Montañez opens with Infladita (Inflated), a masa tortilla balloon stuffed with parrilla-smoked mushrooms and topped with crunchy “soil” made from the trimmings. We had the full-course, of course, starting with cocktails, and proceeded to embark upon a culinary journey through Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela by way of the Philippines.ĭinuguang Sinuglaw: A dinuguan cup filled with grilled pork and fish, topped with salmon roe and shoestring potatoes “I learned a lot about Latin American culture.”Īlegria is all about the Filipino-South/Latin American-fusion tasting menu, where you can choose five, seven, or the full course of 16 dishes. “I worked under a Puerto Rican chef who was half-Jamaican,” recalls the chef.
Last year, he and his partners, sous chef Gilbert Borja, pastry chef Chico Orcine and head bartender Cholo Valencia opened Alegria Singapore, which Montañez manages remotely. Trained at the International School for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management (ISCAHM) and the Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy in the Philippines, with stints at Ibiza in BGC, Movenpick Hotel in Cebu and various restaurants in Singapore, Montañez opened the first iteration of Alegria Manila in BGC in 2017, opening several more restaurants after that.
“It incorporates the European discipline and has the explosive flavors and umami of Asian dishes.” “I’ve always liked Latin food,” Montañez says. With several bars, cafés and cantinas on the Manila map already, Montañez swings for the fences here with a signature restaurant (designed in his own dream-theme, neo-noir purple by Amanda Brodett of Huephoria Interiors), and five-, seven- and 16-course tasting menus that really are like no other on the local food scene.įirst, it’s a cross-cultural journey, borrowing many of its wood-fired techniques from South America (in particular, the Argentinian parrilla, or open-fire grill with grates) second, these methods are applied to local flavors and dishes in innovative ways.ĭessert trio: (from left) Banana QT, Sundot Kulangot and Champorado Brigadeiro But don’t be puzzled by what seem like twigs or soil on your plate chef Charles Montañez, who is also one of the owners of this Latin American-Filipino fusion restaurant put up by Grupo Alegria, knows exactly where he’s going with his tasting menus.
You may think you’ve stumbled into a South American ultra-haute cuisine lab, or some outlying Latin American episode of Chef’s Table, when you visit Alegria Manila at Uptown Parade, BGC.
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