October 2024 Dining Radar: Iai by Bruce Ricketts, Ayà x Serai, The Beef Bar, and more

Location: The Balmori Suites, Rockwell Center, Makati

Ayà, the modern Filipino lounge brought to you by the Hapag team, launches its collaboration series called Inayà with none other than Ross Magnaye, the renegade chef behind Serai in Melbourne. Employing both Southern Filipino and modern Australian influences, Serai has swooned foodies and critics alike, decorated with awards such as Time Out’s Restaurant of the Year 2022 and Best New Restaurant 2023 by both The Good Food Guide and Gourmet Traveller. Over the past few years, Filipino cuisine has taken over Melbourne, and Magnaye is one of the few leading the pack.

While Ayà chefs Thirdy Dolatre and John Kevin Navoa have teamed up with the Davao-born chef thrice in the past, this collaboration marks their first in the Philippines, and first under the Ayà flag. “Ross has been a friend for a very long time. I met Ross back in Dewakan in 2016, and we’ve been friends since then,” shares Navoa. “At this point, cooking together is our excuse to see each other. We’ve done this so much together outside Manila, and it makes sense to finally do it back home.” Book your seats now for the Serai x Ayà collaboration, happening on the 12th of October, with both lunch and dinner service available.

Related: A Taste of Home: Melbourne-Based chef Ross Magnaye’s favourite Filipino eats

Location: Anya Resort Tagaytay, Cavite

Samira by Chele González, Anya Resort Tagaytay’s premiere dining destination, launches a brand new menu on October 11, in homage to the Camino de Santiago route. Journey through the 7 unique stops along The El Camino Walk starting with a classic pairing of gilda and vermut inspired by Irun, then make your way to Gijón and savour the heart fabada Asturia. At the end of your pilgrimage, indulge in a delectable pastelito de Santiago—a historic sweet that dates all the way back to the Middle Ages.

Location: White Plains, Quezon City

Bar Pintxos started out as a quaint Spanish restaurant in Alabang’s residential neighbourhood in 2015, a poorly kept secret that quickly inspired expansions across Metro Manila and even in Cebu. At long last, the homegrown restaurant finally landed in the metro’s north, opening the doors to its new space in White Plains last September.

To celebrate, chef Albert Mendoza has launched a collection of brand new pintxos now available at all Bar Pintxos restaurants, including the chipirones (squid, blue crab, allioli, lemon), jamòn a la Frances (jamón serrano and burrata cheese on croissant), and morcilla (blood sausage, goat cheese, piquillo pepper, and allioli).

See also: A dive into caviar, the luxury ingredient taking Asia by storm

Location: Molito Lifestyle Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City

Honouring her father’s legacy, Carolina Macasaet, daughter to Carmelo Santiago of Melo’s fame, puts forth an approachable new steakhouse experience at The Beef Bar. Working with her daughter, Bianca to bring the concept to life, The Beef Bar is designed for and by a younger generation of steak lovers, inspiring a brand that feels much fresher than its predecessor without losing its tradition.

Expect more contemporary dishes such as the beef tataki on crispy rice, steak and enoki frites, or short rib steak pie, alongside classic picks like the Angus rib-eye or Australian porterhouse. Open daily, 11 a.m. till late, The Beef Bar is not only suited for business lunches or date nights but also primed to be a late-night hot spot in Alabang as DJs take over the decks.

Location: Davao

The Davao Food & Wine Festival 2024 is officially underway! Running until the 27th of October, the second annual Davao Food & Wine Festival champions the best of gastronomy in Mindanao, with a specific emphasis on the Davao region. The weeks-long campaign is filled with a variety of epicurean experiences, from a takeover by chef Aaron Isip at Misa Dining and Listening Room to a collaboration by Hey Monday! Deli and Taquería Franco. Delight in the exquisite produce Davao has to offer and marvel at the culinary talent from this burgeoning dining destination.

See also: Flavours of My Youth: Jeramie Go, chef and owner of Pilgrim, Davao

Location: 5666 Don Pedro Street, Poblacion, Makati City

Burgers and nightlife come together in one space, bringing New York’s perennial suave and energy to the streets of Poblacion. At 5666 Don Pedro Street, you’ll find two distinct but related concepts, Scratch and Dumbo. While Scratch provides your quintessential smash burger experience, Dumbo, tucked behind the burger joint, is an eclectic speakeasy that draws inspiration from the eponymous Manhattan district.

This new dual concept comes from frequent collaborators Marco Viray, Joey Viray, and Patrick Santos, responsible for establishments such as Nolita Joe’s, Gugu Room (NYC), and Nokal—you can expect a menu of instant classics and nods to favourites from well-loved watering holes such as Borough and The Bowery.

Location: The Alley at Karrivin, Chino Roces Avenue Ext., Makati City

Toyo Eatery continues its streak of global tie-ups with chef Ricardo Chaneton of Mono (Hong Kong), hosting the Venezuelan chef for a one-night-only collaboration on October 18. In 2023, Chanteon became the first Venezuelan chef and owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant, paying homage to his roots through sophisticated French plates. This affair marks the second collaboration between the two restaurants, following their partnership in Hong Kong last year—one that left the Toyo team deeply inspired, astonished at the unexpected similarities between Filipino and Latin American cuisines.

Related: Exploring the possibilities of pie with Toyo Eatery and Hey Pie People

Location: 4558 Quintos Street, Poblacion, Makati City

Dirty Hands is the latest player in the growing pool of Mediterranean restaurants, offering modern Turkish specialities that are “messy if done right.” While chicken shawarma is their signature product—available on fries or buttered rice, in a lavash wrap or sandwiched between tombik à la döner—the restaurant also flaunts a range of mezze, flatbreads, and even Turkish coffee.

Location: Opus Mall, Bridgetowne, Quezon City

St. Ali, a pioneer in Melbourne’s discerning café scene, has arrived in the Philippines with the opening of its first store at Opus Mall. Founded in 2005, the independent coffee roaster now operates in four countries, steadily spreading laneway coffee culture with coffee geeks worldwide. Though known for its speciality craft coffee, St. Ali remains steadfast in its mission to make great coffee accessible to all, supplementing the experience with classic dishes such as avo toast, chilli scrambled eggs, and their famous burger, The Royale.

Read more: Melbourne neighbourhood guide: The best things to see, eat and do in Fitzroy

Location: 5770 Ebro Street, Poblacion, Makati City

The group behind La Union sensation Sabong Fried Chicken has launched a new Manila spinoff, Llamado Fried Chicken, located at The Social food park in Poblacion. Don’t expect your run-of-the-mill fried chicken—discover intriguing flavours like the honey bagoong with kare-kare sauce, sinigang with caramelised patis sauce, or even one inspired by Bicol express with okra fries.

Location: 141 Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City

From October 17 to 20 and October 24 to 27, Katipunan neighbourhood favourite Toka Wine “#WillHost” the young and talented chef Chris Lansag on as part of its regular chef takeover series, presenting a new à la carte menu and new wines by the glass to go with it. For this menu, Lansag draws from his training in Japan, Sweden, and local outfits like Metiz, while finding inspiration in his Filipino-Chinese heritage as well. 

Location: Metro Manila and La Union

Based in the Riverland, South Australia, Delinquente Wine Co. creates small-batch minimal intervention wines from Southern Italian grape varieties, each infused with a rebellious attitude from taste to artwork (though products of fiction, the “delinquent” on each bottle come with their own entertaining backstory and personality, which you can read on their website).

Labels such as Screaming Betty and Roxanne the Razor have become popular picks here in the Philippines, featured at bars and restaurants from Manila to Siargao. Meet Delinquente winemaker Mike Ingram for a sunset session at Hatch + Hoolman on the 20th, a guided tasting at La Union’s Tasting Room on the 21st, or a social mixer at Bibio on the 22nd as natural wine importer and distributor Some Love shows him around as part of Deliquente’s 10-year anniversary tour.

Location: The Grid Food Market, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City

Steak has finally arrived at The Grid Food Market thanks to Medium Well Done, a pop-up concept by chef Miko Calo and the Avec Restaurant Group—the same group responsible for French taco shop Taquería Franco. Established by chef Calo and RJ Galang, Medium Well Done started as a pop-up stall at Hole in the Wall, Century City Mall back in 2016. Now, they’ve sprung back into action at Stall 17, offering steaks, tasty sides, crave-worthy sauces, and more until the 31st of January, 2025.

Stopping by for lunch? Order the salpicao with a garlic-anchovy fried egg and the option to upgrade to miso truffle rice. Indulge yourself with the pan-seared foie gras, topped with their very own “M1” steak sauce, their take on the classic A1 sauce. 

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