You'll Be Seeing More Desserts From Famed Pastry Chef Miko Aspiras Very Soon

(SPOT.ph) We’ve got local superstars across different fields; in the sugary realm, it’s Chef Miko Aspiras. The award-winning pastry chef expanded the way local food fans came to view the sweet side of things with his distinctive desserts—which range from leveled-up classics (think dreamy soufflés with Asian flavors), to remixed childhood treats (think champorado-tuyo doughnuts), to plated compositions employing modern techniques, to decidedly offbeat works (including his leche flan with pig’s blood for Madrid Fusion in 2015 and famous ketchup and mayo ice cream) that had us expanding our horizons. He had also previously opened, or been involved with, homegrown restaurants and concepts of the likes of Le Petit Souffle, Workshop, Scout’s Honor, Poison, and Freezer Burn—all known for their stellar sweet treats (French-Japanese confections, playful pastries, cookies, doughnuts, and ice cream, respectively)—before moving to Sydney, Australia in 2019.

Aspiras was initially appointed executive pastry chef of Hilton Sydney and went on to open artisanal shop Don't Doughnuts, among other accomplishments; happy as we were for the chef (who well deserves all the praise!), this left us with a gaping hole in our stomachs that yearned for his signature sweets. Until now, anyway. Great news: he’s making a comeback of sorts as Aspiras now joins the team of local F&B group Visum Ventures as their Executive Pastry Chef!

Also read: This Special Halo-Halo Has Lemon Myrtle and Davidson Plums

Chef Miko Aspiras makes a virtual comeback to the local food scene as his joins the team behind Salt & Ice, Koomi + more:

Aspiras but will be “curating” desserts for all brands under Visum—a.k.a. the folks that brought us Koomi, Oh My Greek, Zig, Meraki, Sante, Salt & Ice, and T2 Tea. The chef will still be based in Australia, but you can expect to see more drool-worthy treats with the distinct flair he’s known for. You'll also be seeing new concepts from Aspiras and Visum opening soon—among them a gelato spot that'll feature one-of-a-kind, playful flavors! For now, he’s keeping mum on his exact plans, but he does admit he’s more “mature” in how he takes on the craft today—and we got a taste of 2022-edition Miko Aspiras with a tasting of new desserts recently held at Salt & Ice in Uptown Parade.

Aspiras describes his recent approach to his work to be more “practical” and rooted in “structure and the business sense.” “It’s not just throwing a dessert there for the sake of just doing it—it’s more [of thinking about], ‘Why am I doing it? Why are we doing it? Why do we have to position ourselves [as such]? Where do we do it?,” he explains. "[Everything] has a purpose now… I’m definitely more mature [now].” But that’s not to say he’s killing his creative side anytime soon. “Of course, I will never lose my pizzazz with food—that’s still my core.” 

The chef admits crafting desserts for the Australian audience is “worlds apart” from doing so for Filipinos. “There’s a huge difference,” he says, clarifying that he’s not necessarily saying one is better than the other. “In Australia… very relaxed ‘yong the way they choose what they wanna eat. If they want it, they’re gonna buy it. So there’s really not much pushing [needed]. I guess they have more budget for food so more dispensible income.” With the Philippine audience, however, comes the need to make a bigger impact early on. “Here in the Philippines, you only get one shot at it [and] it has to make an impression for people to come back.” Yet he shares that this very aspect “challenged” him. “Here [in the Philippines], it’s more the creative side you get [to channel]. I really get to exercise my creativity.”

The Calamansi Cake with Auro White Chocolate Glaze demonstrates Aspiras’ strategic manner of approaching confectionery. Whereas many citrus desserts—think of your typical lemon meringue pie with a saccharine layer of meringue—tend to go overly sweet to cushion against the sourness, this confection opts to balance the calamansi’s acidity out with a velvety white-chocolate glaze that was rich, alright, yet barely sweet.

His mischievous side comes out in the Vegemite Butterscotch with Auro Milk Chocolate Ganache and Dark Chocolate Mousse, featuring the Aussie spread that’s infamously polarizing for its deeply savory character. (We’re fans.) In this case, it lends an umami counterpart to the creamy chocolate, with duck fat mayo (yup) helping bridge the gap and making the transition between worlds more seamless.

Aspiras isn't just about novelty for novelty's sake. His Black Forest with Auro Dark Chocolate Mousse dessert stays faithful to German tradition for the most part, with a rightfully sour compote of cherries and dark chocolate below—though his use of Filipino brand Auro for that chocolate component lends the resulting spoonful a more robust, fruity character.

Aspiras also shares his desire to introduce his Aussie side to Filipinos, by employing famed Australian ingredients where applicable. Apart from the aforementioned praline with Vegemite, wattleseeds—a nutritious seed native to the country and a staple in the Aboriginal diet—lend a distinct nuttiness to the Sable Cookie sandwiching a thin coconut marshmallow and pastille of passionfruit from Dumaguete. On the flipside, local flavors go on to shine in the Langka Mousse with Banana Financier and Mille Feuille, where a turon-esque filling breathes tropical life to crisp, flaky sheets of puff pastry.

“He is undoubtedly a culinary rockstar, making a name for himself here and in Australia… his work can be considered high art, driven by creativity and inventiveness,” says Visum’s own President and CEO, John-Michael Hilton. To which we say: get excited, and ready your sweet tooth. Upcoming treats are aplenty.

For more information, check out Visum Ventures' Facebook page.

Also read:
Love Yogurt Drinks? Try 5 Of Koomi's Best Flavors

Hey, Spotters! Check us out on Viber to join our Community and subscribe to our Chatbot.