Where Manila meets Dubai in every bite
The latest pop-up at Balmori Suites’ Chef’s Table brings two chefs together—Tasteless Food Group’s Sonny Mariano, whose concoctions you’ve enjoyed at Scout’s Honor and The Matcha Tokyo, and chef Nouel Catis, visionary behind the viral Dubai chocolate, which has become a global obsession.
Just like its name “Khaiba”—a nod to the Filipino word “kakaiba,” which means unusual or different, and the Arabic word for surprise—the pop-up is a tribute to two cultures, an exploration of Filipino flavors with a Dubai touch. The collab is the brainchild of Tasteless Food Group founder and CEO Charles Paw.
For Mariano, who is in charge of the menu’s savory dishes, it’s a chance for people to get to enjoy what he has to offer beyond his sweet creations. “People usually see me as a dessert person, but I actually started with savory food.”
Meanwhile, for Catis, it’s a homecoming of sorts, with this being his second collaboration in the country after his successful partnership with AF Hospitality earlier this year.
“This marks a meaningful comeback for me,” said Catis, who calls being able to cook in the Philippines again “a privilege.”
The two chefs, who first met in Dubai earlier this year, quickly realized that they have things in common. “We both love certain food, like anything that’s coconut-based,” said Catis.
The “Khaiba” menu features “Filipino comfort food with a Dubai twist. Just a little touch,” said Mariano.
“A date here, a fig there,” said Catis, who added, “Hats off to him because he created a huge selection.”
Appetizers and mains
“If you look at the menu, it’s like home-cooking but elevated, with premium ingredients,” said Mariano, who is from Nueva Ecija. “A lot of the dishes are inspired by my own favorites.”
Mariano, who recently studied vegan cooking, created Ensalada—eggplant carpaccio, chickpea, papaya prepared to mimic smoked salmon, burong mangga, and chimichurri.
“Beef sinigang is one of my favorites,” he added. For “Khaiba,” he presents beef sinigang in kebab form, using USDA beef belly, prune and tamarind glaze, and mashed gabi.
His Tuna Kinilaw uses GenSan tuna in coconut-sumac vinaigrette and is topped with atchara sorbet.
Laing is another dish that Mariano loves. “Sobrang tagal lutuin but it’s always worth it.” For “Khaiba’s” Laing Baba Ganoush, he added tahini and served it with papadum.
Alimasag at Kalabasa is a take on ginataang kalabasa, one of his favorite vegetable dishes. “It’s usually enjoyed with shrimp or alimasag.” He filled perfect little lumpia wrapper cylinders with shrimp and squash purée and topped it with crab salad and kaffir oil.
Rounding up his appetizers are Bibingka—sourdough bibingka served with clotted cream, adobo liver pate, and date honey—and Jamon at Pandesal—fried pandesal, daqoos (Arabic tomato sauce), jamon, and garlic labneh.
Mariano created five mains—Lamb Shank Kaldereta (tagine-style northern kaldereta with almonds, apricots, and figs), Barramundi Sarciado with Arabic spices and harissa egg, Short Ribs Bistek (48 hours Wagyu short ribs, cauli purée, coffee cardamom), Chicken Inasal (marinated in sinamak and served with Zaatar chicken skin and ensalada), and Miso Prawns (white miso prawns with Mafti shrimp sauce).
Desserts
For the desserts, Catis looked back on his early days in the country as a young boy. “I haven’t been able to curate a menu for the Philippines for a long, long time, so I want to do something based on childhood memories, something that makes me happy.”
Catis, who loves halo-halo and ube, created his own version—a soft-center ube cheesecake topped with phyllo crisps and heirloom pinipig and drenched in evaporada pandan sauce.
Then there’s his Dubai Chocolate Profiteroles (chocolate choux, pistachio diplomat, pistachio-kunafa crunch, Milo chocolate sauce). “The profiteroles showcase how Dubai usually enjoys dessert—may sauce pouring, may kunafa. The Milo is a nod to my childhood because I grew up enjoying Milo.”
Honey, Mangga Please (medovic cake, coconut cream, Graham crumble, mangoes, caramelized cashews) is a combination of his three favorite things—honey cake, sans rival and mango float.
Habibi, I’ve Come From Dubai, which is served with pistachio soft serve and pistachio sauce, uses his mother’s chocolate cake recipe. Said Catis, “I’ve never forgotten it. I learned it from her when I started baking. I use the same recipe in Dubai and everybody loves it. Here, I gave it a Dubai spin with pistachio kunafa. A lot of people are trying to make their own Dubai chocolate as a cake or a brownie. I want to show people how to do it.”
There’s also the Habibi Cake which can only be purchased as a whole cake—“layers of rich tsokolate cake, Davao chocolate frosting, pistachio diplomat cream, and pistachio-kunafa crunch served with Nutella sauce.”
Mariano also created one dessert for the menu: Ginataang Bilo-Bilo—bilo-bilo stuffed with date paste, sweet potato, ube, langka creme anglaise, and coconut ice cream. Bilo-bilo was his comfort food as a kid.
At the launch, which was packed and buzzing with energy, food lovers dug into the different dishes, and connected with the chefs and one another.
“I’m so glad everyone’s smiling tonight,” said Catis, who has more in store for fans of his creations in the near future.
“I’ll be here for World Chocolate Fair—there will be a surprise. We’ll be doing another collab with Tasteless Group in August. I’ll be launching an ice cream line. Ang dami pang mangyayari.”
He’ll continue dividing his time between Dubai and the Philippines, but also, “I’m also spreading my creativity in Oman, Italy, Australia, Thailand, just a Filipino being out there, uplifting those who want to be chefs as well, showing that we can be world-class.”
“Khaiba” runs until July 13. It’s open every day for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. at The Balmori Suites Chef’s Table, Rockwell Center, Makati City. Contact tel. 0995-6393972.
