Gastronomic treats at The Pig & Palm
It is so nice to see that the restaurant scene is blossoming not justin Manila but also in different parts of the country— like in the Queen City of the South.
Just recently, Michelin-star British chef Jason Atherton and his wife Irha opened their first restaurant in the Philippines, The Pig & Palm. Located at the MSY Tower in Cebu Business Park, Cebu City, the 57- cover restaurant offers a moder n Spanish tapas menu with a focus on pork dishes.
The Pig & Palm is the 16th restaurant worldwide for the Athertons’ critically acclaimed restaurant group The Social Company, which holds three Michelin stars and spans London, New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai and Sydney. The restaurant was created in collaboration with the Athertons’ business partners, Cebu-based property developers Chris and Carla McKowen and architect
Lyndon Neri, to bring a taste of Spanish gastronomy to Cebu in an informal, contemporary environment.
Jason Atherton started out working with chefs Pierre Koffmann, Marco Pierre White, Nico Ladenis and Ferran Adria at El Bulli in Spain before joining the Gordon Ramsay Group in 2001. After launching Maze restaurant in London and overseeing the opening of five more Maze restaurants globally, Jason left Gordon Ramsay Holdings to launch his own restaurant group, The Social Company. His re st au r ant Pol len St re et Social, which opened in April 2011 in London, was awarded a Michelin star just within six months of opening. It has been awarded 4 AA Rosettes by the AA Guide, named The
Good Food Guide’s “Best New Restaurant,” and hailed the fourth best restaurant in the UK. Jason was awarded “Chef of the Year” by The Caterer and Hotelkeeper (now The Caterer) magazine.
I have loved Jason’s food ever since I tried Pollen Street Social in London. I also loved his food in Commune Social in Shanghai. I finally met Jason at the house of Mariquita Yeung in Cebu where she prepared for us a sumptuous buffet lunch, including the famous Cebu
lechon. I was thrilled and made sure that Jason would sign one of his cookbooks for me before I left Cebu. The amiable chef agreed and gamely posed for photos with us. After lunch, we headed to the nearby Marco Polo Plaza Cebu were most of us from Manila were billeted.
Jason is married to Cebuana Irha who works alongside him as co- director at The Social Company. Irha also runs the head office in Soho, London.
Jason said, “It has always been Irha’s dream to bring some of the success of our restaurant group back to her hometown of Cebu. Because she is my wife and co- director of the company, it gives me no greater joy than to open a Social destination here as my love letter to her.”
Chr is and Carla McKowen added, “Cebu is one of the best islands to live in the Philippines and a foodie destination in its own right. We’re having fun taking inspiration from our surroundings and creating a space whe r e you can enjoy all the treats Cebu has to offer, redefined by the creative taste buds of chef Jason Atherton and the design eye of Lyndon Neri.”
Together, Jason Atherton and Manila- born head chef
Tim dela Cruz have developed a menu of modern tapas- style sharing dishes, interpreted using the best of Filipino produce. As suggested by the restaurant’s name, dishes celebrate Cebu’s reputation as a destination for pork, with a focus on pigbased plates sourced from local farms in Cebu. Dishes on the menu include Jamon
and Manchego toastie with quail eggs, Lechon de leche with spiced pork-fat roasted carrots and herb dressing and pulled pork burgers with spiced tomato chutney and avocado. My personal favorites are the squid ink crackers with potato aioli, the pulled pork burgers and that absolutely delightful seafood rice! Group bar executive Jamie
Jones has created a drinks menu for The Pig & Palm’s bar that blends traditional Filipino fruits and flavors with British cocktail styles. The McBandaq combines locally produced rum and root beer with carnation cream and fresh banana blended and served in a milkshake cup.
The Pig & Palm is an exciting addition to the food scene in the Philippines and it won’t be long before I visit Cebu again just to eat in this restaurant.