Elephant Grounds celebrates its 10th anniversary with free cups of its latest signature drink for the first 100 customers of its Manila branches on January 16, as well as the launch of a new signature burger, and a new milkshake line.
While Elephant Grounds first started as a small coffee counter that served ice cream sandwiches in Hong Kong, it has grown into a well-known regional brand with multiple locations in Hong Kong, Beijing, Chengu, and Guangzhou, with Manila having two branches -- the only Southeast Asian location on the list so far.
Elephant Grounds is known for its "coffee n’ chill" concept, which translates not only to cool and urban interiors, but also to a drink and food menu that’s filled with specialty coffee creations, Asian-inspired comfort dishes (including a bunch of brunch options), and original ice cream flavors.
And while sharing the same DNA, each branch has a unique menu. For Manila, Elephant Grounds’s kitchens are helmed by head chef Gabriel Garcia, who previously worked in award-winning kitchens here and abroad. Garica intends to expand and refine their current menu offerings, starting by introducing the EG Cheeseburger, which is a great no-fuss steakhouse/diner-style burger, using house-made burger patties (70% sirlon, 30% shortplate), pickles, and burger buns.
“Everything is very intentional in the Elephant Grounds (menu). So, in creating the burger, my approach was also very intentional… I wanted to make a straightforward, All-American cheeseburger,” said Garcia.
Garcia built upon Elephant Grounds ’s newest dish by adding a perfectly complementary new line of milkshakes using Elephant Ground’s signature ice cream flavors like Toasted Rice, Acai, and Hazelnut. If you’d prefer getting your ice cream (which are made fresh daily) in lick-able form, we suggest getting scoops in their new signature cones – Original, Red Velvet, and Charcoal. I will be remiss if I don’t mention that EG Manila serves a mean version of my favorite ice cream flavor – the ASAP Rocky Road. This author quite liked the flavor paired with their red velvet cone.
Last but not the least, Elephant Grounds Manila will give away free cups of their newest coffee offering, the Americano Air, to the first 100 customers of each branch on their anniversary. The Americano Air, which is a micro-aerated iced americano, is Elephant Grounds ’s version of the slowly-getting-more popular Aerocano.
It’s like a nitro brew but without using nitrogen – still frothy, sweeter, creamier and lighter than a regular Americano, and such a great creamy, but non-dairy, low-calorie iced coffee option. This is only the second time that I’ve seen an aerated americano in a menu of a Manila cafe, so if you’ve never had it, head on over to any of EG’s branches to try it (and on January 16, maybe even have it for free).
Elephant Grounds branches are found in the One Bonifacio High Street (Taguig), and in the Podium (Pasig), and are open at 8 a.m. from Monday to Thursday, and 7 a.m. every Sunday.