Faces Behind the Plates: These Chefs Are Serving Manila’s Stellar New Secret Dishes

Whipping up plates conveying Italy’s simple but nuanced flavors is no easy task, but it’s a task Chef Jonathan Redoblado embraces and succeeds in doing on the daily. After graduating with a BS-HRIM culinary arts degree at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Redoblado spent more than a decade in Singapore working at the kitchens of Californian-Italian establishment Osteria Mozza (where he stayed 10 years, working under Chef Nancy Silverton), and Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro & Oyster Bar, both located at Marina Bay Sands at the time. Returning to the Philippines, these experiences were put to (very) good use as he landed a stint at Amado Forés’ much admired Italian spot a mano, where Redoblado is now head chef.

For Secret Menu, Redoblado helped bring to life a dish Amado envisioned, a tribute to his mother: the late, great Chef Margarita Forés. “On my mom’s last trip, she brought home a whole leg of jamón for me,” Amado tells SPOT.ph. “I wanted to make something in memory of that moment—and since she loved the jamón from Txanton, using it on a pizza felt perfect. I wanted it to feel like pan con tomate with jamón—but in pizza form.”

Nailing the Spanish flavor profile was initially a challenge, Redoblado admits: “It took me at least two weeks of testing the dish, trying new products.” After multiple tastings with the team, they decided on their final combo, using a mano’s white pizza base as a canvas over which they layer a zippy tomato salsa (a refreshing alternative to the typical cooked-down marinara); rich, silky jamón Ibérico de Bellota; lush and creamy Latteria Sorrentina Fior di Latte; fontina cheese; and peppery arugula. A drizzle of good, fruity olive oil seals the deal.

Each lush bite evokes the zest and enchantment of Mediterranean summers—just as the a mano men had intended. “What we would like the guests to feel is, [as if they’re] being transported to Spain by way of Italy," says Redoblado, "which is the pizza, right here in the Philippines."

Among Metiz’s early fans was Chef Arlo Gregorio, who worked his way from being an intern in 2021 to becoming the restaurant's current head chef. “I remember that in 2019, I ate at Metiz when they newly opened. And then I remember thinking to myself, for some strange reason, I knew I was going to end up here,” Gregorio shares. “A lot of the things that they do, until now, align with what I think food should be. A lot of [our] philosophies align.” There was no job vacancy at Metiz at that time but Duhesme presented Gregorio the option to apply as an intern. After five months of hard work, the young man was hired full-time. 

Whereas most parents might encourage their kids to take up a more traditional (i.e., one that easily promises to be stable and income-generating) course in college, Gregorio’s mom was the cool opposite. “She was the one who told me, Arlo, I think you're going to die in an office job. Go to the culinary jobs,” Gregorio says with a laugh. And so he finished a culinary degree at Enderun and flew to Europe after graduating, interning at 108 in Copenhagen and Gastrologik in Stockholm. In the Philippines, he got to intern at Mecha Uma for three months. He was meaning to fly to the United States for a supposed gig when the pandemic hit. While practicing social-distancing at home, he got into making sourdough in his home kitchen. He took the opportunity to apply at Metiz when the opportunity arrived, and now we see his cooking shine bright as head chef of its sibling restaurant Automat which opened in 2024.

Automat spotlights the tastes that define the modern Manileño’s diet, which is distinctly Filipino while maintaining an openness to outside influences. The dining spot’s defining touch, however, is in how they make these modern-day dishes their own, often by going irreverent in their flavor combos and incorporating made-from-scratch elements like their house ferments.

Their Secret Menu dish, the cheekily named ScallopJoy, puts this into practice. The inspiration? Fried chicken—a dish of foreign origin that’s dearly loved by Filipinos, so much so that we have distinctly Filipino styles and ways of enjoying it. Instead of poultry, Automat uses Japanese scallops cured in kombu for subtle umami, then they're given a tempura batter with fried chicken seasoning and are deep-fried to a crisp. Each nugget is sliced and served over Sinapon rice from Kalinga, which gets a lush umami hit from fermented cucumbers and butter sauce with tuyo. In true Filipino fashion, the dish comes to completion with sauces (two, in fact!): creamy mentaiko-spiked mayonnaise, and good ol’ chicken gravy.

“The reason I love Spanish cuisine is because it reminds me of simplicity at a certain point in life,” says Albert Mendoza, corporate chef and general manager of Bar Pintxos, which is part of the Gruppo Pintxos restaurant group. “I like the simplicity and complexity of Spanish cuisine, and I think there's a certain parallel between [that and] Japanese cuisine—because they both want to highlight the integrity of the product.”

Mendoza, whose resume includes stints at Gallery Vask, Gourmet Farms, and PRINT. Restaurant in New York, originally joined the Pintxos group in 2019 doing R&D; now he works as the group’s executive chef. At Bar Pintxos, Mendoza and the team highlight Basque cuisine and other dishes from around Spain.

As the name implies, the star of the menu are the pintxos—small snack-slash-appetizers popular in northern Spain, generally made up of a combo of proteins, veg, sauces, and other ingredients layered over slices of crusty bread, like a two-bite open sandwich of sorts. Bar Pintxos has got a number of pintxo variations on the lineup, and if you play your cards right, you can try more variants for less with their Secret Menu-exclusive Pintxo Platter. Priced at P910, the platter lets you try any three pintxos on the menu (with the exception of the Foie Gras, which would cost you an additional P250)—from the famous Jamon-Allioli, to the garlicky Chorizo y Huevos, to the savory-sweet Regatta (with goats’ cheese, tomato jam, caramelized onions, and jamon serrano), to the earthy-briny Escalavida (with roasted veg and an anchovy-balsamic reduction), to the creamy Txangurro Allioli (with crab meat and aioli) and more. 

Chef Ronnie Zuniega has been cooking professionally for eight years but embraced a new challenge upon entering Cosmic. It was the first vegan restaurant on his resume, and where he had to find ways of veganizing Filipino favorites without having them lose their Filipino soul. “I [had to] totally adapt the Filipino cuisine… kahit hindi tayo gumamit ng animals,” he says. He turns to plant-based proteins, like soy and gluten, to replace the typical pork, beef, or chicken, employing tricks like freezing then defrosting tofu (which drains out more water) to get a meatier texture. Cosmic also makes its own vegan bagoong with soy beans for natural umami.

Chef Mhel John Apilan previously worked at the Baguio Country Club and Bizu Patisserie, but was longing to take on Japanese cuisine—which led to him applying for the Nippon Hasha group of restaurants in 2018. “Iba din kasi ‘yung Japanese cuisine,” he says, raving about its flavor profile and distinct taste.

Today, Apilan is the head chef of Nippon Hasha’s well-loved tonkotsu ramen shop Mendokoro Makati. He’s also currently overseeing its sibling spot Ramen Marudori, which specializes in paitan (chicken) ramen. Compared to its porky cousin, Ramen Marudori’s paitan is just a touch lighter, but it’s rich in its own right and every bit as satisfying.