Must-try secret menu items from the Tatler Dining Guide 2023

Chef Tina Legarda’s seasonal menus are always something to look forward to, but regular patrons know to ask for Bamba Bistro’s secret menu. Check it out, below:

• Patatas fritas: crispy potatoes topped with chorizo, stewed tomatoes, garlic aioli, fried egg

• Steak Stroganoff: “a sexier version of a childhood classic”, as described by chef Legarda herself

• Lockdown burger: mushrooms, bacon, onion jam, camembert cream

• Hangover bowl: fried rice of sweet soy and Sriracha, squid, chicharo, green onions, fried chicken skin, and tamarind sauce, topped with a poached egg

• Linguini mussels in chorizo cream

• Hainanese fried chicken served with crispy egg fried rice, scallion ginger oil, kecap manis, and sambal oelek

• Shrimp truck (good for two): shrimps and clams cooked in a special butter sauce served with steamed rice

Venture beyond the usuals upon your next visit to Bar Pintxos. For a decadent bite, try the foie con cabra y queso, which layers foie gras, goat cheese, caramelised onion, and truffle honey onto one flavourful pintxo. Otherwise, opt for something more adventurous like the brocheta de lengua (lengua skewer) pintxo with allioli and pimenton oil, or dive into the luxe flavours of the sea with the boquerones uni y caviar (anchovy, sea urchin, and caviar) pintxo.

Baguio’s food and beverage scene is on the rise, drawing many foodies to make the trip up north. On your next visit to The City of Pines, stop by The Barn and try out these items from their secret menu, known as The Owner’s Pantry:

• Deconstructed Yin-Yang ramen: mix-and-match with their selection fo handcrafted noodles, creamy tonkotsu broth, 78-hour brined chashu, soy eggs, chicken, fresh seafood, seasonal vegetables, and more
• Cracklin’ chicken: crunchy chicken brined for 120 hours in their secret spice dust, with broccoli rice, rustic mashed potato, honey butter, maple mustard, gin gravy
• Adobo flakes rice scramble: crispy Ibérico pork belly flakes, tomato salted egg salad, adobo rice, fermented quail eggs
• Benguet sunriser skillet: house organic longganisa, crispy bagnet, fruit salsa, banana blossom relish
• Farmer’s charcoal pizza: speck, jamón belota, Benguet strawberries, berry balamic vinegar, arugula
• Taco charcoal pizza: Angus beef, tex-mex medley, nacho bits, cabbage
• Blueberry ricotta pancake
• Roasted chestnut ice cream
• Barn-nana dark chocolate chip bread
• Cereal milk cuatros leches
• Japanese tonka bean cheesecake

With a range of elevated comfort food favourites, it should come as no surprise that CDP offers an off-menu rib-eye salpicao, complete with garlic confit. After something a bit more French? Try the duck confit with “C.D. Paella” and balsamic vinegar reduction.

Chef Eng Yew Khor’s off-menu seafood laksa has quietly become a hit with foodies in the know. Made with tofu, squid, scallops, noodles, bean sports, eggs, and Sakura shrimp, the laksa must be ordered at least 48 hours prior to your visit. 

For 28 years and counting, Cirkulo has proven to be a timeless choice for special occasions, be it family gatherings or spirited celebrations with friends. Yet, chef J Gamboa proves he’s always got something up his sleeves—try out these off-menu dishes the next time you dine at the beloved Spanish restaurant:

• Pan de cristal (Catalan bread) with tomato garlic spread
• Calamares or rabas with alioli: battered squid rings or tentacles with alioli
• Tortilla de patata: traditional Spanish omelette
• Gazpacho: cold soup of raw vegetables and olive oil

Related: The best Spanish restaurants in the Tatler Dining Guide 2023

Using shiitake, jade, and chicken mushrooms, the assorted mushrooms with black truffle sauce is a decadnet off-menu dish well worth trying at The Empress Dining Palace. Relish in the sauteed garoupa fillet with celery in xo sauce for a luxurious taste of the sea, or opt for the crab glutinous rice in lotus leaf for a hefty meal packed with earthy fragrance.

A popular road trip stopover for steaks with a view, Fire Lake Grill offers an off-menu melt-in-your-mouth Australian striploin with coffee rub, as well as a classic aglio olio. For a fun Korean twist, try the gochugang butter pasta—a slightly spicy spaghetti with lots of garlic and umami flavour.

See also: Where to eat Korean food in Metro Manila 2023: KBBQ, Korean fried chicken, bingsu, and more

Located in City of Dreams, Manila, Haliya specialises in modern Flipino food. From their off-menu dishes, try the “mami and ramen” with lechon kawali giniling, baby bok choy, soy egg, spring onions, and roasted sesame; the laing kwek-kwek with adlai rice and honey cream; or the puto sulot with yema caramel, fresh coconut, salted egg, and dilis.

Huckleberry Southern Kitchen continues to be a popular watering hole in Davao, known for its delicious soul food, cocktails, and live DJ nights. On your next visit, ask about these secret menu items:

• Spaghetti with Andouille sausage and smoked bacon, using bacon cured and smoked in-house, with tomato confit and basil
• Huevos rancheros chilli: barnard chilli topped with a fried egg and cream cheese, served with flour tortillas
• Crispy pig ears: deep-fried pig ears served with spiced vinegar
• Yakamein Ol’ Sober: New Orleans’ “sober up” Chinese noodle soup with Creole flavours, made with noodles, braised beef, and shrimp
• Pork cracklings: fried pork skin served with Cajun spice and spiced vinegar

Long-loved Chinese restaurant Jade Garden has its own share of off-menu items, too. Try the prawn duo with crystal prawns and prawns salted egg, available in small and large, or for a heartier surprise, try the seafood fried rice topped with garlic crab.

Read more: The best Chinese restaurants in the Tatler Dining Guide 2023

Thought to be the Philippines’s oldest Indian restaurant, Kashmir keeps things current with a selection of contemporary dishes, as well as some secret items you ought to order. Based on their fan-favourite chickpea hummus, their off-menu squash hummus and monggo hummus are just as healthy and silky as the original. The Parveeshi salad, created in partnership with Kai Farms, features vegetables from pesticide-free soil, a certified wholesome pick. Lastly, ask for a serve of cheese naan, onion naan, or cheese and onion naan.

Kazunori’s extensive offering spans sushi to donburi, with creations both classic and contemporary. And yet, the Japanese restaurant additionally offers lesser-known items you won’t see on their menus, like their selection of kamameshi (a traditional rice dish cooked in an Iron pot with a heavy wooden lid). You may also request for unaju (eel over rice) or salmon kushiyaki (grilled salmon skewers). As a sister concept to Mendokoro Ramenba and Marudori, It should come as no surprise that Kazunori also boasts their very own ramen, topped with honey tomato, chicken balls, leeks, and melt-in-your-mouth chashu.

With a small storefront in BGC, Keizo is somewhat of a hidden gem for well-made Japanese specialities. Once you’ve had their must-try dishes like gyudon and spicy tuna sashimi, try out these off-menu items:

• Grilled hata hata or sand fish: a simple, light dish with an elegant sweetness
• Asari ramen or clam ramen: an umami-rich broth with tender clams
• Kegani or fresh horsehair crab: small but dense, with a deliciously sweet meet and rich roe considered to be a delicacy
• Omurice: a comforting dish of chicken, egg, onions, demi glacé, and rice
• Grilled salmon belly with ponzu sauce: a classic, wholesome Japanese dish

See also: The best Japanese restaurants in the Tatler Dining Guide 2023

A regular option for family gatherings, Kimpura’s Japanese specialities are well-known throughout the metro. On your next Sunday lunch at Kimpura, try out the kaisen donburi, baked Japanese scallops, or baked Japanese oysters for a change of pace.

This charming French-Swiss restaurant is best known for its eponymous steak, but it offers a range of delectable items both on and off the menu, too. The fried oysters on apple salad with spicy calypso sauce make a great appetizer, featuring beer-battered oysters and lumpfish caviar. Meanwhile, the lamb Merguese sausage on adlai risotto with blue cheese and a spicy tomato marmalade is a sizeable main option. 

Regular patrons of this Argentinian steakhouse are surely familiar with the off-menu entrana, or skirt steak—a cut not often seen in other chophouses. But did you know that La Cabrera also offers asado ventana, or beef short ribs?

When dining at either of La Chinesca’s locations (The Grid Food Market and BF Homes), try the tripitas taco with beef intestines, watermelon, chile de árbol, onion, and cilantro. However, the BF Homes outpost additionally boasts beer-battered oysters with guacachile, salsa fresca, and avocado, as well as a range of fun Mexican cocktails:

• Dirty la fresca: gin, Japanese cucumber, aloe vera, sesame leaf, soda
• Michelada: cerveza, Clamato, Maggi, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, Iime, and celery salt
• Paloma: grapefruit, lime, tequila, soda water, chili, and celery salt
• Margarita: lime juice, tequila

Lampara’s neo-Filipino menu is lean but well-executed, with popular picks like rice cups and “dinakduckan.” On your next visit to the Poblacion restaurant, try the kinilaw: cubed tanigue mainated in dayap, calamansi, and vinegar, then tossed with pickled cucumber, red onions, and ginger. Alternatively, try the vegan bagnet—their take on the pork dish so delicious you won’t believe it’s plant-based. Finally, order the galapong for dessert: coconut meat cooked with palm sugar and  wrapped in glutinous rice from Isabela, served table side with sweet lemongrass broth and muscovado sugar.

While many may argue that steak is the star of the show at Mamou, their Filipino specialities are not to be overlooked. This includes the off-menu chicken and pork adobo rice—choose between refried pulled pork belly or fried chicken wing and tail, served over comforting adobo rice.

Read more: Where to eat the best steaks: 15 must-try restaurants from the Tatler Dining Guide 2023

Go beyond palak paneer and butter chicken at Mantra. The off-menu chickpea curry (best enjoyed with cumin fried rice), cauliflower and potatoes, and rajma (red bean) curry are all vegetarian-friendly, home-style comfort food options to consider adding to your rotation.

As is Nippon Hasha tradition, Marudori (which specialises in chicken-based ramen broth) boasts an entire secret menu, with branch exclusives, too:

• Titan tori ramen: shoyu paitan with vegetables, binchotan-grilled chicken meat, crushed garlic peanuts, yuzu peel, and a drizzle of mayu—the counterpart to Mendokoro’s famed super chashu
• Black tantanmen: tantanmen tare with paitan and black oil from activated charcoal, topped with chicken and tomato jam, drizzled with Marudori chilli oil and served with peanuts, Taiwan pechay, leeks, and chilli strips
• Truffle ramen with foie gras, three kinds of mushroom, broccoli, and a cherry tomato
• Special tomato tantanmen: tantanmen paitan with a tomato ball, chicken and takana, spinach, crushed peanuts, and Marudori's chilli oil
• Lobster ramen (Rockwell exclusive) with lobster sauce, basil sauce, and spinach oil, plus lobster meat, cherry tomato, asparagus, kakiage, and leeks
• Rossi ramen (Salcedo exclusive) with yakitori sauce, spinach oil, basil, cherry tomatoes, chicken thighs, a blend of five premium cheeses (emmental, raclette, mozzarella, cheddar, and Grana Padano parmesan), and linguini-cut noodles

Related: Where to order ramen in Metro Manila 2023: 12 of the best spots

Discover surprising new dishes with Mendokoro Ramenba’s extensive secret menu:

• Super chashu: the crowd-favourite shoyu ramen with a premium rolled double-marnated chashu grilled over binchotan, vegetables, kikurage, menma, toasted sesame seeds, spring onions, leeks, mayu drizzle, and toasted chashu bits
• Ebi tonkotsu: signature pork broth infused with crushed shrimp heads, plus squid powder and ebi oil, squid rings, Taiwan pechay, spring onions, and fresh chilli 
• Tonkotsu tsukemen with roasted chashu bits and chashu cubes
• Ebi shio: with vegetables, binchotan-grilled chashu, and ebi oil drizzle
• Seafood hiyashi tantanmen: cold ramen with chicken broth, topped with shrimp, scallops, squid rings, and kani
• Curry tsukemen (BGC exclusive): tonkotsu broth with curry paste, katsuoboshi, and aoyama shoyu, topped with chili oil, vegetables, aji tamago, and binchotan-grilled chashu.
• Tanan maze soba (BGC exclusive): creamy spicy maze soba with tantan maze base topped with tantanmen pork, beansprouts, chili, and crushed peanuts
• Nagoya (Alabang exclusive): a semi-clear chicken broth with ground pork, fresh chili, garlic, bean sprouts, and chives, with shoyu seasoning and oyster sauce
• Hot pot maze soba (Pasay exclusive) with Wagyu beef slices, maze soba noodles, mizuna, and seafood broth
• Buta Kakuni (Makati exclusive): spicy miso tonkotsu with buta kakuni meat, chilli powder, ground pork, tsukemen noodles, garlic, chilli oil, and sansho pepper
• Garlic shoyu (Makati exclusive): tonkotsu broth with cabbage and bean sprouts, garlic chips, and binchotan-grilled chashu
• Spicy kakuni gyuokai (food truck exclusive): spicy tonkotsu broth with shoyu seasoning, buta kakuni, spinach, bonito powder, pork lard, and garlic, topped with bamboo shoots, chilli labuyo, spring onions, leeks, and chilli oil

What started out as a delicatessen has become a Davao restaurant for timeless dishes from around the world. Try the BBQ tri-tip steak sandwich with housemade chipotle sauce, crunchy slaw, and a toasty brioche bun, or the pork tomahawk paella with tender Kurobota pork, brined then caramelised in a cast-iron pan where the paella soaks up all its juices.

Ask about these off-menu items the next time you dine at Nobu Manila:

• Nobu-style seabass papillote
• Nobu assorted canape platter
• Seabass tempura with jalapeño salsa
• Caviar on squid ink nori taco shell
• Oyster tempura trio with assorted sauces (roasted jalapeno aioli, creamy spicy, sweet chili cilantro)

Skip the packet noodles and head to Red Ginger for mamak mee goreng, prepared with chicken breast, sambal, and sweet soy sauce. Alternatively, try the ayam masak merah or chicken in spicy tomato gravy, best enjoyed with rice.

At Sarsa, chef JP Anglo proves he’s got a few tricks up his sleeves too. Order the crispy oyster cake to share, made with fresh oysters, bean sprouts, fried ginger, and chives, available Fridays to Sundays. Hungry? Tuck into the batchoy ramen with nori, enoki, grilled pork belly, egg noodles, and smoked ginamos oil, which needs to ordered one day ahead.

This ever-reliable Japanese staple has a hidden menu item, too: a salmon aburi maki with an ebi fry centre, torched salmon topping, and haikara flakes to boot.

Offering their creative interpretation of dishes from around the world, Tales & Feelings is an intimate restaurant in Cebu that has swiftly expanded with more locations in the area. When in town, try the off-menu sous vide and roasted chipotle pork ribs with four cheese sauce and sesame, or the French toast with Chantilly cream, blueberries, banana, and hot caramel sauce.

Specialising in Singaporean fare, Tao Yuan Seafood Restaurant is known for its laksa, Hainanese chicken, and crab. Explore these secret menu dishes to see a new side of Tao Yuan:

• HK-style Chinese sausage and preserved meat clay pot rice (three-hours advanced notice)
• Marinated shredded chicken available half or whole (one-hour advanced order)
• Cold prawn salad (three hours advanced order)
• Singapore-style fried crab with salted egg potato chips or taro chips
• Imported scallops with seasonal vegetables

Although Toyo Eatery recently rolled out a new tasting menu and brand new kamayan experience, two of their most recognisable dishes continue to be off-menu favourites. Their three-cut pork BBQ skilfully combines pork belly, shoulder, and leg to achieve great flavour and texture. Meanwhile, the Bahay Kubo or garden vegetables salad puts Philippine produce at the forefront, using all the vegetables mentioned in the eponymous song.

Think you’ve eaten your way through Tsukiji’s entire menu? On your next visit, ask for the soft shell crab maki—an off-menu dish even their most loyal patrons may not know about.

Though known for its selection of quality wines, jamón, and even olive oil, Txanton’s delicious Spanish fare is not to be overlooked. Try out the trucha del Atlantico (Navarra style ocean trout, a pan-fried dish with jamon served with a side salad) or the pulpo ala brasa (roasted octopus with mashed potatoes).

Txoko Asador has swiftly become a top dining destination in the metro as a standout Spanish restaurant. Once you’ve had a taste of their greatest hits, try the navajas al Josper (razor clams, chili, garlic, and EVOO) or the pollo al ast (sous-vide chicken thigh, chicken skin, chicken jus, and seven-spice powder).

While pizzas and pasta are often considered the main attraction at Wild Flour Italian, heftier dishes like the wood fire roast chicken and bistecca alla Fiorentina are favourites among the regulars. Take a cue from the insiders and explore their meaty options like the off-menu porchetta served with bagna cauda, salsa verde, and spicy liver sauce. Made to share, this special dish requires a 4-day lead time.

Related: Where to order the best pizzas in Metro Manila

Xiù Fine Cantonese Dining is a well-loved Chinese establishment in the Greenhills district that stands out from its many neighbouring competitors. For a truly special experience, pre-order the rock lobster with flying noodles, their own spin on the internet-famous creation (you may also request to substitute the lobster for tiger prawns). Spice fanatics will delight in the beef in spicy Szechuan broth, packed with that tantalising hot and numbing sensation. Finally, their Typhoon Shelter-style shrimp-stuffed eggplant has been a longtime favourite among those in-the-know—while it was discontinued back in 2019, it has since made a quiet return as an off-menu speciality.

At this Legazpi Village destination, chef Patrick Go offers unconventional twists on Southeast Asian fare. Explore off-menu dishes like the grilled octopus with nam jim dressing, pomelo, roasted peanuts, and romaine greens, or the char-grilled chicken satay kare-kare skewers with bagoong herb slaw and lime.