Regina Troy Barrios

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Khaiba at Balmori

What happens when a homegrown culinary star meets the chef behind Dubai’s viral knafeh dessert? <a href="https://www.instagram.com/khaiba.mnl/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Khaiba</a>, the boundary-pushing pop-up at The Balmori Suites, is the answer. Running until July 13, Chefs <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sonnymariano/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sonny Mariano</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chefnouel/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nouel Catis</a> are serving up Filipino soul food with a bold Dubai twist.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17500591749741.png" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Chefs Nouel Catis and Sonny Mariano team up for Khaiba | Photo: Khaiba MNL</div>The name is a clever portmanteau of kakaiba (Tagalog for unusual) and khaiba (Arabic for surprise)—a duality reflected in a menu that’s both nostalgic and audacious.This isn’t just dinner—it’s a bold, delicious dive into what we crave, where we come from, and how far Filipino flavors can go. And for those wondering if Catis can strike gold again, this just might be his encore.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750059324237NouelCatis_02.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>All eyes are on Chef Nouel Catis—can he top his viral Dubai dessert? | Photo: Khaiba MNL</div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750102225759SonnyMariano_03.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Chef Sonny Mariano is known for his innovative take on Filipino flavors | Photo: Khaiba MNL</div>What elevates this collaboration is the effortless harmony between the chefs’ strengths. Chef Sonny brings a grounded confidence to the savory dishes, drawing from Filipino classics and gently layering in Mediterranean influences. Chef Nouel, meanwhile, draws on memory and emotion to craft desserts rooted in his childhood, and which he elevates with a touch of spectacle. Both chefs are natural storytellers whose dishes answer the question: What do we crave when we think of home? While officially à la carte, the menu unfolds like a carefully crafted tasting experience with 12 savory dishes and five desserts that tell a cohesive story of migration, memory, and reinvention. Sharing dishes potluck-style is the best way to experience it all.The menu also features two plant-based dishes—an intentional move. “Not because I want to show off [my] vegan cooking skills,” Chef Sonny says with a laugh, “but because they’re naturally plant-based Filipino dishes. And I know some guests have been looking for vegetarian options in our previous pop-ups.” Chef Sonny, known for his work with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/scoutshonorph/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scout’s Honor</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/the.matcha.tokyo.ph/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Matcha Tokyo</a>, leads the savory lineup with dishes that echo Filipino favorites while flirting with the unexpected. “Expect familiar flavors with subtle, thoughtful twists,” he says. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750100069103Ensalada.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>The Ensalada makes a strong case for salad as a showpiece | Photo: Khaiba MNL</div>Highlights include the Ensalada, a vibrant mix of eggplant carpaccio, chickpea, papaya “tinapa,” and burong mangga; the Sourdough Bibingka, a savory-sweet mash-up with clotted cream, adobo liver pâté, and date honey; and the Short Ribs Bistek, a sous-vide Wagyu dish elevated by a coffee-cardamom coulis as a nod to Dubai. My personal favorite? The Beef Sinigang which features tamarind and prune-glazed USDA beef skewers resting on mashed gabi. Without soup, this is sinigang served as a bold and beautiful curveball.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750100844316Bibingka.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Sourdough Bibingka with with clotted cream, adobo paté and date honey | Photo: Khaiba MNL </div><div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750100865038Beef Sinigang.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>This Beef Sinigang dares to be audacious | Photo: Khaiba MNL</div>Other savory standouts include the Lamb Kaldereta slow-cooked in a tagine with almonds, apricots, and figs; Barramundi Sarciado with harissa egg; and Chicken Inasal with sinamak marinade and za’atar chicken skin (though the za’atar was a bit too subtle to catch).<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750100987958Short Ribs Bistek.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>  Bistek reimagined as sous vide short ribs with coffee-cardamom | Photo: Khaiba MNL</div><div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750101237799Chicken Inasal.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Chicken Inasal with sinamak and just a whisper of za’atar | Photo: Khaiba MNL</div>Catis’s desserts bring the fireworks. The Dubai Chocolate Profiteroles with chocolate choux, topped with pistachio-kunafa crunch, and finished with Milo sauce is playful, rich, and unapologetic. The Habibi Cake, a layered tsokolate and pistachio diplomat cream confection, feels like a homecoming in dessert form. This sense of return is no accident for Chef Nouel, who has come home to Manila after 16 years abroad. “In decades, this marks a meaningful comeback for me,” he says. “I’ll be digging deep into my childhood memories—bringing to life the comfort desserts I grew up with, but this time with a Dubai twist.”“It’s like coming full circle—this country shaped so much of who I am, and now I get to give back by sharing everything I’ve learned abroad,” he adds. Which is why the desserts feel both familiar and new, rooted in memory, but shaped by everywhere he’s been since.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750101434496Habibi Cake.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>This Habibi Cake steals the spotlight | Photo: Khaiba MNL</div>The Halo-Halo is a surprise—not the frozen dessert but an ube cheesecake with heirloom pinipig, phyllo crisps, and pandan evaporated milk sauce. Meanwhile, the Honey, Mangga Please is a nostalgic riff on mango refrigerator cake, reimagined as a medovik cake (honey cake) with coconut cream, graham crumble, mango, and caramelized cashews. Fair warning: the desserts lean sweeter than what locals might expect, in line with Dubai palates.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750101780258Habibi, I&#x27;ve Come from Dubai.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>&quot;Habibi, I’ve Come From Dubai&quot; is classic Nouel Catis—a moist cake with pistachio filling, Davao chocolate frosting, pistachio soft serve, and sauce | Photo: Khaiba MNL</div>The menu is definitely high-end, with prices that might raise eyebrows—P1950 for short ribs, P2200 for a cake—but you’re paying for more than just food. You&#x27;re investing in a rare, thoughtfully crafted experience where storytelling, technique, and detail come together in every dish.In a city full of trend-driven pop-ups, Khaiba delivers real substance. And for anyone wondering if Nouel Catis could follow up his viral hit—consider this proof he’s just getting started.<div>Catch Khaiba at The Balmori Suites Chef&#x27;s Table, running until July 13, with lunch from 11 AM to 2 PM and dinner from 6 PM to 10 PM. For reservations, call (0995) 639 3972. Follow on Instagram<a href="https://www.instagram.com/khaiba.mnl/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">: @khaiba.mnl</a></div>

At Khaiba, a limited-run pop-up at The Balmori Suites, chefs Sonny Mariano and Nouel Catis—best known for his viral Dubai chocolate dessert—team up to reimagine Filipino comfort food through the bold, unexpected lens of Dubai-inspired flavors.

At Khaiba, a limited-run pop-up at The Balmori Suites, chefs Sonny Mariano and Nouel Catis—best known for his viral Dubai chocolate dessert—team up to reimagine Filipino comfort food through the bold, unexpected lens of Dubai-inspired flavors.

Nouel Catis Teams Up For A Balmori Collab—But Can He Top His Viral Knafeh?

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Nouel Catis Teams Up For A Balmori Collab—But Can He Top His Viral Knafeh?

Troy Barrios

Published Jun 16, 2025 03:45 AM PHT

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Updated Jun 18, 2025 03:42 PM PHT

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khaiba pop up

balmori suites dining

nouel catis

sonny mariano

viral dubai dessert chef

chocolate knafeh philippines

where to eat in manila

pop ups makati

modern filipino cuisine

filipino comfort food reinvented

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