It’s Valentine’s Day every day at Bibio
With a name that sounds like it belongs in Hollywood and sleeves that capture the imagination of artists, Australian Filipino chef Valentine Costuna isn’t one to shy away from feeding you more than just food. He is also, in fact, a cultural tattooist.
“The more that I learned about our history and Filipino culture, the more I kind of got intrigued by Filipino tattooing,” he explains. “So that just kind of led me on a journey that… I guess, accidentally, I fell into becoming a cultural tattooist.”
But don’t expect to get some ink done at Bibio, where he’s spending his residency until January 2026.
A blend of Australia and Asia
The Sydney-born chef has spent the last six years at Le Chai, cooking and crafting tasting menus for customers who want to “dine in our vines.” Because the restaurant is located at a vineyard in Ramatuelle, just 15 minutes by car from St. Tropez, Costuna’s approach to food follows that of Provençal cuisine—respect for seasonality and fresh ingredients.
Taking over Kier Ibañez (who’s currently in the process of launching Bibio’s sister restaurant, June Eatery), Costuna’s globetrotting expeditions (he works half the year and spends the other half “to kind of do as I please”) also steered him in the direction of Bibio’s Justin and Van Apolonio through a friend of a friend.
Though incidental, the natural wine bar seems to have become a place of artistic discovery and exploration of (mostly) Australasia—the aforementioned Ibañez is Cebuano, but has lived in New Zealand for 11 years; “MasterChef New Zealand” winner Sam Low collaborated with Bibio chef Kevin Gonzales in November; and Japanese Filipino pastry chef Kenji Yoshitsuka from InterContinental Auckland and Advieh Restaurant cooked with Ibañez in October.
While this coincidence isn’t particularly revelatory, it opens an exciting new chapter for both Costuna’s and the Apolonios’ exploits of wine bar gastronomy—one that sees Costuna rediscovering his roots and Bibio revitalizing its now permanent menu offering.
Plates that give butterflies
Costuna’s love affair with Bibio started in February 2025 with a two-night takeover that saw him briefly flirt with plates of cured tuna and grilled chicken heart. Now at his residency, Costuna’s stamp is a more dominant presence. Seasonality is still the main draw, and the menu is simple: four snacks; eight main plates (two of which highlight Costuna’s cyclical proclivity); three sides of bread, salad, and fries; and Don Papa rum baba and a superb crémeux made with bitter chocolate from Laguna, pecan, and banana custard for desserts.
In the course of these 17 items, the wealth of Costuna’s experience makes its presence seen and savored. His opening snack of croquettes placed on a bed of shells is a clear demonstration of his hand and mind at work. Inspired by a recent trip to Galicia, Spain, it is simple, high-quality cooking meant to encourage seconds (or thirds) with just a little injection of originality to elevate the customer experience.
“We have basically a pulpo croquette with some cuttlefish ink, and a little paprika emulsion,” he explains. “The bechamel is a little bit different because I’ve infused it with some katsuobushi and there’s some squid ink in there.”
Close your eyes and bite into the croquet, and it’s easy to feel like you’ve disappeared into the shores of Spain. Austere in presentation but brash and bold in flavors of the sea, the mash of ingredients disperses in a mouthful of brilliant mess and combines with the puckery paprika and lemon mayo.
Meanwhile, the market crudo (dry-aged bigeye tuna) and the catch of the day (barbecued lapu-lapu) are crucial elements of the menu that showcase his preference for wielding the freshest ingredients available.
But he can also switch it up. Filled with a tasty scallop mousse and served with steamed Manila clams before tossing them in Bibio’s tuna nduja, the thrilling tortellini is a complete ensemble piece where every element soaks up the flavorful drippings of each other to practically make music in your mouth.
Costuna also tackles meat here, albeit with a relentless fondness for letting fat and its flavors take hold, like in the dry spice roasted lamb ribs topped with chermoula yogurt and coriander. Its most primal meat on the menu is a woodfired pork neck, lighting up palates with an aromatic “rendang” sauce that isn’t really rendang. “It’s made with ingredients of rendang, just not made in the traditional sense,” he says.
Tattooed on our minds
A common question Costuna gets asked is whether his passion for cultural tattoos informs his cooking. It’s something he precisely does not have the answer to. “I haven’t found exactly the way to really kind of organically amalgamate the two, but maybe there’s something out there.”
That’s hardly a burden. In a sense, maybe what he makes and does in the kitchen is already the metaphorical mark of the two disciplines he’s completely devoted to. More than just being skin deep, cooking, after all, leaves a lasting impression in the hearts, minds, and stomachs of customers choosing to embrace the sparkle and spectacle of his food—with a glass of natural wine, of course.
Technical skills and creative expression aside, Costuna’s decision to come back to Manila (for the time being at least, before leaving again for summer work in France in February) has been marked with a couple of potential projects that speak to his zest for adventure. His menu, says Justin, is now going to be a permanent fixture at Bibio even if Costuna isn’t.
Though it might not take long before he returns. “I was also invited to, like, tattoo a lechon… tattooing some designs on the pig before it gets roasted,” he shares. “It’s kind of like an idea that’s in the works. Hopefully it comes to fruition.”
