Balai Palma's Chef Aaron Isip on Local + Global Inspiration, and His Soon-to-Open Restaurant

(SPOT.ph) Since opening in 2022, the private dining spot Balai Palma has offered a peaceful respite in the middle of bustling Poblacion, attracting a crowd of well-heeled Manileños. Chef and owner Aaron Isip decorated the place with knick-knacks and finds from his travels, giving the place a bohemian beach vibe. Here, you can easily feel like you're by the shores of Guatemala or Mexico. Very soon, the Gault et Millau-awarded chef reaches another milestone as he'll be opening Kása Palma.

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Chef Aaron Isip talks about his approach to cooking and what awaits at his upcoming restaurant, Kasa Palma:

Kása Palma is said to be a "reincarnation" of Balai Palma, in that the old Balai will be transformed into this "different concept." "It’s going to be in a house bigger than ‘Balai’ with two different kitchens," Isip shares about his new baby.

The first kitchen would be an indoor professional one, for the ten-course tasting menu and five-course shared plates menu. The other kitchen will be at the back, and here there won't be any cooking using gas or electricity; from this area Isip and his staff will be preparing ala carte options and offering kitchen counter seating. Kása Palma is set to soft open this January, also along R. Palma Street in Poblacion.

Dining at Balai Palma, and Chef Aaron Isip's Approach

Isip was famously the Filipino recipient of the Chef Espoir 2015 for Île de France (Paris), an award that esteemed restaurant guide Gault et Millau hands out to promising chefs. He grew up in Manila and left for Paris when he was 21. He built his resume working in top Paris kitchens including that of Apicius, Senderens, and Restaurant Dix-Huit—before returning to Manila in 2016. “Filipino food is my first basis for deliciousness since it’s the first cuisine I’ve ever tasted and grew up with. The flavor profiles of Filipino cuisine, especially the love for all things sour and umami—and combined—will forever trigger a gustatory and olfactory alert in my psyche.”

Three-part Hors d'Oeuvres and Other Appetizers

At ‘Balai’ (named as such as his mother is Ilonggo), we were served ten courses and 14 dishes, beginning with the three-part Hors d'Oeuvres: one pairs amaebi spot prawn with crispy chicken skin; another enriches Capiz scallops with papada Iberico and yuzu meuniere; and the third is a refreshing crudo of horse mackerel and Japanese cucumber. This was followed by the Pacific Sea Bream course, which uses the fish in a dragonfruit aguachile with crisp dragonfruit tapioca chips. The Razor Clams presents its namesake in a smoky-sweet light, thanks to a tomatillo pico de gallo, a mangosteen gastrique, pancetta Iberica, and a mangosteen-tamarind snow. 

Next was the Ube in Three Textures, with the purple yam is presented in three forms—as an ube crisp, ube espuma, and ube puree—along with live halaan clams and Oscietra caviar. Steamed Pumpkin Cake, made with prawn, kurobuta pork, and shimeji mushrooms, brought to mind Chinese dumplings reimagined with sikil pak and a pumpkin-curry spice emulsion. In Isip's hands, even seemingly simpler dishes like the Grilled Pomfret shines, its flavor brought out by roasted fish bone jus with a chicken fat emulsion. A bonus wild snapper course was also served that night, with a sauce Isip learned to make in Vietnam, plus blistered cherry tomatoes and crispy bell pepper. 

The Cherry Valley Duck, foreign as it sounds, brought to mind adobo as it paired Esguerra Farms poultry with adobo jus and duck confit buns. Spoonfuls of Foiesilog—with pan-seared French foie gras, Koshihikari garlic rice, quail egg, daikon-onion light soubise and spring onion—made for a rich ending. Extremely satisfied, we asked the chef what his secret was.

“I try not to overthink when it comes to my cooking. I concentrate more on flavor and deliciousness rather than going to town on conceptual ideas on food and making it too cerebral, hence, soulless. After all, the end goal of all kitchens is to supply the guest with a delicious, satisfying meal. I try to let the produce speak for itself, incorporating delicious flavor combinations I’ve experienced in my life and travels. Memories of delicious meals throughout my life play a big part in creating dishes,” he says.

Desserts at Balai Palma

Two desserts sealed the deal: the refreshing Burnt Pineapple Sorbet with the flavors of burnt pineapple, coconut, and kaffir; and the creamy Sweet Plantain ‘Empanadita’ paired with a sweet plantain ice cream and sea-salt latik caramel. The night's mignardise was composed of Valrhona Guanaja chocolat noir, thai basil and thai basil espuma. 

With all the flavors that night, it was as if we had traveled the world in one meal. “Travel is the most inspiring thing for me. I try to eat as much local food as I can whenever I travel, and if I find something absolutely delicious, it goes directly to my memory bank and I try to recreate or incorporate it into my cooking. Memories of delicious meals I’ve had during my younger years play a big role.”

He also says that he tries to feature products rarely seen in most restaurants in Manila, “such as the poisonous yet delicious stone fish, the famous suran or unicorn fish from Palawan, mantis shrimp, managat fish from Iloilo, as well as seasonal fruits like lanzones from Camiguin, casuy fruit, duhat, santol, caimito, and others. It’s a celebration of the bounty of the Philippine waters and tropics. I usually follow the seasonality of the produce.”

We are salivating to try Kása Palma, which will have new dishes on the menu every month or so, just like Balai Palma did–along with a firewood kitchen. “Kása Palma will additionally have live and fresh fish and seafood that guests can choose from and we’ll cook them on the grill as they watch.”

 If Balai Palma's menu is an indication of what to expect at Kasa Palma, then the latter sounds like something to really get excited about. 

For more information, check out Balai Palma's Instagram page.

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