Is Manila Asia’s new dining hot spot?

[MANILA] Spanish chefs Chele Gonzalez and Aitor Zabala first met almost 20 years ago in the kitchen of the legendary elBulli in Catalonia, Spain. They hit it off, and stayed friends even as they went their separate ways.

Zabala moved to Los Angeles and established the three Michelin-starred Somni.

Gonzalez settled in the Philippines, where he is now a chef-restaurateur with two one-starred restaurants in his stable: Gallery by Chele in Metro Manila, and Asador Alfonso in Cavite, a 1.5-hour drive from the capital.

The duo finally reunited in October in a rare collaboration at Gallery by Chele, where Zabala’s avant-garde-meets-whimsy creations such as a “pizza” margarita with an aerated meringue crust found kinship with Gonzalez’s signature pilpil of milky-white grouper fillet in a slinky olive oil emulsion.

More than a year in the making, the two-day, high-profile event attracted well-dressed diners, local and visiting food media to Gallery by Chele’s quietly upscale surroundings in the trendy Bonifacio Global City district.

The excitement was palpable as cameras clicked and diners waxed lyrical over impossibly cute mushroom and fish-shaped crackers, intensely flavoured pulpo negro (black octopus) and elaborate santiaguino (slipper lobster) served whole.

It seemed almost unthinkable that Gonzalez once stood in the same spot more than 10 years ago, scanning a near-empty dining room of his newly-opened Gallery Vask (before its rebranding as Gallery by Chele in 2018) – an untested concept at the time.

There were times when “we had six, eight covers a night, it was unsustainable”, says the chef.

He has since gone on to build a thriving F&B business of Michelin-starred restaurants, casual concepts offering everything from sandwiches to cheesecakes, as well as consultancy projects.

Culinary awakening

In a way, Gonzalez’s career has mirrored the rise of Manila’s fine-dining scene that was once dominated by high-end restaurants in hotels. 

“There was no fine dining – or not the kind that I know – when I first came,” says the chef who took on a hotel job when he came to the Philippines to recover from the burnout of working in high-pressure Michelin-starred kitchens such as elBulli, Mugaritz and Arzak.

But it wasn’t long before he wanted to flex his creative muscle again, and the rest is history.

His own success aside, what also excites him is the sheer energy of a flourishing dining scene in a city that, until recently, barely registered on the radar of international food lovers looking for the next “hot” dining destination.

“The most exciting thing about Manila is that you can go to eight top restaurants, and each one of them will be a completely different experience to the other one,” says Gonzalez. “Each one has a real, clear personality and vision.”

He compares this with more developed cities with established dining scenes, where chefs may be constrained by the expectations of wealthy diners.

“But in Manila, our menus are very affordable – a fine-dining experience costs you US$80 to US$100. So we are free to do whatever.”

New-found confidence

The biggest change in the local dining scene is “confidence”, says Erwan Heussaff, a Filipino-French content creator and entrepreneur who has been documenting the country’s food traditions and culture through his FEATR Media channels.

“Fifteen years ago, fine dining in Manila mostly meant European or Japanese,” he adds. “Filipino food was what you had at home, at a fiesta or in large-pan Filipino restaurants.”

Not so now. “What’s great about the Metro Manila dining scene is that it was built from the ground up by people who believed in this city and our food,” says Heussaff.

“A generation of chefs here came back from kitchens abroad and decided Filipino ingredients deserved the same rigour that they’d learnt overseas.”

He cites Jordy Navarra at Toyo Eatery as a prime example. The restaurant is also a fixture on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, which “helped put Manila on a map that people outside the region look at”.

But he’s quick to note that 50Best and the Michelin Guide that launched its Philippine edition in 2025 did not drive the rise of the city’s dining scene. “They just confirmed what was already happening,” says Heussaff.

Pam Begre, co-founder of the Michelin-starred Celera in Makati city, says: “The difference between now and 15 years ago is that we’re only starting to love our country.

“Filipinos are inherently not so proud of their heritage. It’s a big colonial mentality that needs to be undone, but it’s much better now.”

She also credits the late chef Margarita Fores, who was named Asia’s Best Female Chef in the 2016 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, and worked tirelessly to promote Filipino cuisine.

Begre, who is also a boutique hotelier, adds that the Filipino diaspora has resulted in talent from overseas now returning home to new opportunities in various industries, not just gastronomy.

While local infrastructure may still lag somewhat behind that in other Asian countries, she senses a “collective intention to cultivate what we have, which is talent”.

She cites the case of Celera’s beverage manager, who had worked in some of Bangkok’s top restaurants but felt a calling to return to Manila, where she is now part of the restaurant’s pioneer team.

Begre has also opened a new restaurant Sault, helmed by returning chef Raphael Dimarucut, who had been working in Michelin kitchens in the US and Denmark, and gave up an opportunity to work in Copenhagen to return to Manila.

Tight-knit community

Dimarucut joins a circle of friends who are also returning to the Philippines to open new concepts.

“I have a friend coming back next year, and one more, who worked at Harbor House (in California) and Locavore in Bali, who is opening a 20-seater space in Makati,” he says.

“So there’s a huge wave of chefs coming in as part of the new generation (driving) the dining scene of Metro Manila.”

Far from being competitive, the F&B industry is a tight-knit community “where we all help each other out”, says Begre.

“If anything, I see us all as neighbours,” adds Dimarucut.

“I’m friends with 80 per cent of the chefs who are better than us. We all dine out together, and share knowledge every so often. The other day, I had a few chefs come into Sault, and I (got) them to try a few things, (explained) how it works and how I do things...

“I don’t see a lot of competition because it honestly doesn’t feel like one.”

The business of dining

Dimarucut candidly agrees that a restaurant such as Sault “would never have worked five years ago”, as it would have been “way too young of a market in Metro Manila for me to open the kind of place we wanted to do”.

But with more Filipinos travelling extensively and being exposed to cuisines around the world, innovative concepts like his are “more palatable” for the market.

Despite international interest, his target is “definitely local diners”, he says. “But it’s always a bonus when we have international visitors.”

The local market is big enough to support the industry, says Gonzalez. “On a busy day, Manila has almost 20 million people. And we are very, very affordable. For what you pay and what you get, it’s very good value for money.”

His target market is special-occasion diners – families or couples celebrating an anniversary or birthday, or Filipinos who live abroad and have come to Manila to visit family.

Of course, being in business is always a struggle, he stresses, adding that chefs have to balance being creative and commercially minded to stay afloat.

“It’s complicated. If you are not mature, or you care more about awards, or you care more about the business – when the balance tips to one side more than the other, you probably are not going to succeed.”

While Manila may not have the same problems with manpower or high rental costs, “it’s not cheaper” to do business, says Begre. “But it’s easier to navigate.”

For example, independent restaurants such as Celera are rarely in malls but in more fringe areas where rental is manageable. 

She also adds that there’s a stronger level of consciousness for entrepreneurs “where we need to be fair and better than toxic employers”, compared to the older generation that inherited a more hierarchical approach.

Gonzalez concurs, admitting that he used to be “quite hard” but now, his philosophy is that of “I am kind to you and take care of you, you are kind to me”. Mutual respect is “key to success”.

Filipino taste profile

With the industry now on solid footing amid growing interest in Filipino cuisine, it still hasn’t quite enjoyed the same traction as, say, Thai food.

That’s partly because of aggressive marketing by the Thai government, but also “the (Filipino) flavor profile is harder to sell in a first bite”, says Heussaff.

“Our diaspora mostly went abroad as nurses, seafarers and caregivers, not restaurateurs. So there are millions of Filipinos everywhere, but relatively few Filipino restaurants representing the food.”

He adds that while Thai food’s sweet, spicy and herbal flavours are instantly accessible, Filipino cooking is deeply rooted in vinegar, salt and funk from fermented seafood, “followed by sweetness which balances everything out”.

Also, “(the) dishes are seasoned to be eaten with rice or boiled tubers, which is why they can seem intense on their own”.

But chefs are finding ways to interpret Filipino cuisine in a contemporary format that are gaining favour with both local and international palates.

Heussaff, for example, is behind the ice cream concept Kariton, which takes local base flavours, such as ube, coconut, mango, calamansi and tablea (unrefined cacao), and builds unique creations around them.

Ube Halaya, Champorado and Big Bayabas Energy are just some of the wacky flavours you can find in the store that is steps away from the popular Salcedo Market.

The Saturday-only market offers a melting pot of local and international food stalls in a bustling carnival-like arena that needs a whole morning to explore.

Where to eat

Karrivin Plaza is a one-stop destination for trendy dining and shopping, with the famed Toyo Eatery as its flagship.

The enclave of restored warehouses also houses Toyo’s offshoot Inato – a cosy counter-style space helmed by Toyo’s former sous chef JP Cruz, who brings a thoughtful take on Filipino cuisine influenced by his own memories and experiences.

There’s also Panaderya Toyo, a takeaway-only counter selling freshly baked sourdough pandesal and other baked treats.

Step past a few sleeping cats in the lift lobby of the main building and head to the fifth floor, where Ritual stocks all manner of artisanal products from indigenous salt to chocolate, condiments, nuts and even handmade soaps.

While Gallery by Chele features thoughtful progressive cuisine by Gonzalez that emphasises Filipino traditions and produce, Asador Alfonso is worth the long drive to the Cavite province to experience its vast, bucolic surroundings.

The huge estate is owned by Filipino architect Carlo Calma, who designed the stunning main pavilion that houses the Spanish wood-fire dining concept.

Spanning three levels including a top-floor private space, the fine-dining level boasts an elegant tasting menu that features homemade wagyu jamon, feathery-light crunchy croquetas, rich braised rice dishes and its signature cochinillo or suckling pig.

Growing momentum

Back in Singapore, Filipino-Singaporean chef Johanne Siy is doing her part to raise the profile of Filipino cuisine in her new restaurant, Aro.

“What makes the Philippines so interesting is that there’s so much diversity given the 7,107 islands in the country,” she says.

“The cuisine in the southernmost part, for instance, is completely different from that in the northernmost part of the country. Even for me, every time I go, I discover new amazing things I’ve never seen before...

“I grew up there, but I have barely scratched the surface when it comes to exploring the bounty of ingredients and culinary traditions in certain regions.”

Compared with Singapore’s F&B scene, the Philippines has the advantage of lower operating costs, bigger pool of manpower and sizeable domestic demand.

“But the business landscape is also less predictable, and the infrastructure and logistics are not as developed.”

She adds that the challenge for its chefs, much like anywhere else, is the need to “break through the clutter and find a unique voice that stands out in the international scene”.

The country also needs to establish itself as a top tourist destination, and “be compelling enough to make someone want to book that restaurant and get on that flight”.

For Gonzalez – who immediately hosted Singapore two-Michelin-starred Thevar’s chef-owner Mano Thevar in a two-day collaboration after the Zabala event – and his fellow Manila chefs, that is already starting to happen.