The Wholesome Table Marks a Decade of Redefining Healthy Dining

I came to know about The Wholesome Table back when eating healthy was a novelty for me. I am my father’s daughter, you see, and this meant eating liempo, slurping oysters, and drinking beer with gusto. So when a dear friend, who has issues with her metabolism, suggested we meet at a place with the word wholesome on its name, I was quite the skeptic.

It was the design aesthetics that first got to me. Trees creeping onto the ceiling, foliage as table centerpieces—it seemed that I had stumbled onto a veritable forest in the middle of Salcedo. The menu was even more intriguing as it revealed the restaurant’s intention of serving clean and delicious food. I wasn’t a quick convert. I remember ordering the Eggs Benedict, finding it good, and proceeded to catch up with my friend.

Fast forward to a couple or so years later and I have just been diagnosed as hypertensive. Because I now have to watch what I eat, dining out became a challenge. Why are there so few options for vegetables? Why did the fish entrée come off as an afterthought? Why, oh why?

The Wholesome Table’s newest branch at Streetscape, Level 1 of Shangri-La Plaza’s Main Wing.

Enter The Wholesome Table.

By this time, they had a branch in Alabang Town Center, and it opened up a whole new world of possibilities for suddenly health-conscious eater me. This time around, I went through the menu with eager eyes, noting the variety of choices; I could even bring my meat-loving kids along!

The Orzo Salad features a delightful mix of arugula, orzo, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, mint, dried cranberries, all tossed in a tangy red wine vinaigrette.

It was around this time that I was introduced to the Orzo Salad. I was told that it’s one of their bestsellers and a couple of spoons-full had me sold. The orzo was cooked right and blends well with the feta. The arugula made everything fresh, the cranberries gave a hint of sweetness, and the mint leaves brought a lovely surprise with every bite. But there was much more than salad on the menu.

Apart from the power bowls and toasts, I had a nice time exploring other cuisines as well. The peanut sauce of the Nasi Goreng had the right amount of sweetness, and the Seafood Laksa was intensely flavorful.

The Buddha Bowl is a flavorful combination of vegan bagoong rice, stir-fried vegetables, roasted potatoes, and chickpeas, all drizzled with sweet potato curry sauce and tamarind glaze.

Wholesome Philosophy

At the opening of its newest branch in Shangri-La Plaza, The Wholesome Table founder Bianca Araneta-Elizalde says eating at their restaurant is much like eating at their home. She says, “It’s an extension of our life. This is how we eat at home. I wouldn’t use ingredients here that I wouldn’t use at home.”

She explains, “There’s this misconception that healthy eating is only plant-based or it’s bland… I wanted to introduce a concept that’s clean eating by using the right ingredients. We don’t use seed oils for oils; we use coconut oil. We use grass-fed beef so you can still have your beef. You can still have your pork, but we don’t use processed food. Our sauces, we make it all from scratch. You won’t see bottled sauces here.”

The newly opened restaurant is cozy and charming, with polished interiors and nature-inspired touches.

As The Wholesome Table celebrates its tenth year of operation, Bianca observes the change in mindset among diners. In the beginning, she would make it a point to sit down with customers to explain why they were doing what they were doing. And while the pandemic disrupted operations, it brought an increased level of awareness among Filipinos about the relationship between food and well-being.

“When you realize that you can change your health outcome and wellness based on the food you eat, it is the most powerful thing,” Bianca says.

“If you look at the biggest killers now—heart disease, cancer, diabetes— these are all metabolic and largely based on lifestyle and what we eat… I don’t want to wait until I’m sick to reverse the damage, it’s easier to prevent.”

The Paella Mariscos features wild-caught snapper, Chilean mussels, and Valencian-style rice, all complemented by a creamy aioli.

Rebooting Classics

Ten years in, and The Wholesome Table is not content to rest on its laurels. While it has achieved a fair amount of success in bringing awareness to its clean eating philosophy, and garnered quite a fan base at that, its quest to consistently churn out delicious dishes continues.

“We have people who come several times a week. Customers bring families, so we want to have a menu that serves a variety,” Bianca says.

Going through their extensive inventory of recipes, Bianca says there is always a desire to refresh and reinvent. Sometimes it works, sometimes… not.

When they took out the Orzo Salad from the menu, for instance, there was an overwhelming demand to bring it back. She says, “The Orzo Salad, it was on our menu from day one. Everybody loved it. It was already really good.”

Another dish they took out, which has made a comeback is the Miso Glazed Salmon. A recommendation: make sure to have the salmon with the miso glaze, and gobble down with a fair amount of shiitake mushrooms and spinach, which were cooked to perfection.

While I found the Truffle Burger a tad salty—maybe pairing truffle with sharp cheddar cheese was a bit too much—I liked the Paella Mariscos a whole lot. Going in, I resolved not to have too much rice but I couldn’t help myself. They served the Valencian-style rice with poached egg and chimichurri, and it felt like an explosion of flavors in my mouth.

Cheers to The Wholesome Table for ten years of normalizing healthy eating!

The Wholesome Table, Streetscape, Level 1 Shangri-La Plaza