This Intimate Restaurant Lights Up San Juan With Their Progressive, Elegant Plates

P. Guevarra corner Wilson Street, San Juan

Instagram: www.instagram.com/eraya.ph

When another chef friend introduced him to Filipino actor and businessman Dustin Yu (who just recently exited the Pinoy Big Brother House), the idea came about for them to open Eraya together. “My friend called me and said, ‘I know someone who wants to open a restaurant. I’ll connect you two,’” recalls Manglo. But he had his misgivings; after his many years in the F&B industry (including a long stint as an R&D chef at Ninyo Fusion Cuisine and Wine Lounge), he knows that opening a restaurant is no walk in the park.

“I told Dustin [as much]," he says of their initial meetings. "So many things can happen on the daily. Your challenges don’t end once you build the restaurant.” Could this ex-Housemate rise to the challenge?

The answer would be made clear soon enough: Amid troubles they had encountered with an architect they had initially hired, the two took the matters of the interiors into their own hands. “[Dustin] had a lot of input with the design. We were here every day and he really stepped up,” Manglo says. Today, Eraya’s rustic-sunny vibe come from a dusty peach limewash wall, against a bar counter on raw concrete wall and a ceiling in a dramatic emerald shade.

Of course, they've got a menu to match that sense of approachable sophistication. The 48 Hour Sous Vide Short Ribs (P740) features tender beef over some of the silkiest, creamiest whipped potatoes—they’re passed through a sieve seven times to reach this texture, we’re told. Lashings of black garlic jus (which would pair wonderfully with some rice, but who's keeping score?), fried leeks, and crispy furikake tie everything together.

The Tako (P480) is an appetizer that utilizes all parts of the octopus, which Manglo tells us isn't always the case. “I combine the pulpo head with the tentacles in one plate. I add kaffir leaf and cilantro,” he explains. The dish is topped with Havarti cheese that gets torched for a bit of char, and crab fat paste for an extra umami punch.

The chef is also looking to challenge himself by exploring regional dishes. “It’s important as a chef to always ask yourself, ‘How can I add life to this? How do I give it a spotlight?’ I think it’s my job to showcase good ingredients,” Manglo explains.

But keep an eye out for a degustation option in Eraya's near future. Manglo treats us to a taste test of a small bite of a butter tart with Jamón Serrano, caviar, and compressed apple for a little lift. He also has us try what he calls Kobujime Seabass, a beautifully plated dish with delicate flavors. The kobujime in question is an ancient Japanese technique that involves curing the fish in between sheets of konbu infusing it with umami. From there, it's cooked sous-vide, then served with miso sauce underneath, a mulberry gastrique, and a mulberry veil. There's also a rice cracker on the side, for you to help yourself to in between bites of the fish.

Eraya’s dishes are playful and progressive—Manglo’s experimentations. “Every time I put my dishes on the menu, I always think about what inspired them,” he adds. “I really admire Japanese cuisine and how they perfect every dish. I like the way they work and how they push Japanese food as well. I want to apply that here.”

It seems to be this mindset of adventure that has propelled them forward in, relatively speaking, very little time. Although the restaurant only soft-opened in October last year, its growth can be measured in leaps and bounds, already becoming one of San Juan's most promising new spots in its evolving dining scene. True to their name and the old saying, fortune really does favor the brave.