Here’s What Happened When Gordon Ramsay Visited Manila in 2025

(SPOT.ph) When Gordon Ramsay Bar and Grill finally opened in town in 2024, the chef's fans had only one question in mind: Is Gordon Ramsay himself coming to Manila? Well, after months of will-he-or-won't-he, the man, the myth, the legend showed up.

There was high excitement in the air at the Newport Performing Arts Theater as foodies, chefs, culinary students, and media personalities waited to catch a glimpse of Ramsay. And then after what felt like hours, there he was, clad in his white chef's jacket, black pants, and comfy trainers. He rushed through the crowd shaking hands and taking selfies. As a fan, I was happy to see him but jealous, too, of all the people who got to interact closely with the guy. I knew, however, this meet-and-greet would be one of those rare opportunities to know the man behind the screaming and irate chef we see on TV.

Also read:There's More to Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill Than Their Famous Beef Wellington

Here's what I learned from Gordon Ramsay during the event in Newport World Resorts Manila:

Gordon Ramsay's secret to running a culinary empire

If you ever doubted Gordon Ramsay had a following hereabouts, hear this out: According to the chef-restaurateur, Gordon Ramsay Bar and Grill Manila got over 10,000 bookings in its first 30 days alone—a testament to the restaurant's reputation for serving food at high standards. When asked what's the secret to running a very successful restaurant empire, he told the Manila audience: "We focus on training, and that level of consistency is crucial for us."

Never one to take all the credit, Ramsay praised his team, citing their dedication to serve guests in the best way possible. He even gave a shoutout to his local staff, some of whom brave four hours of traffic daily just to make it to work. 

"We have an amazing team, and everyone thinks it's me, but honestly, my team are incredible, because they have a huge responsibility. Everyone's been here for the last few months, and we have managed to become consistent, even before we opened—so that level of consistency is crucial. We depend on the feedback from the customers on a daily basis," he added.

According to Ramsay, another key ingredient to the success of Gordon Ramsay Bar and Grill Manila is the wealth of amazing ingredients available in Filipino markets. In fact, he said he and his team are checking out one near the Newport Mall the next day at 5 in the morning, but he didn't say which market exactly.

"Ninety percent of our battle is the ingredients. I said it before: Filipino cuisine for me is like the Sleeping Beauty of Asia. It's our responsibility to continue that evolution, so we take the basic recipes from multiple generations, and we evolve it. [But], we respect the ingredients," Ramsay explained.

Gordon Ramsay on Filipino Cuisine

Getting deeper into the subject of Filipino food, he mentioned the Filipino restaurant in Melbourne called Serai, owned by Fil-Australian Ross Magnaye, as serving one of the best examples of elevated Filipino cuisine.

Serai is where Ramsay got his first taste of sisig, which he now considers his favorite Filipino eat. At Serai, Magnaye takes the Pampangueño favorite and adds a Mexican flair to it, making the pork mask dish accessible to less adventurous eaters while staying true to the classic recipe.

"He took  all those crispy pig's ears, the nose, the snout, and put it inside a taco and it was just, like 'how exciting is that?'" Ramsay gushed. "It's every chef's responsibility to push the boundaries."

After talking about Filipino food and ingredients, Ramsay spoke to the young chefs in the crowd, and suddenly there was tension in the air.

Gordon's advice for young, aspiring Chefs

"Don't be dismayed. Don't be discouraged. He's cheering you on," said event host Issa Litton.

Here, audiences saw a side of Ramsay not often highlighted in the media but often referenced by those who work closely with him: His mentor side. 

Ramsay spoke with pride when he talked about his beginnings as a chef. He would jump from restaurant to restaurant, mentor to mentor not because he didn't like them but because moving was necessary—to make him better.

"Between the age of 18 and 26 you have to be the most energetic sponge. It's not about responsibility in your 20s. It's about the education," Ramsay shared.

For Ramsay, the culinary arts is a lot like medicine and law in that the learning never stops. "In food, you move with it, or it moves you," he says.

In one of his anecdotes about starting out, Ramsay recalled his personal strategy in finding his culinary style, which was going back to being a commi-chef again and again, just for the lessons: "So do that three or four times in your career and you'll build out this plethora of knowledge that only you will have. You can dip in those little nuances that you learn and then you can start formulating your own style because you have three or four mentors."

More advice to the Manila audience: "Never take any job for any salary or just an increase in salary. It's not the money you need, it's the knowledge. You just have to keep on going up and down."

Ramsay went on to encourage the young chefs to travel and immerse themselves in different cultures. "Never mind the language barrier," he said, "let food be the language for your learning." 

And then: "Get comfortable being uncomfortable," he urged his audience, like a dad giving his kids a dose of pep talk. 

It was hard not to get the chills at this point. Gordon Ramsay was indeed not the screaming, angry chef on TV just because he wanted to scream and get mad. He was that person on TV because he cared. He cared about the food, the ingredients, but most importantly, he cared about the chefs. Ramsay was, after all, the mentor to all those reality TV chefs and restaurant owners. 

Are we seeing more of Gordon Ramsay here in Manila?

As the Q&A drew to an end, marking the inevitable end to my glimpses into Ramsay's brilliance, one question remained: Are we seeing more of Gordon Ramsay here in Manila? The short answer: Yes.

While we aren't privy to his exact itinerary in Manila (we tried to pry but his team is very secretive), if you check out your social media feeds now, you would see teasers of several Ramsay collaborations with local content creators and chefs. Most notable is the one with Abi Marquez who was challenged by Gordon to make a lumpia version of his signature Beef Wellington.

During the event, Gordon summoned Marquez on the Newport stage and gushed over the content creator's chutzpah in taking the most expensive cut of beef—the filet mignon—and wrapping it like a spring roll. A move which Gordon called "absolutely stunning."

Afterwhich Marquez jokingly scolded the chef for spoiling the surprise that was the video blog she was editing just moments prior.

But just before putting the event to a close—so he can continue his day full of collab shoots and media interviews—Ramsay dropped another bomb for the foodies in the crowd. "We are looking at potentially opening three new restaurant sites here in Manila. Maybe a beautiful Hell's Kitchen restaurant," he teased. 

More Gordon things are going to happen in the Phillipines and this isn't the last Manila is going to see him. That last announcement alone made braving Monday Pasay traffic for this fan even more worth it. 

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