May 2024 Dining Radar: Asador Alfonso, By Sonja, Carlo’s, and more

Location: Whitespace, Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City

The Manila Natural Wine Fiesta is back! Following the great success of their first installation in April 2023, natural wine importers and distributors Bombvinos, Good Morning Wines, Gran Hacienda Wines, Some Love, and Supernatural Wine return for the second installation of the natural wine fiesta. Anybody Wines and food partners Hungry Homies, Los Tacos, Ricksha Tandoor, Goods from Scratch, and Toso joined them this year, with DJ Papa Jawnz on the decks.

With their ticket, guests are granted entry to the event, a tasting glass, samples of over thirty wines, and other perks.

Related: Introducing Bb Sunshine, a natural wine by Bombvinos

Location: ACI Building, H.V. Dela Costa, Salcedo Village, Makati

The Wildflour Group brings its highly successful BGC concepts Pizza Sisters and Pink’s to Salcedo Village, slinging artisanal pizzas, burgers, and hotdogs until 10pm. Thirsty? Slip out to the back of the space, through the black curtains to find Village Bar— a speakeasy fashioned after their Hotel Bar at Shangri-La the Fort, Manila.

Read more: Where to order the best pizzas in Metro Manila

Location: The Peninsula Manila, Makati City

White asparagus season has arrived, and French favourite Old Manila is making the most of it. From April 26 until the end of May, chef de cuisine Gaël Kubler pulls out all the stops for this prized delicacy. “They are a true celebration of springtime,” Kubler muses, eager to cook with white asparagus flown in fresh from Landes, France. Simply ask about the limited-run à la carte menu on your next visit and elevate your meal with these special dishes, including white asparagus velouté with truffle, poached white asparagus “flamande” with hard-boiled egg and hollandaise, and smoked white asparagus with Palawan lobster and Kaluga caviar.

See also: Old Manila welcomes new Chef de Cuisine: Gaël Kubler

Location: The Lava Rock, Alfonso, Cavite

Drive down to The Lava Rock, a stunning new 9.4-hectare farm and leisure development by renowned architect Carlo Calma, to discover chef Chele González’s newest dining destination: Asador Alfonso. The authentic Spanish roasting house pays homage to Spanish cooking methods through modern explorations, shining a light on the ancestral-style cooking methods of the Castilla region. With chef Rodrigo Osorio at the helm of the kitchen’s daily operations, guests can expect quality and consistency, with quality ingredients and precise technique at the core of every dish.

Asador Alfonso opens its doors to the public on May 17.

More from Tatler: The Unknown Faces of Cacao: A new menu from Gallery by Chele

Location: Scout Rallos, Diliman, Quezon City

G&T (that’s gin and tea) watering hole Bar Flora commemorates its first anniversary with a month-long celebration. Expect new menu drops for food and drinks, a special bar takeover by One-Ninety Bar (Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore), and other exciting activities like pottery and flower workshops peppered throughout May.

See also: These are the best bar openings of 2023

Location: Molito Lifestyle Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City

Nonie’s is a well-loved dining fixture in Boracay’s Station X, best known for its wholesome, consciously-crafted dishes like the Cavite-style adobo with 72-hour crispy pork belly and flame-frilled chicken or tempeh kare-kare in cashew sauce. Now, Nonie’s brings its Filipino-inspired dishes to Metro Manila with a refreshed look and branch-exclusive items, too.

Read more: Rockwell Brunch Club: 10 spots for your next brunch out

Location: YMC Building, Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City

Pastry chef extraordinaire Sonja Ocampo is best known for her famed cupcake shop, Cupcakes by Sonja. Since 2006, the reliable brand has become a household name for signatures like the Red Velvet Vixen, Lemon Drop, and Vanilla Sunshine cupcakes. It has continued to impress with stunning seasonal items like her cupcake bouquets.

Now, 18 years since that quaint Serendra shop opened, Ocampo unveils an exciting new concept: By Sonja. Currently on soft opening, By Sonja boasts a vast collection of treats, including crêpes, galettes, croissants (and croissant sandwiches), and, of course, her signature cakes and cupcakes. Be sure to check out their beverage menu as well. In addition to your standard coffees and teas, they’ve got speciality drinks like matcha yuzu soda and strawberry basil iced tea.

Read more: Sonja Ocampo reveals By Sonja, your new go-to bakery on Chino Roces

Location: Central Square, BGC, Taguig City; and Rockwell Center, Makati City

Chef Margarita Forés brings some Ilonggo flair to Ramen Ron, working with chef Tamura-san to present a limited-edition batchoy ramen set just in time for Mother’s Day. “For Mother’s Day, mother came into the kitchen—Mama-san!,” Forés exclaimed at the media preview. She continued, “Tamura is so particular about the ramen that come out of this kitchen and for him to agree, to allow me to put a batchoy flavour ramen dish is an honour.” Made with ukkokei batchoy-based broth and thin ramen noodles, the batchoy ramen is comforting but not too rich, topped with smoky chashu, bone marrow, liver, shio tamago, and chicharon. The set also comes with a soft shell crab bun, featuring Forés’s all-time favourite ingredient: taba ng talangka. Between the pillowy buns you’ll find soft shell crab fried to a perfect crisp, dressed with taba ng talangka mayo and atchara-inspired Japanese pickles to cut through the rich sauce.

The limited-edition Ramen Ron x Margarita set will be available from May 9 to June 9 at both Ramen Ron outlets, with only 20 servings available per day.

Related: The best Japanese restaurants from the Tatler Dining Guide 2024

Location: Shangri-La the Fort, Manila, BGC, Taguig City

Uma Nota restaurant and bar has rapidly become one of BGC’s trendiest places, whether for a contemporary Brazilian-Japanese meal or drinks and dancing later in the evening. From May 4 onwards, guests can now dine at Uma Nota for lunch on weekends, extending their lunch operations to every day of the week, with exclusive lunch items and sets to sweeten the deal.

See also: 9 Restaurants with the best mood lighting in Metro Manila

Location: Asian Century Center, BGC, Taguig City

From the team behind Wagyu Studio and Izakaya Geronimo comes Carlo’s: a stylish, comfortable new hangout specialising in American-Italian comfort food. “I wanted to do comfort food in a nice setting because I love mozzarella sticks, I love calamari, and maybe I’d like it if I could go somewhere other than [a chain restaurant],” chuckles restaurateur Carlo Alvarez. While the restaurant also offers pasta and desserts like vongole, spicy vodka rigatoni, tiramisu, and molten lava cake, the very heart of Carlo’s comes piping hot, fresh out of the oven at 18”: classic New York-style pizzas, available whole and by the slice.

Read more: First look: Carlo’s, the new American-Italian restaurant in BGC

Location: 11th Jamboree, Diliman, Quezon City

This weekend, northside Spanish favourite Deo Gracias invites friends old and new for a summer sundown fiesta. Happening on the 5th of May from 6pm onwards, Verano Deo promises to be a fun-filled affair with refreshing cocktails, tasty bites, and lively music with a DJ set by Some Guy to boot. Keep an eye out for exclusive pica-pica and limited-edition ice creams, too—the perfect way to cool down on a Sunday evening.

See also: Deo Gracias takes diners on a gastronomic journey to Spain

Location: One Montage, Cebu City, Cebu

Eat &, an all-day dining café with thoughtful Korean inflexions, will join forces with speakeasy cocktail bar The Lost Unicorn for an exciting launch party on May 4th. Drop in to catch guest shifts at celebrated Manila bars, where Kiko Victor of The Curator and David Abalayan of Oto hop behind the counter with guest DJ Religion Black.

See also: Restaurants with the best cocktails in Tatler Dining Guide 2024

Location: Asian Century Center, BGC, Taguig City

Izakaya Geronimo has quickly established itself as one of BGC’s trendiest hangouts with its contemporary Japanese bites, extensive bar offerings, and regular DJ nights. As of late, the sleek destination has also been home to a number of exciting kitchen takeovers, hosting the likes of chef Alvin Cailan (Eggslut, The Burger Show) and Taipei’s Weekend Chicken.

This May 22-23, Izakaya Geronimo welcomes Yardbird (also known as Yakido): the famed Hong Kong yakitori institution. Stay tuned for more details, including their special menu, soon.

See also: Why this book about the world of ramen is such a fascinating read

Location: The Proscenium Retail Row, Rockwell Center, Makati City

Cool down, lounge about, and nibble across delicious bites at the Sunset Soirée this May 11, presented by Joel’s Place and Sunday Street Co. On the grazing table, guests will be treated to a sumptuous spread of dips, cheese, focaccia bites, sliders, croquetas, and other tasty treats, while lemon meringue, oatmeal cookies, and a chocolate fountain await you for dessert. Do stop by the bar to fill-up on wine, bubbly, gin, beer, and even a refreshing frosé—the ideal companions for an evening of lively music.

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