Miko Calo cooks up a new chapter
When cousins Miko Calo and RJ Galang informed me of their abrupt departure from Metronome, I knew full well that better opportunities were in line for them.
But in an interview over dinner at Makati Shangri-La recently, Calo confessed that she didn’t feel as confident.
“I felt like when I started in the industry, my name was attached to Metronome, and it was a comfort zone, in a way. That is where my career in the Philippines started,” she said. “So I was afraid of losing the kitchen that I could create in. I was also afraid that, without Metronome, I wouldn’t be able to do much. I didn’t think that I’d be able to have other opportunities.”
Things got too complicated such that working for Metronome wasn’t healthy for her anymore, physically, emotionally, and mentally. And that’s why last April, Calo and Galang both left the restaurant.
As expected—by me, not by her—everything worked in their favor.
Silver lining
For one, the cousins both had ample time to travel, rest, and think. “I was able to be quiet with myself. Being in Metronome was just a constant; once I set foot inside, I had things I needed to deal with on an hourly basis, decisions that needed to be made, things that would go wrong,” said Calo.
“There was constant pressure. So this year was difficult when it started, but I’m now seeing the silver lining of what happened.”
Galang added, “It was hard at first since Metronome was a brand that I helped build, centering around Miko’s concept—from the branding to the messaging to the marketing. We built everything from one simple idea. Eventually, Miko and I came to realize that she is the brand and her food is the product, no matter what direction she wanted to take it. There’s not much I can do now that I couldn’t do before, really. But Miko and I noticed that there were more opportunities that presented themselves after Metronome.”
True enough, a barrage of projects came their way, which got them quite busy. “I am glad I was able to spend time with my partners in Taqueria Franco and got invited to do a collaboration in Hong Kong. I got to go back home to Butuan as well and do a two-night dinner there. I was able to rediscover myself,” Calo said.
The very first project Calo did outside of Metronome was a fundraising dinner for U-Go International, a noble program that helps ambitious and promising young women in low-income countries enroll in public universities and pursue higher education. It was an important cause for her to be a part of. At the same time, she discovered, through the help of industry friends, that she could still function as a chef and accept such worthwhile engagements even if she had no team or kitchen.
This was succeeded by the launch of Tatler Dining Kitchen, a collaboration with Metiz’s Stephan Duhesme in Balmori, and the Off Menu as well, which she got to do alongside Asador Alfonso’s Chele Gonzalez. And then there’s the ongoing pop-up at The Grid in Rockwell, where she and Galang introduce properly cooked steaks with savvy sides and sauces under the brand Medium Well Done.
“It was kind of sunod-sunod, and I got to work with other people. And then there’s this, an amazing opportunity because it is an international brand, and for a Filipino chef to headline a restaurant, it is golden.”
All-female team
Calo refers to her ongoing residency at Makati Shangri-La. Originally, she and Galang were approached for a possible collaboration—just a one-night event. But they thought it would make more sense to organize something longer so that all the effort would be worth it. The hotel agreed and brought her in, along with her formidable all-female team, to cook at Sage Bar.
“These are the things I’ve been wanting to do for the longest time. This has always been the direction I wanted to take when I wanted to open a restaurant. This has been the idea, the reason I studied abroad—to master the techniques and come back and do something for myself, cooking through my own experience,” she said.
There’s a Boudin Noir à la Royale, aka black pudding, which she studs and seasons with etag, a Cordilleran smoked and sun-dried meat; pan-seared Saint Pierre fish fillet with sugar peas and buro foam; red wine-braised beef cheeks with watercress purée and tablea bordelaise sauce; and a whole Brittany pigeon with a kamias glaze. The French influence and refinement are evident, and the use of humble local ingredients is clever and impressive.
To date, she still gets anxious about what’s to come. And we can’t blame her, for she’s admittedly a worrier.
“I can’t help but still overthink sometimes. But I’m finding my own voice again, what I really set out to do,” Calo said. “And I’m now sticking to that and strengthening my resolve.”
Her well-built repertoire at Shangri-La evidently proves this.
Miko Calo at the Makati Shangri-La runs until Dec. 14, dinners only from Monday to Saturday. Call tel. (+632) 8813-8888 or email dining.makati@shangri-la.com.
