Southeast Asian Flavors Give This Makati Gem a Bright Edge

Golden Gibbon
L.P Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City
Contact: 0927-924-2102
Facebook: www.facebook.com/goldengibbon.ph
Open from Monday to Sunday, 5 p.m. onwards

(SPOT.ph) You know we love a good little hideaway in the middle of an urban jungle—in this case, it’s a jungle within a jungle, complete with trees you can see yourself monkeying around in. Well, we don’t actually recommend pulling a Tarzan, but what this place serves can give you a similar feeling.

The neon outline of a swinging simian right across the street from Jaime Velasquez Park is a little hard to miss at night, and the apes that decorate the interior are even harder to forget. (Uh, there’s one watching you in the bathroom. Just so you know.) Inspired by Thai flavors and driven by the plight of Southeast Asian forests, Golden Gibbon doesn’t exactly stick to any one route. But you know what they say: “The journey is the thing,” and each dish is very much a journey.

Also read: Best of Manila + More: 50 Great Restaurants of 2022

This new spot in Makati is not your usual Asian restaurant:

Lovers of fresh seafood will adore the Trei Lop (P890), made of soft, poached hamachi loin, literally wrapped in pomelo, hibiscus, and fennel. The poaching liquid is prik nam pla, a traditional spicy fish sauce that balances out the sweet citrus of the pomelo and gives the tuna flesh a real kick. For some crunch and heartier flavor, the Lamb Krathong (P380) gives you all the richness of braised lamb and the smoky-sweetness of caramelized onions, along with the fun bite of tutong—the cups are made of rice—and the crisp, spicy warmth of chili and julienned greens on top. 

On a personal note: We could eat two plates of both of these dishes easily, especially when paired with the restaurant’s signature drink, the eponymous Golden Gibbon (P660). An obvious tribute to the endangered creature, the tequila and calamansi hit you hard—like a gibbon would, possibly with a brick—but the clean wash of papaya and burst of peppercorn keep you from reeling all the way back. And would you look at that, there’s Prosecco in it. (Five points if you got the reference.)

If you’re feeling extra fancy, poached Aklan Oysters in the form of the Con Hàu (P690) are just the thing. Served with a kaffir-lime jelly and basil oil, there’s a distinct curry-ish aroma that swaddles the tender bite of ocean in a way you didn’t know you needed to experience. But if oysters aren’t your thing (we get it, some people don’t exactly equate a filter feeder to food) and you need your curry to be more in-your-face, the Kari Plaa (P995) is a delicate but full-bodied plate of pan-seared halibut in a light green sauce, topped with fried alliums and greens. The salad on the side that you’ll find on many of these dishes is made of whatever comes in fresh that day, so multiple visits if you’re in the area are worth it.

We’d take these with the Under the Andaman (P490) for its softer hit; the latok garnish adds an unexpected but not unwelcome saline hit to this refreshing mix of lemon, aloe vera, butterfly-pea gin, and lychee liqueur—perfect with seafood.

There’s more of that side salad to be had on the Sii Krong (P1,380), too, so carnivores can’t escape—but adventurous enough eaters won’t want to. These Black Angus short ribs honestly want for nothing in flavor, tenderness, or presentation. Load your bite with both the smoky eggplant purée and punchy red curry jus, and top with some more of those fried aromatic greens. It bears repeating: you will be back for this.

If you’re feeling just a smidge more willing to hop out of your comfort zone, the Geng Gati (P1,695) awaits you—the spice factor, in every sense, is high in this one. The actual heat sneaks up on you, but it’s definitely present in the sambal and the curry jus, which we absolutely encourage you to smear onto the individual lamb chops. More of that perennial salad pops up, but you’ll need it for a little vegetal freshness. These meatier plates go down well with the Bokator Battle (P530), unique with its use of layers of coconut. Served smoking and a little ominous, this cocktail was inspired by bloodshed in Ancient Khmer—a story told in whiskey and fernet, the aftermath cooled by a cube of frozen coconut water and cemented by the texture of burnt desiccated coconut. This drink dares you—as the darker pits of history tend to do—to forget it.

To close, you’ll have a hard time choosing between the Pandan Panna Cotta and Chocolate Lime with Buko and Macapuno Ice Cream, so it’s probably best to save room for both. The panna cotta is just shy of silky, broken up by the sweet tang of fresh strawberries and the familiar crunch of toasted cereal. They’ve even made the chocolate dessert adventurous with that side of candied ginger lattice, making every single flavor around it pop in a way that makes you go, “Oh.”

This isn’t exactly the place to go to ‘gram your food—the changing lights unfortunately make that difficult—but it’s not just a see-and-be-seen joint, either. There is a point to this place; their love of the gibbon doesn’t stop at the decor. At the moment, they’re working to preserve the vanishing species by donating a portion of their proceeds to the cause of the ape and the forests, among other activations they’ve got in the pipeline. So if you want to take your feel-good food literally, set your destination pins to Golden Gibbon.

Photos by Majoy Siason

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