The Rebirth: From Fine Dining to Fine Feasting
What happens when the scholarly dedication of a culinary master meets the warm chaos of a Filipino family reunion? You get Lore by Chef Tatung—a panata, a vow to keep the Filipino table alive, generous, and shared.
Lore’s story is one of return. Once celebrated for its refined, multi-course tasting menus that framed Filipino cuisine through a contemporary lens, the restaurant has come home to what it has always been about: kinship. Its rebirth is not a pivot but a renewal—a deeper commitment to the spirit of the salu-salo, the communal feast that defines how Filipinos eat and how they love.
The scent of burnt coconut, the tang of vinegar, and the crackle of pork on the grill announce a table built for kinship. The faint sweetness of coconut drifts from the kitchen, mingling with the smoke of grilled fish and the rhythm of laughter from long tables. The clatter of cutlery softens beneath the warmth of shared stories. This is no longer just a restaurant; it’s a reunion.
“Food is meant to be shared. Our cuisine has always been communal,” says Chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou.
The Author and the Architect
The spirit of Lore is the spirit of Chef Tatung himself. Widely recognized as one of the Philippines’ foremost culinary authorities, his work transcends the kitchen. He is a celebrated author, historian, and cultural advocate known for meticulous research into regional Filipino cooking.
His presence in the dining scene reflects a deep sense of responsibility to heritage. This dedication transformed Lore from a contemplative tasting experience into a vibrant communal table. For Chef Tatung, the restaurant is both archive and altar—the place where everything he’s written, taught, and cooked finally comes together.
The Philosophy: Simpol, Soul, and Story
Lore distills the essence of Chef Tatung’s life work, chronicled across multiple best-selling books, including his newest, Pinas Simpol: The Love and Lore of Filipino Cooking. In it, he explores how every meal is an act of remembrance—an echo of our geography, history, and heart. At Lore, those ideas step off the page and onto the table.
Here, simpol doesn’t mean simple—it means soulful. It’s the quiet genius of Filipino kitchens: how vinegar transforms freshness into memory, how salt and garlic turn thrift into comfort. You taste that ethos in every dish—in the acid that brightens kinilaw, the garlic that anchors adobo sa pula, the patience of coconut milk simmered until it deepens to a smoky gold.
And woven through it all are the unseen hands of those who have always fed us—the lola stirring monggo by feel, the nanay who knows rice is ready by scent, the tito who grills by instinct. Their wisdom hums beneath every plate that leaves the kitchen.
Filipino Feasting Through Generations
Lore’s new menu, Filipino Feasting Through Generations, reads like a love letter to the archipelago. Each course follows the cadence of a Filipino gathering—loud beginnings, quiet pauses, and sweet goodbyes.
It opens with Simula ng Salu-salo—small plates meant to awaken appetite and memory: crisp Okoy shrimp fritters with aged sukang tuba; fiery Chicken Satti skewers from Zamboanga; and Kinilaw na Tuna, glowing with vinegar, pomelo, and native chili.
Then come the broths of Sabaw, Alaala, Sigla—warming, restorative, and deeply personal—from Kansi na Baka brightened by batwan to Tinolang Manok fragrant with ginger and chili leaves.
The stews of Kalan at Paghilom reveal the restaurant’s heart. Adobo sa Pula glows with annatto and garlic; Mindanaoan Rendang whispers of burnt coconut and patience. Each dish is both lesson and lullaby, proof that the Filipino palate remembers even what time forgets.
Finally, Tamis at Gunita brings dessert as memory: Biko at Mangga with house-made langka ice cream; Inutak rich with ube and brûléed salted-egg custard; Chocnut Cake—childhood wrapped in chocolate and caramel.
“We can modernize our food without losing its soul,” says Chef Tatung. “Lore is my panata to that idea—that progress means remembering where we came from.”
A Vow Fulfilled: Recognition in the Michelin Guide
Lore’s evolution from fine dining to fine sharing is a promise kept—and the world has noticed. In October 2025, the Michelin Guide named Lore by Chef Tatung among its Selected Restaurants for 2026, quietly affirming what many Filipinos already knew: sincerity and mastery can coexist on one table.
“We never set out to impress Michelin,” Chef Tatung reflects. “We set out to honor our people. The rest followed.”
Inside Lore, that honor is felt as much as it’s tasted. Servers move with grounded grace, guided by loob—that inward generosity unique to Filipino hospitality. The dining room glows with laughter and the clink of glass, alive with the rhythm of salu-salo.
About Lore by Chef Tatung
Lore is a celebration of Filipino culinary tradition—past, present, and imagined. The name Lore evokes what is passed down: recipes, rituals, ingredients, and the quiet wisdom of kitchens across generations.
Located in Bonifacio Global City, Lore is Chef Tatung Sarthou’s most personal restaurant to date—a space where scholarship meets home cooking, where indigenous roots and colonial layers coexist. Innovation here is never rebellion; it’s reverence. Dishes like Adobo sa Pula and Kinilaw na Tuna may be plated with polish, yet they remain deeply Filipino—recognizable, soulful, and resonant.
“When you talk about Filipino food, you cannot remove it from the context of our culture and history,” says Chef Tatung. “You can be as creative as you want, but once you call it a certain name, you’re bound by that promise to deliver the flavors people expect.”
About Chef Tatung Sarthou
Born in Cebu, Chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou is a self-taught cook, multi-award-winning author, and advocate for Filipino food. Over the past decade, he has built a career bridging culinary storytelling, restaurant entrepreneurship, and cultural preservation.
Before stepping into the kitchen, he worked in journalism and music production. Cooking, learned from his mother and grandmother, became his language of love and legacy.
“Cooking is my artistic medium,” he says. “Like a musician arranges notes, I compose flavors.”
Today, his body of work includes multiple restaurants, six best-selling cookbooks, and the multimedia platform Simpol. His mission remains constant—to help Filipinos take pride in their food. At Lore, that mission finds its truest form: food that remembers, nourishes, and gathers.
Planning Your Visit
Dining Format: Semi-formal and best enjoyed family-style, though à la carte options are available. Portions typically serve two to three guests.
Tasting Menus: Curated experiences may be arranged for private events or special occasions upon request.
Price Range: ₱1,000–₂,000 per person for a complete shared meal.
Location: 3rd Floor, One Bonifacio High Street Mall, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Open Daily!
Sunday to Thursday
11:00 am-10:00 pm
Last Call: 9:30 pm
Friday and Sunday
11:00 am-11:00 pm
Reservations: Recommended, especially on weekends.
Parking: Mall parking available.
📞 Mobile 0977-804-9888 | Landline 8804-4739
A Table That Endures
Today, Lore by Chef Tatung stands among Manila’s most meaningful dining experiences—not because it is grand, but because it is grounded. It embodies the same virtues that fill his books and kitchens alike: rootedness, resilience, respect, and responsiveness—the four legs of the Filipino table.
And at its heart, Lore remains what it has always been: a vow made visible, a table set for kinship. Every meal keeps that promise—to remember who we are, to share, and to keep the Filipino table endlessly alive.