After 9 Years: Mecha Uma Is Closing Its Doors

(SPOT.ph) Chef Bruce Ricketts had already gained quiet fame at Japanese fusion spot Robot and BF Homes hole-in-the-wall Sensei in the early 2010s. But in 2014 came what might be the young chef's magnum opus: Mecha Uma, his own chef-centric degustation spot in collaboration with The Moment Group.

Located in BGC, it allowed for more dining devotees to witness Ricketts' culinary hands at work, however crazy it could get at times. By that, we mean the good kind of crazy: open-minded, arguably mischievous, yet creative at its heart. It was also here that many a Filipino diner likely came to know (and experience, firsthand) the Japanese art of omakase—never mind that their take on it isn't entirely traditional. After nine years, however, the restaurant has announced they'd be closing permanently by the end of 2023.

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Mecha Uma announces its closure:

"The nine years of Mecha Uma have been groundbreaking for us all," reads a post published today, November 17 on the restaurant's Instagram page, credited to Chef Bruce and the Moment Group's Eli Antonino, Jon Syjuco, and Abba Napa. "We've grown tremendously as chefs and restaurateurs. We wish each other nothing but locuk and success as we carve out new paths of growth and creativity." The restaurant's last dinner service will be on December 30, excluding December 24 and 25.

Ricketts elaborates in a post on his own public Instagram account. "Nine years of cooking [at Mecha Uma] has definitely been a collection of emotions, experiences, and memories." It was, after all, the "first chef’s counter" Manila—"when it was still a challenge to get customers to sit at the counter for an omakase, and offering an ever-changing seasonal tasting menu, a la carte, and mirror-written specials with a kitchen basically the size of two low-boys."

Perhaps the secret is this: "We never thought anything was impossible. We just had this ambition of bridging the gap with customers who were new to this kind of service as we were, and hopefully create a space where we can freely express the idea of giving someone a big hug through our food."

Ricketts gives a special shoutout to Mecha Uma's "loyal customers, who constantly kept us on our toes and many of whom have now become friends, drinking buddies, and fellow nerds I can geek about food, fish and sushi with." "This space and the people who dined with us gave me so much opportunity to learn and improve my craft, and I can’t help but feel just as excited as I was in 2014 when we opened Mecha as I am now, building what’s coming up ahead." (More about that shortly.)

Mecha Uma's Legacy

In the nine years it was open, Mecha Uma's made quite the (vibrant) mark on the local dining scene. Apart from introducing the idea of a chef's-counter restaurant to Filipino diners, Mecha Uma also made it to lists of the likes of the 2019 50 Best Discovery List and Opinionated About Dining.

Their tasting menu goes the distinctly Japanese direction, not unlike omakase with the idea of putting control in the hands of the chef. Japanese techniques like matsukasa-yaki and aburi were often employed, as were high-quality Japanese ingredients where applicable—fresh seafood from the Tsukiji market, Matsusaka beef, and so on.

Expression-wise, though, Ricketts and the Mecha Uma team go decidedly exuberant—and happily so, with the use of elements like fermentation (then relatively uncommon in the fine-dining sphere), and unexpected flavor pairings. Previous creations include ankimo illuminated by vinegar jelly; lamb with grits and a juniper-imbued sauce; and oyster somen with poached Japanese oyster with yuzu, chocolatito tomatoes, cucumber, seaweed gel, and somen noodles in a soothing citrus broth.

Also read: 
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What's Next?

Mecha Uma may be saying goodbye, but Ricketts' fire is far from going out. The chef is set to open iai, a new "chef's counter", by mid-2024—so it won't be (too) long before you can reunite with his bold and brazen, Japanese-inflected cooking.

In the previous Instagram post, Ricketts writes: "Mecha [Uma] prepared me for the future at my next counter and lifetime home... and I know it will be the fullest expression of who I’ve become as a chef and craftsman in pursuit of the shokunin mindset", shokunin referring to the Japanese idea of striving for mastery and perfection.

In the meantime, we say book those seats at Mecha Uma while you can; reservations can be made by sending the restaurant a DM on Instagram, or by messaging 0919-084-5537. Ricketts' other establishments Sensei and La Chinesca remain open.

For more information, check out Mecha Uma's Instagram page.

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