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The Balmori Suites Chef's Table series continues with catering company Soil Private Dining's first pop-up
The Balmori Suites at Rockwell is hosting yet another enticing dining pop-up instalment for their continuing chef's table concept, this time featuring Soil Private Dining. What began as a restaurant in 2015, serving up casual dining fare with shared plates and à la carte service, interestingly transitioned to a tasting menu catering endeavour for private parties. The opportunity for change presented itself when Soil’s regular patrons requested that the restaurant experience be brought home for their own special occasions. While daunting, the group decided to give it a try, and found a niche well-suited for themselves.
Founded by chef Lorenzo Pimentel and his brother Iñigo, Soil is now run by chef Lezo as he is fondly called by friends, and his wife Aila Asistores. Chef Lezo focuses on everything to do with the food and kitchen while Asistores, as managing partner, handles the business and service elements of Soil Private Dining. “I’m mostly the one clients speak to and coordinate with regarding other needs for events, home-dinners, design, tablescape, special requests, front-of-house experience,” she shares excitedly.
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“Soil Private Dining is a “cook-centric” in-home and personalised upscale dining experience. The team behind Soil does their best to support local community marketplaces where one may find fresh produce from various Philippine regions,” Pimentel elaborates.
Integrating what he has learned from his experiences studying at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, and working at Nobu Next Door, New York, and at Jason Atherton’s Pollen & Esquina in Singapore, chef Pimentel was eager to cook back home in the Philippines. Applying modern techniques to notable Filipino flavours plus his favourite global tastes, Soil’s menu gives you a glimpse at chef’s favourite things. Here, he expresses his creativity using mostly local ingredients to create “something brand new and yet something very familiar.”
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“It's an overall expression [of ourselves]. This experience is partnered with a more personalised take on welcoming each guest by considering their personal favourites, and specific dietary choices for all in-home dining experiences, complete with sophisticated tablescape styling. Soil wants to provide and put a spotlight on a dining experience that Filipinos may never have thought accessible to us here,” Asistores explains.
When booking Soil Private Dining to cater your parties and at-home dinners, the complete service is inclusive of styling (charger plates, napkins, centrepiece) which clients work with the team to create exactly the look they need. They also bring dinnerware from cutlery to plates, stemware and glassware, plus even cooking appliances for the kitchen. The menus are presented as existing options that clients can pick and choose from to curate what suits the occasion best, or you can start from scratch and work with chef Pimentel to create a totally bespoke menu. And, no you are not limited to modern Filipino cuisine! Simply ask to find out what chef Pimentel is comfortable exploring and begin crafting your ideal menu.
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Now, here at The Balmori Suites Chef's Table, Soil Private Dining steps out of the catering world and into the restaurant arena for its first pop-up since closing original operations. “This opportunity was presented to us by a client-turned-friend,” Asistores remarks. "We decided to work it out for a change of routine and also to celebrate the milestone of our 8th year. Lezo had always wanted to do a pop-up. I wanted to be able to cater to solo diners, couples, or smaller groups that have been wanting to try Soil.”
What’s next for them? A future restaurant is not out of the question so keep your eyes peeled, but the good news is, even if a restaurant does emerge, the team says that they will not stop their private dining catering experiences. Pimentel and Asistores have found that they are happy and continually inspired by designing bespoke, unforgettable moments for their clients, bringing their signature touch to your homes.
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About
Isabel loves to learn, and see things from different perspectives. Connecting with people and engaging in new experiences to broaden her horizons is what inspires this storyteller, keeping her constantly curious, and excited for what's to come. An absolute love for all things F&B ignited a hunger to devour content from this world and keeps her jumping into tasty adventures around the globe. From the beauty of simple bites, to nuanced fine dining tasting menus, street food, and the art of entertaining, the multi-faceted nature of the dining experience is something she can't get enough of. A good cup of coffee or a glass of wine paired with a dash of witty conversation is a quick way to win her over. This editor loves travelling, food, music, skincare, fitness, and is only friends with people who love dogs. Guilty pleasure?: Binge-watching TV shows and movies she has already seen.
Work
Concept creation is the name of the game and branding takes centre stage in Isabel's day-to-day schedule. From producing shoots, conceptualising bespoke projects for our partners, relationship management, to cooking up features and events for Tatler Dining, this editor is a tried and tested foodie at heart. She mainly writes content for Tatler Dining, engaging in captivating discussions with restaurateurs, chefs, producers, and food enthusiasts to tell must-know stories. Aside from that Isabel manages Tatler Dining's flagship events like Off Menu, or Cocktail Festival and puts together the Tatler Dining Guide, our annual listing of the best eats around town.
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