For Father’s Day, these chefs have the perfect dish for Dad

Father’s Day revolves around a simple gesture — gathering the family for a good meal. Dad is sure to appreciate a good home-cooked meal on the table, or maybe a few of his favorites that is served occasionally. If dining out is a must, fear not. There is actually a venue where dad could have a taste of 15 global cuisines without breaking the bank.

From the mind of Singaporean connoisseur Andre Tan Hock Lai comes World Kitchens, Araneta Center’s newest dining destination that offers state-of-the-art, 5-star experience at affordable prices. What’s more, dishes ordered from any of these complementary kitchens are served in just one table.

READ: How to celebrate Father’s Day, and keep dad inspired all year round

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Some of the chefs from these kitchens recently sat down with members of the media to discuss the menu that they might serve to the man of the house, as well as discuss the concept behind their restaurants.

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Chef Peng Liang (18 Jade)

Chef Peng comes from a family of chefs in Hong Kong. His dishes combines traditional Chinese cooking with various Asian techniques, particularly in roasting meats such as their dry-aged Peking Duck.

“Regardless of who the client here is, what he really wants is that for each and every dish that he brings out, they will really appreciate it, that they enjoy it,” he said through an interpreter.

His specialty? Seafood, cooked the Chinese way, of course, with a somewhat spicy soup. It could be prawns, with sea cucumbers, abalone, and some meaty fish.

Chef Gale Tan Sun (Asador de Manila)

Cebu chef Gale went for the kill with his best-selling cochinillo and crunchy porchetta. These two offerings, both crunchy and tender at the same time, stand as Manila’s best-kept secret for exquisite Spanish-inspired dishes, which we sometimes only get to enjoy on special occasions.

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“Cochinillo is not readily available at home. Here, you can have it anytime. We offer it every day,” he said. “It’s very distinctly Filipino with a strong Spanish influence.”

Chef Gale’s cochinillo and porchetta is infused with a balanced blend of spices that bridges the aromatic flavors of Spanish cuisine and the Filipinos’ preference for bolder, spicier palate.

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Despite this, he said their prices are competitive enough to attract not just their high-end clientele, but also the working class who wanted value for money.

“We’ve positioned our pricing to be very, very affordable. We’re working with local hograisers to maintain prices. Asador is more into celebrations, bringing families and friends together so presyo talaga natin kaya ng lahat,” he said.

Chef Kevin Villarica (Kevin’s Diner)

A steak on Father’s Day is always a good idea. It’s a go-to dish for every special occasion, and Kevin’s Diner understands the assignment completely with its serving of Picanha steak — a melt-in-your-mouth experience that turns this otherwise indulgent dish into a well-earned moment.

Known for his diverse culinary techniques, Chef Kevin thought of bringing an American diner in Manila but wanted the food to be for sharing to bring families and friends together.

“We have steaks for the parents, and the Triple cheeseburgers for the kids… Diners are supposed to be American cuisine, but meron kaming Filipino twist,” he said.

For the burgers, he said they use the end cuts and trimmings of their Picanha steak for their meat to further enhance its flavor.

Chef Rajan Veeranan (Prana)

Chef Rajan shows mastery of the Indian cuisine at Prana, which offers signature dishes from his hometown to Manila. He recognizes that it is hard to find real Indian food locally, and he strives to bridge that gap. While Indian cuisine is known mostly for its curry, kebabs and biryani, at his kitchen, he tries to make sure that each dish has a distinctive taste, but adjusted a little bit to suit the Filipino palate.

“Indian curry is mostly spicy, but we’re adjusting the spiciness… Since we’re serving the Filipinos, everything’s the same, but it’s just that the spices are reduced. Some Filipinos don’t like the spiciness, but once they have tasted everything here, they enjoy it,” he said.

For Father’s Day, Chef Rajan recommends his Chicken Malai Tikka, a boneless chicken dish marinated in a rich blend of yoghurt, cream, cheese, and spices.

Chef Oliver Buenviaje (Seafood 8)

While Chef Oli is based in Australia, where he started culinary, he has travelled the world to hone his craft alongside some of the best culinary figures today.

At World Kitchens, he is bringing in Seafood 8 this August. The idea behind this was the dampa-style of dining, where customers pick out the kind of seafood they would want to eat from the selection, and have the staff cook it according to their specifications.

But equally impressive as his portfolio was his vision for a sustainable seafood resource which he understandably would want to protect. He said that their sources have been briefed about ensuring sustainability and the best quality to be served on the table.

His kitchen strategy is to divide the kitchen into two sections so as not to dilute the brand: the one for high-end clientele carries his name, while the one for casual dining is by Olio’s, of which he is also director and head chef.

“Dampa is only a destination for Friday night, or Saturday, or Sunday. People don’t go there everyday. So i said, why don’t you bring dampa to where the people are, instead of the people going to dampa? Why don’t you curate what you will showcase, andyan na lahat? We have an aquarium of shellfishes or crustaceans. We have fresh seasonal or even unique seafood dishes, seafood that’s already been cleaned and you want to have,” he said, adding that they have a wide array of wine selection to pair with their seafood dishes.

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“We have three major ways of cooking it. Coming in after, you experience which seafood sauces you want to apply to it. So we’re elevating the regular dampa when we already know French, we know great execution. So there’s theatrics there,” he further said.