The ‘simpol’ chef reveals his more complex side in this second degustacion venture
The greater public knows Myke Tatung Sarthou as the no-nonsense chef who has a knack for keeping things ‘simpol’ in the kitchen. Through his videos on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, the cookbook author empowered homemakers and newbie cooks across the world.
But those familiar with the Cebuano chef’s lifelong affinity with food, the restaurants he’s opened, and the awards his cookbook has reaped know he also has an extensive knowledge on food history and complex cooking techniques.
It is this side he showcases in his excellent degustation at Tatung’s Private Dinners at his Spanish-inspired home in Antipolo. Dining there is discovering little-known Filipino ingredients and dishes, encountering new flavors, and at the same time having a really delicious, sophisticated, and satisfying meal.
Wanting to cater to more diners—especially the younger crowd, expats, and families—Chef Tatung recently opened another degustation restaurant but this time at the more accessible One Bonifacio High Street Mall in Taguig. He calls it Lore, meaning knowledge gained through study or experience. The restaurant is an embodiment of the chef’s years of research and practice. It’s also his first collaboration with serial restaurateur George Pua (Rico’s Lechon, Ogawa Traditional Japanese Restaurant, Thai BBQ, Modern China and more) and Vikings’ managing director Jackson Go.
Lore is a celebration of how far Filipino culinary history has evolved over the centuries, says the affable Mr Sarthou. It is also a statement—one that says Filipino cuisine is not only about pre-colonial or indigenous cooking but also a celebration of influences: from the West, China, Japan, Latin America to the nation’s collective palate.
“We cannot discard all of those influences. You can’t say ito lang ang Filipino cuisine—sinigang,” he says. The chef often gets invited to showcase Filipino cuisine in different parts of the world, and whenever he’s abroad, he often doesn’t have access to a lot of Filipino ingredients. “So how do you tell the story of Filipino cuisine without being dependent on our local ingredients? That’s what Lore is all about.”