Gems From the Hapag x Akar Collab: Riyandang Maranao, River Prawn in Crab Fat Curry + More

(SPOT.ph) Malaysia and the Philippines have plenty in common, given the shared roots of their respective local languages and cultures. We see this in practice across different arenas, including the food consumed in certain parts of both countries. As far as the Philippines goes, this is especially evident in the cuisines of Mindanao, which has many similarities to that of our Malay siblings.

Proving how beautifully these cuisines can go together was the recent collaboration between progressive Filipino spot Hapag and Kuala Lumpur's Akar. Held for just one night, the dinner featured were Malaysian and Mindanaoan flavors side by side—which let us in on the common threads between them, and their union being far more than the sum of its parts.

Also read: 
Hapag's New Makati Outpost Proves They're Only Growing Bigger and Better 
The Making of Hapag's Much-Talked About Western Visayas Menu—And How Empathy Can Make Flavors Sing

The Hapag and Akar collaboration

Akar ("root" in Malay) is headed by Chef Aidan Low, who has trained in Osaka, Japan and Lyon, France. Flying back to KL, he worked at Ed.ju Omakase before eventually opening Akar in 2020. It's here that he pays tribute to his global roots as applied to Malaysian local produce; fueling the creation of their menu are "explorative studies" of the country's ingredients, cultures, tradition, and language, which then inspires their set menus for lunch and dinner. Recognized by the likes of the MICHELIN Guide (who notes how Akar is "creatively refashioning European dishes with interesting surprises"), and included in Tatler Malaysia's Best 20 Restaurants of 2025, Akar has since evolved in direction, with Low now incorporating more Japanese and French techniques and elements as a natural byproduct of his training.

Hapag's Chef Kevin Navoa raves about his own time dining at Akar. "Darren Teoh of [Kuala Lumpur]'s Dewakan suggested collaborating with Aidan and Akar, noting how well their cuisine complemented ours," he says in a statement. "That got me curious, so I visited Akar in Kuala Lumpur to experience Aidan’s food
firsthand. I enjoyed my time at Akar so much that our conversation naturally led to the idea of cooking together." Chef Thirdy Dolatre echoes Navoa's excitement. "Chef Aidan Low is part of the new wave of chefs redefining contemporary Malaysian cuisine, and I’m eager to experience his food while sharing the flavors and culture of the Philippines with him."

The opportunity to collaborate came at just the right time as the Hapag team had just come back from a trip around Mindanao, and served their takes on some of the standout dishes they tried in the island. (Let’s just say you’ll be seeing more from where that came, very soon.) More than that, the partnership also allows the modern Filipino spot an avenue to expand their horizons. "Our collaboration between Hapag and Akar presents an opportunity to exchange knowledge, explore the deep connections between Malaysian and Filipino cuisine, and celebrate the traditions that shape both while pushing boundaries in unique ways," says Dolatre.

In typical collab fashion, the two restaurants alternated serving their own courses and plates. Snacks kicked off the ride: from Hapag came a crisp Crab Alavar Lumpia Tart filled with its namesake, and Mushroom Inasal skewers dressed in a sauce of kulim—a Malaysian nut that they turn into aioli. Akar gave us a taste of their cooking with the Beet Root Pie Tee, a zingy one-biter with beef tartare and salmon roe—which paired especially beautifully with its sprightly sidekick of  Champagne Delamotte Brut.

Hapag then served their version of the Tausug classic that is Tiyula Itum—a dish the team had over and over again on their Mindanao trip ("[It's] a popular soup over there," says Hapag's operations manager and sommelier Erin Ganuelas). It gets its name and black color from the infusion of burnt coconut, which lends a subtle smoky depth uplifted by ginger, shallots, lemongrass, and turmeric. From the Akar team came the Scallop Umai—an dish by Low exclusive to the dinner, which brought to mind Malaysian-style sinuglaw with its pairing of scallop mousse (seasoned with asam gelugur, a Malaysian fruit with a sharp, sour profile), pork shoulder, asam gelugur gel, and kimchi out of the asam gelugur’s petals.

Agal Agal seaweed, which sports a vine-like appearance and distinct bite that's at once crunchy and gelatinous, was the star of Hapag's next dish of the same name. The team prepared it as a salad, similar to how they enjoyed it in Tawi Tawi ("they're so abundant in seaweed," says Ganuelas), with the seaweed marinated in gamet (another kind of local seaweed), tomatoes, and ginger, then sprinkled with bubuk (roasted grated coconut) and partnered with yellowfin tuna kinilaw. Akar then treated us to the Catfish XO Rendang—a parcel of silver catfish marinated in stinky tofu, wrapped in betel leaf, and fried to a crisp. With it came a feisty rendang sauce with a good amount of natural umami, being infused with dehydrated shrimp; a sprinkle of coriander powder lent welcome zing to the mix. Hapag then brought out scoops of their Batwan Sorbet as a bit of a palate cleanser; originally from their Western Visayas tasting menu, it features batwan, a sour fruit typically used in Ilonggo kansi.

The Salu-Salo spread that followed featured dishes by both teams, and was nothing short of impactful. There was Hapag’s stick-to-your-ribs Riyandang Maranao, taking after the Maranao dish of the same name—which is milder but no less soulful than its Malaysian/Indonesian/Singaporean cousin, beef rendang. Akar brought over one of their signatures: Crab Fat Curry, River Prawn, Ulam Raja, with river prawn in a potent crab-fat curry sauce that packed a serious—and welcome—punch. Adding freshness to even out the curry's heat was a topping of ulam raja, a slightly peppery herb that's also called Malaysian "king's salad."

With these power plates were balanced sidekicks: Hapag’s take on junay, a Tausug packed riced dish that they sprinkled with fried shrimps and shallots; Akar’s salad of pako (fiddlehead fern) with a potent partner of durian sambal; and pomelo salad with pickled calamansi.

Akar kept things light and bright at the end with their dessert of Passionfruit panna cotta, topped with sea grapes and white seaweed (!) for fun textural contrast. Hapag concluded the ride with a trio of Chocolate Bonbons: champorado (with a filling of tapo de oro rice crispies); pili nut (in patis cognac caramel!); and malunggay (which, when combined with good white chocolate, brings to mind matcha).

The dinner had us exploring ingredients and culinary traditions from Malaysia and different parts of the Philippines, Mindanao in particular. Though each culture's flavor profiles shined bright individually, the transition between courses was seamless, with every part fitting in perfectly as part of the overall jigsaw puzzle. 

This is Hapag's second collaboration dinner this year, following that with Roots Siargao in February. Their sibling bar Ayà did a collaboration with Filipino chef Carlo Magda of Bar Magda, New Zealand in January; they also held the Chicha x Champagne night in March, which explored fun pairings between street food and champagne.