Where dining meets art, music, and storytelling
Experiences shape the dining landscape in ways that go beyond what’s on the plate. More than sustenance, eating and drinking have become immersive—anchored by the stories behind every plate and every glass, from the ingredients that shape them to the hands that craft them.
It’s not about gimmicks, it’s about intention. About designing an experience.
Because ultimately, the takeaway that diners get is not just whether the food or drink they had was good. It’s also about what it made them feel. About the atmosphere it created, the intention behind the concept, and the memory it leaves the moment they leave a place.
From Fully Booked’s newest concept, Book & Cook, to a women-led bar takeover by Women & Tipple, and a comeback of Medium Rare at Salon de Ning, these spots are shaping up the latest immersive experiences in the F&B dining scene.
1. At Fully Booked’s Book & Cook, you can have your book and eat there, too
Good reads and comfort food come together in Fully Booked’s flagship store (the country’s biggest bookstore, mind you) in Bonifacio High Street with the arrival of Book & Cook.
Bringing together the pleasures of reading and dining, Book & Cook is led by Michelin-trained French chef Edouard Guillaud-Rollin, whose vision centers on two things: making authentic French pastries and fresh, and making wholesome meals approachable to everyone. And Fully Booked’s immersive space serves as the natural home for this concept.
“Many of our patrons say they can spend all day at Fully Booked, and we’re very happy with that feedback,” says Jaime Daez, managing director of Fully Booked. “Even though readers can forget the world while browsing books, some are bound to get hungry after exploring rows and rows of shelves, so we welcome Book & Cook as another way to delight our customers.”
“I’ve loved books since I was a kid. In fact, a book inspired me to become a chef,” Guillaud-Rollin chimes in, having read a lot of manga and manhwa growing up. “I especially love ‘Cooking Master Boy.’ I read it when I was a young boy living in China, and I was so fascinated that I knew I wanted to work in the kitchen someday.”
Diners can choose from buttery croissants, handmade pastas, and hearty meals with standouts that include a comforting bowl of tomato soup paired with a spinach-and-artichoke melt, an earthy truffle mushroom ravioli, and a beef stroganoff with herbed rice. Not one to forget a sweet indulgence, classic French desserts, and craft drinks that include mocktails, round out the menu.
Book & Cook is the first of its kind that allows diners to browse curated books and advance reading copies while dining in—true to its brand of providing a thoughtfully designed experience that feels like a natural extension of the bookstore. — Diane Nicole Go
2. Shaken, stirred, and unapologetic: The first Women & Tipple guest shift
Shaking up the last week of Women’s Month, Women & Tipple did a bar takeover of the Whiskey Library for one sold-out evening last March 25 at the hands of an all-women team, each renowned in their own industries.
Helming the shift were Claire Liu of Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou, and Michelle Ong of Coa, Hong Kong, both bars renowned for clarity and personality in their mixology practices. Each was paired with a Filipina creative—Liu with DJ, model, and TV host Christi McGarry, and Ong with creative director Gabs Gibbs.
Liu’s drink, Ango, drew on her childhood in Guangzhou—inspired by a Cantonese pork knuckle dish with ginger and vinegar. In cocktail form, it featured Zabana sherry oak cask rum, balsamic vinegar for bright acidity, beetroot juice for color, and bitters for depth in a layered sip.
Meanwhile, McGarry’s Bloom in Chaos was a floral whisky sour built on Fettercairn Highland single malt, brightened with calamansi, lemon, chamomile, hibiscus cordial, and honey. A nod to New York’s Gold Rush cocktail, it was delicate yet punchy, disappearing from the bar almost immediately for its freshness.
Ong’s Amelia reinvented the childhood paper plane toy with Dalmore’s 12 Year Old single malt, smoked pineapple, black pepper Aperol, Amaro Montenegro, sour pineapple, and a hint of jalapeño brine for a tipple that was savory and spicy, yet balanced.
Lastly, Gibbs debuted her daring Dirty as Hell Martini, a dirty martini elevated with olive oil-infused London No. 1 gin, black pepper vermouth, olive brine, and blue cheese-stuffed olives. The unapologetic drink was fully sold out and left the crowd buzzing.
In its first-ever guest shift, and a women-led takeover at that, The Whiskey Library celebrated a night brimming with both cocktails and creativity, flowing in equal measure. — Lala Singian-Serzo
3. Move your body and soul at Medium Rare
The idea of medium rare doesn’t just apply to steaks. These days, this well-loved degree of meat doneness takes on a whole new meaning in an immersive event series of the same name returning on May 9 at Salon de Ning at The Peninsula Manila.
In an assortment of sensory experiences, the one-night event titled “Kaleidoscope” merges music, gastronomy, and art in an atmosphere that draws guests in from all possible angles.
“Medium Rare began as a personal idea to merge two art forms I deeply care about: gastronomy and music,” chef Chele Gonzalez explains, the brains and heart behind Medium Rare. “The word ‘medium’ represents the space between disciplines where they meet, while ‘rare’ reflects our desire to present something unique beyond the mainstream.”
Together with prominent Manila underground music figure Samantha Nicole, this year’s Medium Rare frames the mesmerizing experience around renowned Spanish electronic music producer and Seven Villas Music and Avantroots Records founder Pablo Bolívar, who balances hypnotic rhythms and emotional melodies, and Italian composers and pianists Lorenzo Travaglini and David Semmarchi from Bosco Studio, a creative collective offering a stunning showcase of neoclassical compositions and cinematic sounds.
Couple their first appearance in Asia with local acts and Gonzalez’s soulful brand of cuisine, the picture Medium Rare forms brim with enough flavor that it’s bound to be a well-done event affirming Manila’s place in larger musical, gastronomic, and cultural conversations — Eric Nicole Salta
