Elbert's Signature Pizzas, Ribeye Tapa + More Await at Their New "Collective" Dining Spot

Elbert’s Collective
V Corporate Center, 125 LP Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City
Contact: 0917-677-8325
Facebook: www.facebook.com/elbertscollectiveph 
Open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday

(SPOT.ph) It’s almost a statement in itself when a business bears your own name as its moniker. Restaurateur Elbert Cuenca holds no qualms in doing so, however: “It's a personal assurance that this is… I'm here for you,” he tells us, recounting his establishments over the years where the idea applies: Elbert’s Steak Room, Elbert’s Cheesesteaks (which would later relocate and become Elbert’s Sandwiches, then Elbert’s Diner), Elbert’s Upstairs Bar, and Elbert’s Pizzeria.

“I'm willing to stake my name, literally,” Cuenca says. “Because I'm guaranteeing you that it's something that would make me proud.” He’s right: these concepts have long been known, and loved, for their great takes on their respective dishes and genres, powered by high-quality ingredients. No wonder they've won over the hearts (and craving lists) of those who know and value good—like, genuinely good—good food.

The F&B veteran’s had many bumps in the road to face as the aforementioned concepts (save for the Steak Room) would close in some way, especially in light of the pandemic; more on those shortly. But fast forward to 2023, Elbert’s Collective—the highly anticipated spot announced in 2022 that would merge his previous brands—is here.

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Here’s what to try at Elbert’s Collective:

Currently “practically open”—that is, not 100% officially launched (watch for that around September!), but anyone can already drop by to dine in—Elbert’s Collective is an amalgation of former and current concepts of Cuenca: Elbert’s Steak Room, Elbert’s Diner, Elbert’s Pizzeria, and Elbert’s Upstairs Bar. “It's essentially four restaurants,” says the restaurateur, unlike these previous concepts that would focus on one dish or genre.

“It's funny because the nice thing about having a name like ‘Collective’ is, it's so undefined,” Cuenca muses. “People ask me, ‘So is it like a food court?’” They don’t have stalls, exactly, but they do have a diverse menu hosts the dishes of each of his establishments: the lunch specials of the Steak Room, the sandwiches and hefty plates of the Diner, the Neapolitan-style pies of the Pizzeria, and the cocktails and other libations of the Upstairs Bar. “So we can do drinking, we can do dining, and everything in between… from day to night.”

The multifaceted identity of Elbert’s Collective is evident as soon as you go through their doors. On the leftmost side is a bar, its backdrop a solid teal with brass fixtures and its shelves stocked with a variety of liquor bottles. Toward the center you’ll notice a more diner-like feel with retro elements like arches and tiled tables, plus red and yellow hues. Keep walking and you’ll find the tail end of the Collective with freshly cooked pizzas coming out of their red wood-fired oven. It might all seem like a mishmash of things—but all elements manage to look in sync with each other, like succeeding chapters of a singular story.

Uniting the semi-segments is the design motif dubbed Memphis Milano, created by the Italian design and architecture group of the same name in the ‘80s. “We had a group of rebellious Milano designers who were tired of the minimalistic [look], which was the design theme back then,” Cuenca explains. “They decided to go totally opposite and go full on playful, colorful, almost like toy-like—it looked like playground stuff. But it's very playful, very colorful. Lots of geometric elements.” Though he’d see “spurts of renaissance” of the style in some countries over the years, it’s not a look often found in restaurants in these parts, where the more minimalist and/or industrial visual reigns. The Collective’s interiors are thus a breath of fresh air: think vivid but not overstimulating; striking, but with tones just a touch subdued so as not to overwhelm the eye. It also transitions beautifully from day to night and all the hours in between—much like their food.

The staff thankfully didn’t have to do much adjustment from what they learned from the prior concepts as they’re still primarily using the same recipes and kitchen equipment. You can, of course, order from any part of the menu and sit anywhere as you please—though the beauty of the Collective is that you can mix and match to suit the specific craving at any moment.

Maybe you’re with your constants, looking to swap stories over light sips and nibbles. Go ahead and order couple of small plates for passing around. The Salpicao Tapas (P700) with U.S. Beef tenderloin cubes delivers garlicky, tender bites, while the Croquetas de Jamon (P250) satisfies with its creamy prosciutto-bechamel center—perfect with their classic cocktails like the bubbly-based Rossini (P450) during the day, and Sbagliato (P450) with Campari, Dolin Rouge, and bubbly come night time.

The Elbert’s team knows a good thing or two about great sandwiches of course, and the famous cheesesteaks are rightfully on the menu. Don’t sleep on the hot dogs though. Elbert’s Collective employs U.S. Beef quarter-pound, 100% beef hot dogs with just the right amount of snap (these are skinless) and a satisfying meaty bite—great Plain (P280) or with toppings, e.g. tomatoes, onions, pickle relish, yellow mustard, and celery salt in the Chicago Style (P340). Classic sides like French Fries (P120) and Beer-Battered Onion Rings (P160) are also there to keep you going in between bites of your ‘dog.

On the more elegant end of the spectrum is Elbert’s Collective's excellent Beef Carpaccio (P800) with U.S. Beef tenderloin, lashings of extra-virgin olive oil, truffle salt, and shavings of 12-month Parmigiano Reggiano—great with a glass of red (the wine list is compact yet ample) as a starter or light entrée come date night. What really shouldn’t be missed here, though, is the standout Spaghetti Carbonara (P650)—one of the best textbook versions of the Italian classic in Manila previously featured in our 2020 Top 10 Carbonara in Manila list. Its short ingredient list—guanciale, pecorino romano, organic egg and yolks, and black pepper—hardly does justice to the incredible richness this delivers in every forkful, the sauce’s body being rightfully supported by the al dente bite of the pasta.

You’ll also want to bookmark the Steak ala Tapa (P780)—formerly served as a lunch special at the Steak Room—for your next hangover, or whenever the need for solace hits. Made with U.S. Beef ribeye, you get a much richer bite versus everyday versions of the breakfast meat, along with all the slightly tangy, deeply savory charm of good ol’ tapa. Their wood fired pizza, too, is a must for those who appreciate a crisp-chewy crust with just enough char around the edges; the Margherita (P450) with tomato pulp, mozzarella fiore di latte, more grated mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, and fresh basil is a great version of the classic.

Elbert Cuenca’s Journey Thus Far

The restaurateur’s been in F&B for close to 30 years—technically even longer, as his family's also in the field. “I grew up into it because my father used to be in the restaurant industry… I was kind of exposed to [it] because we would be eating in [our family venture] Furusato Japanese Restaurant, knowing that my father owned it. And you know, you look up to your father thinking that one day this will all be mine.”

While his background helped him gain early experience and insight, Cuenca’s nevertheless had to face many bumps on the road over the course of his extensive career. Among those hurdles was the early closure of his first official venture, Restaurant 12. Cuenca went the “everything high” route as it first opened in 2002—that is, “high profile, high visibility, high concept, and high stakes”—thinking this was the way to success. By 2004, it closed down.

“It was [a] bold [move] because I was really coming from nowhere, thinking that whatever experience I had was enough to put up a restaurant,” he admits. “I was… overflowing with ideas and concepts, thinking, ‘How can this not work? I know everything that it would take.’ So [I was probably] a bit cocky.” Still, he chooses to look back at the experience in an optimistic light: “It's a good thing it did [close] because that became my greatest life lesson. That would equip me to move forward.”

Cuenca briefly returned to working in IT—his other field of interest—and met Archie King, then a student of his who would become his “partner, mentor, investor, [and] friend” with whom he’d open Elbert’s Steak Room in 2007. This time around he sought to go the “complete opposite” approach compared to Restaurant 12: he chose to open it in a much more low-key area, for one, and keep it smaller in scale. “In other words, I wanted to simplify things, because I felt that simplification would allow me to better manage it. And be of better service to my customers.” The Steak Room gained prestige organically and set the bar high (raised the steaks, if you will—we had to) for its namesake dish, for which they use USDA-certified premium beef, Prime-grade where applicable. To this day, 16 years since it opened, Elbert’s Steak Room remains one of the most-sought out steak spots in Manila.

Elbert’s Cheesesteaks opened in 2009 at the basement of Power Plant Mall, serving the sandwich as a way to make use of the steak trimmings from the Steak Room. Alas, cheesesteak sandwiches—a Philadelphia classic—wasn’t exactly a household name in Manila at that point. So as its lease was about to end, he thought to relocate to Alabang and expand the menu—thus the birth of Elbert’s Sandwiches. This was among the restaurants of the time to open Filipinos’ minds from the then-popular (but mistaken) notion of sandwiches being mere snacks or second-rate options, to the idea that they can be full-on meals in their own right. Sadly, “[Elbert’s Sandwiches] didn't really work out,” Cuenca tells us. He brought the venture back to Rockwell, this time in a different location within Power Plant Mall, and now as Elbert’s Diner as they were also serving plated meals. “And wow, it turned around. All of a sudden, it's like, wow, it worked.” Right as they were peaking, however, the pandemic hit—and hit hard. (They ended up giving up the spot and closing for good in 2021.)

Another establishment of his greatly hit by COVID was Elbert’s Upstairs Bar. The speakeasy opened in 2018 above Mendokoro Ramenba in BGC, serving up classic cocktails and its brooding, elegant space—a (needed) antithesis from the louder drinking spots in the area. But the pandemic took an especially big toll on bars as an alcohol ban was implemented and at some point, bars weren’t at all allowed to open. The Upstairs Bar closed its doors in 2022.

Still, with roadbumps also come smooth-sailing arenas. Elbert’s Pizzeria, which opened in 2019 and offered Napoli-style pizzas cooked in their famed oven, happily survived (and thrived) during the pandemic—perhaps as pizza in itself is almost made for takeout, and there was demand for better, scratch-made pizzas among the Metro’s food fans. Their initial space—a part of which makes up the Collective now—was rather small with a limited dining area, but their pizzas (and the aforementioned carbonara) won over diners’ hearts anyway. And while it closed in 2022, the closure post came with the promise of “making a comeback” in a “new concept,” i.e., Elbert’s Collective today. 

Cuenca is currently also with Metronome, which opened in 2019, with Joël Robuchon-trained Chef Miko Calo at the helm. With their more current approach to French fare that still incorporates the cuisine’s fundamentals, it’s earned well-deserved praise—especially with the growing demand for tasting menus in this age.

Lifelong Learning of the Ways of F&B

Being in the restaurant business is no easy task: it’s said that 60% of dining establishments shut down within the first year of operations and 80% close by their fifth year, at least in the U.S. (these were pre-pandemic numbers, too). Cuenca’s learned numerous lessons through his successes and failures in the business, but it’s a “continuing education” for the veteran restaurateur.

“The crazy thing is, this latest restaurant is where I learned so many things I didn't know before,” Cuenca admits. For instance: he realized he took “construction and engineering” for granted as they seemed easy, but was forced to take reign of them as issues with their contractor came up; their opening was also delayed by a year due to other problems.

Still, his experience working in higher-end establishments—Elbert’s Steak Room and Metronome—lent him an “appreciation of the finer nuances of fine service, high-end service” that he (and his staff, some members of whom previously trained at the Steak Room and now have to adjust to this more casual venture) can apply at Elbert’s Collective.

"I guess it's almost like if you take up classical guitar and you become a rock artist, there's a different approach because you went through the school of understanding the basis of that instrument," Cuenca explains. "But you can play with it the way you want to now because there's an appreciation of the classic. I guess that's what it is. So in this phase... I mean, this one restaurant, I'm able to let go a bit more.
I'm not as meticulous about the processes, the sequences, [or] the timing because I'm applying [the knowledge gained from the higher-end restaurants]."

Cuenca’s dedication to quality, even in a world littered with cost-cutting and shortcuts, has not only allowed his restaurants to stand out; they’ve also helped raise the standards in the local dining scene, which continues to flourish. And with Elbert’s Collective now representing the more casual end of the spectrum in his arsenal, serving the signatures they do best, things look to be going up for the years to come.

Photos by Hans Fausto

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