Makati's Oak & Smoke Reimagines Grilling + Smoking in a Swanky, Playful Light

Oak & Smoke Contact Details

G/F Pacquiao Mansion, 324 H.V. Dela Costa Street, Makati City
Contact: 0917-139-5254
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OakandSmoke.ph 
Open from 5:30 to 10 p.m. (until 1 a.m. for the bar), Monday to Saturday

(SPOT.ph) Think of a grill-centric restaurant and what comes to mind? The typical imagery typically involves a rowdy-masculine visual with wood, bricks, and the smell of smoke all around—even on your shirt long after you're done eating (nothing wrong with that). The recently opened Oak & Smoke in Makati doesn’t quite abide by this convention, however, instead taking the enchantment of working with smoke and fire and strategically integrating it into their more global, creativity-driven ethos in a chic yet cozy space.

The sign from the outside of Pacquiao Mansion on H.V. Dela Costa street is hard to miss, but the real surprise lies inside as a wooden door makes way to the restaurant proper. With its slanted glass ceiling that gives a peep into the night sky, midnight-blue walls that function as a backdrop to hanging lights and gold accents, a whirled installation piece meant to resemble a wisp of smoke, and an al-fresco area amid a tropical garden, Oak & Smoke reinterprets the grill and BBQ genre through a more playful, sophisticated lens—consider it the kind of place you’d dress up for, for a catch-up dinner with pals or for romantic date.

It makes sense when you consider that chef-owners Anna Bautista and Sean Jorgensen primarily birthed Oak & Smoke not only as a BBQ spot, but as a tribute to what they themselves like to eat. The backgrounds of the two are extensive in their own right. Bautista was formerly with Madera in California, which received a Michelin star in 2021; Jorgensen has a deep love for Southern food and has worked for the likes of Liquid Laundry and The Cannery in Shanghai, and Ku De Ta in Bali. Bautista and Jorgensen also founded F&B consultancy venture Blue Plate Consulting in Shanghai.

At their new baby Oak & Smoke, the two manage to weave these experiences into an eclectic, but cohesive lineup that’s centered around barbecuing and grilling, using a variety of techniques to bring out the best of meat, seafood, and veg. Distinct to their menu, too, are the presence of Asian inflections here and there—a natural byproduct of their background and travels around the continent, particularly the time they spent living in China. 

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What to try at Oak & Smoke in Makati

Smoke, of course, has a way of imbuing smoky fervor into, and intensifying the flavors of, whatever foods it touches. The name Oak & Smoke is a nod to that, expressed in the way they playing around with fire and smoke in different ways. The oak refers to oakwood, the typical source material of wine barrels—which they currently don’t yet use (unless you count the wines and liquors in their drinks selection) but will be employing in the future. “It's a long burning and it's a hard wood,” says Jorgensen. “So it burns a long time and it puts out.” In the meantime, they’re primarily relying on sampalok wood for that purpose—it’s the closest locally available alternative to applewood, we’re told, in that it’s “sweet-smelling… and not too harsh.”

Rather than limit the barbecued and smoked bits to the main proteins involved, Jorgensen—who among them two, takes care of the grilling and smoking ends of the spectrum—extends the ideas to apply to other components on the plate. The lychee-hoisin glazed Frenched Pork Chops (P1,250) get a fruity burst from an accompaniment of grapes cooked over the wood fire; smoked quail eggs contribute soulful richness in their Prawn Toast (P580); smoked pork neck makes for an especially riveting, green curry-tinged Mussel & Smoked Pork Neck Toast (P580). They also grill the eggplant for a subtle, welcome char in the Grilled Eggplant & Whipped Feta-Tofu (P420) accompanied by fried mantou, and smoke the doejang-garlic cream in their Charred Cauliflower & Cabbage (P400), which gives each forkful a wonderful umami hum and more depth of flavor.

“I tend to play with smoke and fire,” says Jorgensen. “Our menu incorporates elements of smoke on our dishes be it in smoking almonds, pork jowls or salmon. We want to be known for these hints of smoke and cooking over coal and wood.”

Techniques-wise they take from Californian and Southern cooking, but make the resulting dishes their own with novel flavor combos and the inclusion of Asian ingredients and components. You’d see elements like doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorn in the tomato sauce of their Fried Burratta and Beef Ragu (P780); a lime-palm sugar dressing vivifying their Unicorn Fish Crudo (P480); miso and furikake alongside crispy anchovies, parm, and lemon pangratto in their Caesar Salad (P480); and gochujang-grain mustard and a yakiniku steak sauce accompanying their steaks, of which the USDA Ribeye (P3,350/350 grams) is a great choice. Some dishes are more deliberately Asian in root, remixed their way—consider the squid ink-tinged, shrimp bisque-surrounded Shrimp & Pork Dumpling (P550), and the black pepper tamarind-glazed O/S Karaage (P480).

Oak & Smoke also has a dedicated section of the menu to specialties cooked over bincho-zumi or binchotan, the type of hardwood charcoal from Japan coveted (even called the “best in the world” by some) for its odorless, long-burning character—thus emitting maximum heat with minimal smoke involved. Take your pick from the Chicken Thigh (P400) tinged with sambal; the Pork Belly (P420) fired up with xinjiang spice; the Blue Marlin Belly (P550) lent umami and crunch by miso, furikake, and puffed rice; the Octopus Leg (P550) that’s savory, spicy, and sweet thanks to gochujang-honey mustard; and the Beef Short Rib (P780) given a soy-mirin glaze.

Drinks, courtesy of principle mixologist Louis Frigillano (whose resume includes working the bars at Raffles Singapore and Burnt Rnds), are designed to bring out the spunky flavors of their food. Forming the basis of most of their drinks are white bourbon, whiskey, and mezcal—all liquors that are, or take well to being, smoked, consistent with their theme. 

Oak & Smoke may be new, but it's safe to say it knows what it wants to be. And what it wants to be is a well-rounded dining spot that expands on our notions of barbecuing, smoking, and grilling, to cover the lesser-ventured but equally captivating other possibilities these cooking methods can lead to.

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