2 regional restaurants join Globe’s Gastronome Giving lineup

Any restaurant worth its salt uses only the freshest produce available, but only a handful are capable of growing these ingredients themselves. Sauma Farm, Bar and Kitchen in Negros Occidental joins the Gastronome Giving initiative, carried by the passion of co-owner and co-founder chef Don Colmenares.

“Sauma was born out of our desire to slow things down and return to what really matters, such as nourishing meals, shared stories and meaningful community. Joining Gastronome Giving to assist the Hapag Movement strengthens these commitments,” says Colmenares. 

Sauma’s seven-course tasting menu, priced at PHP 3,800, proudly highlights the rich local produce of Negros Island in a rare farm-to-table experience. 

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It begins with an amuse bouche of Hinobaan aged tuna tartare, linutik arancini and choux de champignon, followed by more flavours of the sea through tinolang isda, consisting of red mullet, dried fish dashi and tomato oil.

Their romesco lokal exhibits their garden’s bounty through a menagerie of three organic tomatoes alongside smoked kesong puti and Don Salvador fig, while the playfully-named Oink & Roll—a serving of ham and baboy ramo dumplings with roasted sesame XO sauce—keeps you on your toes.

But the undeniable centrepiece is the Cadiz slipper lobster with cauliflower purée, served with their speciality Sauma pasta and batuan hollandaise, as well as a Top Blade au Rouge made with 30-day dry-aged beef, pomme rosti and a bugnay-guava reduction. The dessert is a fitting conclusion to this indulgent menu: Kanlaon pears, Fadriga chocolate espuma, banana wine reduction and pineapple cheong.

Contact 0917 380 0301 for reservations with code GlobeFDC. Sauma’s Gastronome Giving menu runs until November 30, 2025.

Savour the flavours of our neighbour across the sea at Benjarong in Dusit Thani Residence Davao, which is leveraging its storied Thai culinary traditions for Gastronome Giving. At the helm is chef Piya Suthasiri, whose Phuket roots and decades of global experience are evident in every plate he serves.

“My grandmother taught me about herbs and their benefits,” Suthasiri recalls, “and how even humble ingredients can be transformed into something truly special when prepared with intention and authenticity.” He has carried this shared value and appreciation of food’s transformative power throughout his life, which he hopes to share and translate through his cooking.

For Gastronome Giving, Suthasiri developed “Tales of Thai,” an eight-course tasting menu priced at PHP 3,600. It is a retelling of Thailand’s culinary traditions while simultaneously supporting Filipino communities in need.

It opens with perhaps one of the country’s most recognisable dishes, tom yum goong, a spicy and sour shrimp soup full of heat and exceptional depth of flavour. This is followed by a savoury satay gai, marinated chicken skewers with peanut sauce and cucumber relish, and yam pla dook-fu, crispy catfish flakes paired with green mango and cashew nuts.

The mains consist of massaman nua, USDA beef slowly cooked to perfection over 16 hours in rich coconut curry with cashew nuts; gang luang goong, a yellow curry shrimp flavoured with fresh herbs; gai yang nham jim jiew, grilled marinated chicken paired with a tangy tamarind dip; and pla thod yam takrai, a soulful serving of fried mahi-mahi with lemongrass and peanut salsa. This exceptional menu ends with Thailand’s beloved khao niew ma muang: sticky rice with mango and coconut sauce, a dessert that could just as easily find its way onto a Filipino menu.

Contact 0905 562 1370 for reservations with code GlobeFDC. Benjarong’s Gastronome Giving menu runs until November 30, 2025.

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