40+ new restaurants to rock Manila’s resto scene this year

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Before we can even take a much-needed detox from the holiday binge, we find ourselves caught up in another good feast — this time to last the whole year through. 2015 is already shaping up to be a busy year for people who have made dining out a habit as a ton of restaurants are slated to open.

There are foreign franchises as well as homegrown concepts. In any case, they are sure to have mouths watering, eyebrows raising, and the local industry much more exciting.
 
steak blt sandwich

Steak BLT Sandwich from Fireside

 
Kicking things off is Fireside, which will start operations this week. Spearheaded by the same group that brought us Kettle in Shangri-la and just recently in SM Aura, Fireside, located at the 3/F of SM Fashion Hall, will deliver a new set of elevated comfort food, this time leaning more on chicken and hefty meats. It has got Sweet and Salty Wings, 50/50 Meatloaf (equal parts bacon and Angus beef), thick cut pork chops, BLT with house made cured bacon, and buttermilk chicken strips with cornbread donuts.
 
Also taking up space in the same side of the mall are Waffos, which will serve sweet and savory waffles, Miguelito’s for Pinoy food, the first in-mall branch of NAV Modern Thai and the popular New York food stand, The Halal Guys, which will offer halal gyros and more.
 
The successful group behind Teddy’s Bigger Burger (which recently opened a second branch at the Shangri-la Mall) is flying in a couple more foreign brands this year, the soonest to operate of which is Tsukiji Aozora Sandaime. Taking over the area of Mr. Kurosawa at the 2/F of Newport Mall by mid-January, this Japanese import has been around since the 1940s, with five branches in Tokyo. Its Manila location is its sixth and its first offshore that’s not a franchise. “We feel like the market is longing for something original and authentic,” says co-owner Ricky Laudico. “The taste of the Filipino now is more sophisticated and they can tell the difference between a good sushi and a bad one. We want to go in that direction. Nine years ago we came up with SumoSam. This time around, we want to bring something really authentic and straight from Tsukiji.”
 
It will employ a teishoku (set meals) concept for more variety and will be backed up by the know-how and experience of its third generation owner Junichiro Yamada. “We will be building a Japanese facility to house products from Tsukiji so we can the guarantee freshness of our products,” adds Ricky.

Also in the group’s plate are two American franchises — Wolfgang’s Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener who took what he learned from Peter Luger and made the craft of steaks even better, and Benihana, offering sushi, sake and teppanyaki style cuisine.
 
sarsa

Inasal Sisig Hotdog and Pork Belly Empanada from Sarsa

Chef JP Anglo of Sarsa group (which just opened its second branch at the SM Mall of Asia) will be working in the kitchen formerly run by Bistecca in the Joya Building in Rockwell. There, he will be churning out more playful and inspired Pinoy dishes more true to his style, a side of chef JP we’ve been seeing glimpses of just lately. Remember the inasal sisig hotdog and pork belly empanadas he served during last month’s Food + Art Throwdown? We’ll be seeing more of that ingenuity in this restaurant.
 
Another chef who’s going to be launching a new concept restaurant is Him Uy de Baron of Nomama. Think make-your-own bibimbap or Korean BBQ rice topping, housed in stone bowls and flavored with your choice of sauces. He will be producing his own kimchi and pickles too. Chef Him thought of a number of nice and catchy names, like BapBap and Seoul Bowl for this endeavor, but he finally decided on I Am Kim. It will sit right beside XO46 Heritage Bistro in Estancia Mall at Capitol Commons in Pasig.
 
Speaking of which, the three-floor mall in Capitol Commons will also house branches of Burgers and Brewskies (which started serving their original burgers last weekend), Peanut Butter Company, Florabel, Highlands Steakhouse, Banana Leaf, Cinnabon, Kyochon, Coco Ichibanya Curry, Ba Noi’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, UCC Clockwork, The Wholesome Table, and eum ma ne Soju Lounge.
 
Over at the Edades Tower and Garden Villas in Rockwell, Hajime by Kichitora and Dean & Deluca are keeping people in suspense as not much is known about their store openings, even if they’ve been working on their own spaces for months now. In the same vein, the group who brought in Todd English and his food hall has plans of setting up an Italian-inspired spot for chef Davide Oldani, who flew to Manila months back.
 
Ana de Ocampo, who opened The Farmacy situated just a stone’s throw away from the first Wildflour location, is also set to bring in Pink’s Hot Dogs from Los Angeles. It has already become an institution abroad and for sure, people will make a beeline for it once it opens in the metro.
 
caldoso

Caldoso from ArroZeria

 
Another much anticipated restaurant is ArroZeria from the team behind Vask and Gallery. It will be at the Century City Mall and chef Chele Gonzalez wants everything to be perfect before he starts serving different kinds of paella. I was fortunate to have sampled some of its dishes, like the brothy Caldoso, and I know for sure that it’s going to be worth the wait.
 
din tai fung

Xiao long bao from Din Tai Fung (Photo: everything hapa.com)

 
The Moment Group isn’t lifting its foot off the pedal just yet. In fact, it switches to an even higher gear this year with the expansion of 8Cuts (which recently opened in SM Mall of Asia) and the much-anticipated franchise of Michelin star-awarded Din Tai Fung, renowned for its signature xiao long bao.

Also in the works are an in-mall Japanese restaurant to be helmed by chef Bruce Ricketts (situated in SM Mega Fashion Hall) and an upscale cocktail lounge/bar offering premium spirits, liquors, sakes and sojus. It’s a passion project led by Abba Napa, Eli Antonino, Jon Syjuco and Enzo Lim of New York’s Maharlika. It is reported to occupy a huge space in the same building as Mecha Uma.
 
While some companies decided to produce new concepts, others are planning to fan out their brands or make them even better. 24-hour restaurant Recovery Food will soon be found in Resorts World, Venice Piazza and at another spot in the Fort. Wildflour Bakery + Café will creep into another side of Makati, in Legaspi Village to be exact, while Green Pastures will spread to Eastwood in Libis, the Fort and Makati.

Rob Pengson’s The Goose Station will soon get a facelift and according to Raintree’s corporate chef Kalel Chan, Momo in Eastwood might be converted to Chelsea. The hombres behind Churreria La Lola and Rambla are mum to reveal their latest project, but Sergi Rostoll confesses that it will be more fun and experiential and is scheduled to open mid-year.
 
malasadas

Malasadas from Cupcake Lab

 
Stepping up to the game is Cupcake Lab, which will be serving much more than its signature cupcakes. Opening in Eastwood in March, it will start selling comfort snack food and an extended dessert menu, including her malasadas or freshly fried Portuguese donuts.
 
Also multiplying in the metro is Osaka Ohsho. People will soon see branches opening in SM Mall of Asia and SM North Edsa. From the same young and dynamic team will come an authentic Japanese bakery called Kumori. It will expand fast with already three sites being worked on: Landmark Makati, SM Makati and Glorietta. According to restaurateur Linfred Yap, they are also currently mapping out two homegrown concepts, one Japanese in influence and the other is Korean.
 
susi

Wild Mushroom and Cherry Tomato Quiche from Susi

The Mabanta family will be busy this year as practically each member has something brewing. Dixie is polishing his space in Greenfield District, Ortigas for a joint called El Hijo De Cabra. It will have the same vibe as his El Chupacabra — Mexican street food with BBQ and cheap beer. Son Jaco has his hands tied up on a Thai street food restaurant called Crying Tiger. It’s basically an Asian version of El Chupacabra, he says, and it will be in P. Burgos Street in Makati with a February opening. Finally, Bianca is launching her own brand, in the form of Susi, a 100% plant-based vegan restaurant in Burgos Circle. She’s currently experimenting in the kitchen and has been working on dishes like protein-packed spaghetti with wild mushrooms and artichoke hearts, and wild mushroom and cherry tomato quiche with crisped leeks.
 

Click this line to continue reading part two of this story: restaurants from chef Robbu Goco, Stephen Ku and Erwin Heusaff, Margarita Forès, Discovery Prime and City of Dreams.

 

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