
Smoked Peppercorn Spare Ribs (Half Slab – P 850, Full Slab – P 1,595)
This was my most favorite among the four! I prefer the spiciness of the black pepper compared to the Asian spices. Plus you can still taste the sweetness of the sauce.
They were all perfectly cooked, didn’t need a fork to cut into them. In my opinion, all four variants are worth a try. To make it easier for you, you can get a platter!
The Sharing Platter
There are 3 kinds of platters: The Carnivore, Ocean Madness and Ribs Sampler.
Ribs Sampler (P 3,225)
This is what I like to call “Ribs Heaven”! Get to taste 3 of the spare ribs from this sampler. Just choose the 3 flavors you want and you’ll get 1/2 slab of each. That’s already a lot! It comes with sausages, garden salad, grilled corn on the cob, corn bread and fries. They have one of the best fries, by the way. And although I didn’t get to taste the corn bread, I was told they’re amazing too.
The Carnivore (P 2,995)
Here you get to choose a full slab of one flavor of pork ribs plus, 1/2 herb roasted chicken, Tequila Spiced Chicken, sausages, garden salad, grilled corn on the cob, corn bread and fries. I’ll let you know what I think of the chicken below as this was also served separately.
Ocean Madness (P 2,795)
For this one, you can also choose a full slab of one flavor of pork ribs plus, you get battered fish fillet, beer battered prawns, sausages, garden salad, grilled corn on the cob, corn bread and fries. I also didn’t get to taste the fish fillet and beer battered prawns so I’m gonna order those next time.
The Iberico Baby Back Ribs
You have to know that Morganfield’s does not just serve your ordinary baby back ribs. They serve Iberico baby back ribs. Iberico is the Spanish black pig traditionally fed with acorns. It has an evenly distributed marbling which contributes to the amazing taste and texture of the meat. I have to say this was my most favorite thing I tasted that day.
Jack Daniels Glazed Iberico Baby Back (P 950 per slab)
I was recently able to try Jack Daniels on Chicken Wings and I loved it. So I was super excited to try it on these ribs and I was so happy I did. It’s just the most delicious baby back I’ve ever had. It just has the right tinge of sweetness. Plus the ribs were tender with the meat easily falling off the bones. It is no wonder then why this is an award winning recipe. I will definitely come back for this!
Jim Beam BBQ Iberico Baby Back (P 950 per slab)
Now if you prefer the spicy variety this is your best bet. We were warned that it’s very spicy so I was surprised when it didn’t turn out to be as spicy as I expected. It was just right for someone like me who’s not into super spicy food.
Appetizers
Morganfield’s offers a lot of appetizers to choose from, from Russet Potato Skins, Chili Cheese Fries, Beer Battered Mushrooms, etc. We were able to taste the following:
Pork Sausage Platter (P 465)
For an appetizer, this one was very filling already with four kinds of grilled homemade pork sausages in different flavors – Spicy Devil, Smoky Bandit, Herby Hog and Cheesy Cheese. The Spicy Devil wasn’t as spicy as I expected. The Herby Hog is what you’d expect “herby” to be. It tasted like herbs, which I don’t really like. The Smoky Bandit is the one I like the best while the Cheesy Cheese was my four-year-old son’s favorite. I love that the sausages are very juicy. The coleslaw is a nice add on but it was the Garlic Aioli that was the perfect partner for the sausage. I loved it!
Awesome Threesome (P 495)
You can try three of their most famous appetizers with this dish – Crab and Spinach dip, Spicy Chicken Wings and Russet Potato Skins. Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t able to try anything on this plate so I can’t comment on them. But they all look promising.
Soups
There are four types of soups on the menu and we were able to try one.
Mushroom Soup (P 165)
This was hands down the best mushroom soup I’ve ever tasted! I think they served this on our table because we had a kid with us and I’m so glad for that. I love mushroom soup. This was so creamy, chunky and tasty. I imagine it’s especially perfect for a cold day. Comfort food at its best. They give a generous serving too so I really, really enjoyed this.
Salad
Morganfield’s has four types of salad on the menu and we were able to also try one of them.
Sesame Shrimp Salad (P 395)
I’m very picky when it comes to salad and that’s because some taste really bland, or worse, they taste just like plants would. But I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It’s so healthy because it has both fruits and vegetables plus shrimp. You can tell all the ingredients were fresh. The combination of textures was great, especially the crunchy strips on top (I think they’re made from wonton wrappers but I’m not sure). The oriental sesame dressing was light and refreshing.
Steaks and Chops
There are 5 different dishes under the Steaks and Chops menu and we were able to try one as well.
Pork Shoulder Chops (P 550)
I love anything with gravy so when I saw this I was immediately excited. There were two slices of pork shoulders on the dish, which makes it good for sharing. It’s very tasty and I loved the combination of it with the sauce. But mind you, it’s not your typical gravy. It has a different kick to it and tasted suspiciously like wasabi. Little did we know that the ingredient responsible for that kick was not wasabi but mustard grain! I really loved it because it was really creamy and went well with the pork. Unfortunately, the pork was too hard in my opinion. Though it was still edible, we had a difficult time cutting it. Aside from that though, I loved the mashed potatoes on the side. It’s the lumpy, grainy kind, which I prefer more than the smooth kind.
Poultry Farm
Among the 4 poultry dishes, we got to try one. It’s the one also included in The Carnivore platter.
Tequila Spiked Chicken (P 395)
This dish consists of a grilled halved chicken with a side of fries and smoky beans. I like that the chicken wasn’t dry. It was actually tasty even on the inside. I love the taste of the spicy tequila lime-paprika marinade. Actually simply smelling it already reminds you of Malaysian food.
Desserts
You can choose from 4 different desserts on the menu. This is what we got to try.
Chocolate Brownie (P 175)
You simply can’t go wrong with a combination of warm brownies, premium vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. The brownie was chewy and not too sweet. The ice cream was very creamy. Loved it!
Drinks
The Morganfield’s drink menu is pretty extensive offering different types of juices, milkshakes, coffee, tea, chilled and blended coolers, draft and bottled beers, red and white wines, cocktails and hard liquor.
We were offered to try four of their most popular chilled and blended coolers.
Mango and Lime Lassi (P 195)
This one has mango puree, yoghurt, freshly squeezed lime and ice. I normally love mango but I wasn’t such a big fan of this one. Maybe I just find the combination of mango and lime kind of weird.
Virgin Apple Mojito (P 165)
I love mojitos! This one though is non-alcoholic and consists only of fresh apple, lime chunks, mint leaves, brown sugar topped with soda. It’s very refreshing. You do feel like you’re having a real mojito.
Berry Easy (P 195)
Among the four drinks we tried, this one was my second most favorite. It has black grapes, blackberries, strawberries with pureed berries and ice. It’s very berrylicious! I love berries to begin with and this one is packed with lots of it.
Begonia (P 175)
Now, this one is my most favorite of all. It’s very fruity and refreshing with chunks of kiwi, strawberries and lime served with lemon lime soda topped with passion fruit syrup. The combination is just heavenly. It’s like drinking a fruity cocktail without the alcohol kick. Super loved it!
Suffice it to say that we were SO FULL after eating. There were just so much good food available. Yet, there’s still so much to taste the next time we come back.
The Morganfield’s menu is so extensive, you’ll want to keep coming back. For instance, they also have several pasta dishes, seafood dishes, burgers, sandwiches, and tacos.
It’s also worth mentioning that they also think of the little things. Our server, for instance, saw that we brought our son with us and so he offered him a children’s book to read.
I think that’s really nice. Other restaurants offer coloring materials. It’s the first time I’ve encountered a restaurant that actually offered books.
Also, our server informed us that we can borrow a powerbank too for our phone or gadgets in case we need them. One only has to leave an ID with the server then you can borrow a handy powerbank, which you can use right there and then on your table. Love this! That’s what you call great customer service.
The ribs are definitely special but Morganfield’s offers a lot more than ribs and I think they are also not to be missed. I very highly recommend that you guys try Morganfield’s soon. I assure you, you’re not going to be disappointed! We definitely had a BELLY GOOD TIME at Morganfield’s.
For more information about Morganfield’s, check out their website and follow their Facebook page. Also do read the reviews on Zomato!