9 Private Dining Destinations That Will Revive Your Patriotic Palate
Intimate and delicious, these chefs and their private kitchens are championing Pinoy cuisine of all kinds and flavors.
If you miss traveling and exploring new destinations with your tastebuds, you are definitely not alone. With quarantine restrictions still a blur to most of us, we’re building our hopes on the slow but steady vaccine rollout around the country, which could hopefully mean the possibility of worry-free travel very soon.
So if you’re already fully vaccinated and raring to travel and dine outside your home, here are some of the finest and most exclusive private kitchens that will give you and your palate a new Pinoy culinary experience.
Private Kitchens
Private Kitchens
Feliza Café y Taverna, Taal
Roughly three hours from Manila lies the heritage town of Taal, which boasts of well preserved ancestral homes and numerous historic landmarks. It is also home to two noteworthy private dining destinations where guests can enjoy a gloriously Filipino meal in the heart of a traditional Pinoy home. If you’re familiar with Adarna Food & Culture in Quezon City, the ladies behind it — Chef Giney Villar and Beth Angsioco — also opened a B&B and cafe in a home that dates back to the 1800s. Feliza Taverna y Café is named after the owner of the home, Felisa Diokno, who was the private secretary of President Emilio Aquinaldo.
Photo Credit: Feliza Café y Taverna
Feliza Café y Taverna, Taal
The café occupies the first floor, while the second floor has guest rooms for rent as well as a living room, dining room, and a beautiful azotea — all of which are still adorned with some original pieces from the owner herself.
Photo Credit: Feliza Café y Taverna
Feliza Café y Taverna, Taal
Chef Giney created a menu of heirloom recipes and traditional Southern Tagalog dishes, like Sinaing na Tulingan (salted local skipjack tuna wrapped in banana leaves and boiled for hours with kamias or sampalok and aromatics), Humba (shown in photo: pork stewed in rich soy sauce with fried saba, peanuts, black beans, banana blossoms and spring onion), Adobo sa Dilaw (Taal’s version of adobo but with turmeric), Tapang Taal (cured pork that’s usually fried and served for breakfast), Chicken Relleno Circa 1940s (roasted chicken stuffed with chorizo, ham, quezo de bola and served with salsa monja, green beans, and potatoes or rice), and Zarzuela (a seafood dish consisting of fish, squid, and mussels in tomato sauce and served with breaded eggplant). For dessert or merienda, you can’t go wrong with Taal Suman (sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves). At Feliza Café y Taverna, they serve the town’s local suman two ways (fried and steamed) with three different dips (Batangas tsokolate/tablea, coconut cream, and mangoes). Address: 6 F. Agoncillo Street, Barangay Poblacion, Taal, Batangas. Call (043) 740-0113, (0936) 996-5643, or email felizacafeytaverna@gmail.com. Check out @felizacafe on Instagram or Facebook.
Photo Credit: Feliza Café y Taverna
Goco Ancestral House, Taal
The second private dining destination in Taal is the Goco Ancestral House, one of the most visited ancestral homes in town. This National Heritage House is over 140 years old and stood witness to the growing family of Juan Cabrera Goco, the treasurer of the Katipunan, and Lorenza Deomampo. Today, the house is owned and run by Pio Goco, who’s the grandson of Juan Goco, the son of former Philippine Ambassador Raul Goco, and the brother of one of the best chefs in the country, Robby Goco.
Photo Credit: Goco Ancestral House
Goco Ancestral House, Taal
Pio is one of the most active tour guides in Taal, tirelessly sharing story after story of his hometown. His famous walking tour of the city includes an heirloom lunch and halo-halo merienda in his historic home, but a special lunch or dinner can also be arranged by appointment.
Photo Credit: Goco Ancestral House
Goco Ancestral House, Taal
Goco family recipes feature a rich tapestry of Taaleño and Southern Tagalog cuisine — from the welcome drink of calamansi juice laced with turmeric paired with panutsa (Taal’s answer to peanut brittle), Adobo Sa Dilaw, “Tao Po” Salad (with tomatoes, avocados, and onions), Sinaing na Tulingan, and of course Taal Suman with Tsokolate (shown in photo: only made from Batangas Tablea) or Barako coffee. Address: Calle H. Del Castillo corner Marella Street, Taal, Batangas. Call (0917) 373-7346 and follow @fili.pio on Instagram.
Photo Credit: Goco Ancestral House
Casa San Pablo, Laguna
Owned by husband and wife duo Boots and An Alcantara, Casa San Pablo has been one of Laguna’s most famous destinations for relaxation and enjoyment away from the metro. Aside from their charming B&B, Casa San Pablo is also home to a café that features native dishes from Laguna and nearby Quezon Province. According to the owners, they only “serve dishes the way our Inay (lola) used to cook for [them]”, using the fresh ingredients bought the same day it’s meant to be served.
Photo Credit: Casa San Pablo
Casa San Pablo, Laguna
Guests can experience traditional Laguna dishes like Kulawo (a pork and vegetable stew made with smoked coconut milk, eggplants, banana flowers, and aromatics), which they also serve as a dip with sweet biscocho from Tiaong, Quezon; Pork a la Humba, Bistek Talong (eggplant stewed in soy sauce and onions), San Pablo Longganisa, Hawot (dried local fish), and a special dessert Quesong Puti Sundae (with local cheese made from carabao’s milk). You can check out their complete menu in the link below. Address: Colago Avenue, Barrio San Roque, San Pablo City, Laguna. Call (0920) 921-6178, (0917) 772-8981, or check out @casasanpablo on Facebook or @casasanpabloph on Instagram.
Photo Credit: Casa San Pablo
Bahay Cena Una, Bicol
In Albay, entrepreneur Angel Villanueva has turned an ancestral home into one of Bicol Region’s tastiest spots serving traditional Bicolano cuisine that goes way beyond hot and spicy.
Photo Credit: Frenz Von Subaldo
Bahay Cena Una, Bicol
Diners can try unique dishes like Bicol Express with Lechon Kawali (in photo), Chicken Tinutungan (chicken stewed in smoked coconut milk), Inalog (roasted local krill), various (and some unusual) seasonal vegetables and fruits that are “ginulay” or cooked in coconut milk like Pili (gulay na pili), Ogob (breadfruit or marang), Santol (sour cotton fruit), Lubi Lubi (local figs), Parupagulong (winged bean or sigarilyas), and Pako (fiddlehead fern). The restaurant is big on local produce, as it donates a part of its profits with local farmers and local programs of the Dios Mabalos Foundation. Address: F. Lotivio Street, Bagumbayan, Daraga, Albay. Call (0917) 898-206 or check out @cenauna on Instagram.
Photo Credit: @Banini
Casa A. Gamboa, Bacolod
What is now known as Casa A. Gamboa was built in 1939 by Aguinaldo Severino Gamboa and his wife, Dr. Alicia Lucero Gamboa. It bore witness to Bacolod’s sweetest memories and darkest times and it has endured to become an icon along Rizal Street, one of the province’s main thoroughfares.
Photo Credit: Casa A. Gamboa
Casa A. Gamboa, Bacolod
It is where the couple raised their children, including celebrated culinary historian and food writer, the late Doreen Gamboa-Fernandez. With such a rich history full of gastronomic connections to a multi-awarded food journalist, Casa A. Gamboa has evolved from being a home to being a B&B, a café, and a private dining destination.
Photo Credit: Casa A. Gamboa
Casa A. Gamboa, Bacolod
The Casa serves traditional Negrense cuisine as well as any type of food, depending on the guests’ preference. But when you’re at the home of one of the country’s most influential food writers, a taste of Negros’ best is always the best choice, like the Gamboa family’s heirloom Chicken Pork Adobo. And of course, desserts in Bacolod somehow taste different, perhaps it’s the Sugarlandia air. Today, the home is owned and managed by Reena Gamboa, Doreen’s niece who was named after her. According to Reena, the Casa accepts private bookings from six to 20 people for indoor dining and up to 50 guests for outdoor dining in the newly refreshed and spacious garden. Address: 5 Rizal Street, Barangay 5, Silay City, Bacolod, Negros Occidental. Email silayinc@gmail.com, or call (0922) 854-1369. Check out @casaa.gamboa on Instagram or Facebook.
Photo Credit: Casa A. Gamboa
Camiña Balay nga Bato in Iloilo
In Iloilo City, inside a beautifully preserved stone house from the 1860s is a museum-slash-restaurant. At the ground floor is the museum with a weaving loom, a store, a workshop making and selling authentic batirol (steel pitchers for making authentic chocolate drinks) and batidor (wooden mixer), and a myriad of other local and religious items. The Avanceña-Camiña Balay Nga Bato was declared as an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum in 2015. The second level houses the restaurant, which serves the best Molo Soup (chicken wonton soup) and Tsokolate Eh (thick hot chocolate made from authentic Tablea) in the city.
Photo Credit: Camiña Balay nga Bato
Camiña Balay nga Bato in Iloilo
Don’t feel bad if you think the Mamon Tostado (toasted bread) and Biscocho (twice-baked biscuit) are for the Tsokolate-Eh. You’re not the first one to think this. But it’s actually the perfect accompaniment for the Molo Soup. Balay Nga Bato proves that the sweet and salty combo is a timeless classic. They also serve Pansit na Puti, Embotido, Empanada, and Fresh Lumpia. Take note that the buffet is only available through advance booking (at least three days ahead) with a minimum of ten people per group. The buffet restaurant serving traditional Ilonggo cuisine is now managed by the sixth generation of their original owners. They also offer guided tours of the home and the city. Address: 20 Osmena St., Arevalo, Iloilo City. Call (033) 336-3858 or (0917) 305-5355. Check out @BalayNgaBatoIloilo on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Camiña Balay nga Bato
Hapag Manila
Known for their bold and progressive take on Filipino cuisine, chefs and long-time friends Thirdy Dolatre, John Kevin Navda (“Nav”), and Kevin Villarica became household names for foodies when they opened Hapag MNL in 2019. Just two years later, they became one of the four restaurants in the Philippines to make it to The Essence Of Asia 2021 List by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Photo Credit: Hapag Manila
Hapag Manila
The three championed “nature’s bounty, given to the Filipinos, [and] shared to the world’s Hapag”, the local term for a dining table. Since then, they’ve wowed diners with their own take on classics like Kare-Kare ni Lola V (8-hour braised oxtail flakes sautéed in their homemade bagoong with local vegetables and nutty kare-kare sauce then served with multigrain bagoong rice), Tinupig na Litson Manok (Chef Thirdy’s homage to his home province Tarlac; coconut-braised and grilled chicken barbecue with atsara or local pickled vegetables and bringhe or savory sticky rice), Chicken Inasal Crackers, Kambing Luzviminda (goat cooked three ways to reflect the flavors of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao). Hapag MNL offers a private dining option in the comfort of your own home. Guests can sign up here in advance or send them a private message on social media. Address: 201 Katipunan Avenue, Project 4, Quezon City. Call (0947) 560-1853. Follow @hapag.mnl on Facebook or Instagram.
Photo Credit: Hapag Manila
Metiz
Filipino-French chef Stephan Duhesme has been around the world in his quest to hone his culinary skills. He has worked at Purple Yam in New York and Gallery By Chele in Taguig and even trained with the best in Japan and Colombia. The culmination of his quest? His very own restaurant Metiz in Makati City. The name came from the French word “métis”, which means “mixed blood” and is closely associated with the Spanish word we are more familiar with: “mestizo”.
Photo Credit: Metiz
Metiz
Being mestizo himself, Chef Stephan used the Pinoy context of mestizo as the theme of his restaurant. Focusing on Filipino food, he mixed it with his inspiration from his French background and his influences from his Japanese training.
Photo Credit: Metiz
Metiz
The menu at Metiz is unapologetic and experimental, often resulting in a pleasantly surprising and unforgettable dining experience. For example, he turned our classic Lechon Kawali into a sandwich (house-cured lechon kawali, mango-carrot atchara, pepper leaf, Tanduay-marinated chicken liver mousse, house-made mustard and mayo, and cilantro in between butter-fried sourdough milk bread slathered with fermented chili sauce) and a side of crispy cassava fries. If that doesn’t make you drool, he also made "Bulalo" Noodle Soup (char-grilled wagyu short rib and bone marrow with a fermented spicy-smoky peanut and salted egg condiment, handmade egg noodles, fresh corn, and cabbage. Address: Building A, Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City . Call (0917) 898-5751, email metizresto@gmail.com , or check out @metizresto on Facebook or Instagram.
Photo Credit: Metiz
Lead photos: Ching Dee, Casa A. Gamboa, Goco Ancestral House
Top Stories
Metro Beauty Picks Of The Week
BEAUTYMar 14, 2023