The Cold-Smoked Duck Breast was divine. The duck breast was cold-smoked with apple wood, giving it a delicate flavor. The pickled red cabbage on the side complemented it very well, along with the foie gras parfait.
This dish will be available on Pig & Palm’s regular menu soon!
MSY Tower, Pescadores Street, Cebu Business Park
For inquiries and reservations, call +63 917 657 6866
Open 11:00 AM to 12:00 AM from Tuesdays through Sundays
Jason holds four coveted Michelin stars under his belt alongside titles like “Chef of Year” and having many of his restaurant hailed as some of the best restaurants in the world. It’s no surprise that he’s earned that many accolades; he’s worked his way to the top by training with top-tiered toques.
Chef Jason Atherton
His first restaurant, Pollen Street Social, earned its Michelin star three months after they set up shop. It’s among the fastest to earn a Michelin star in the world. What’s admirable about Jason is how he still has his feet planted firmly on the ground—he may have earned four Michelin stars, but he says he’s not looking to get any more.
“I enjoy being part of Michelin, but I’m not obsessed by it. I don’t crave it. We are where we are. But we work to keep it, of course. As long as the customers are happy and they like our food then that’s okay,” he shares casually. “I don’t worry about it too much.”
At The Pig & Palm, Jason ensures that his philosophy of keeping the customers happy is upheld. The restaurant has made a remarkable reputation for itself as one of Cebu’s culinary gems, two years since its launch.
I’ve frequented the restaurant for a long time now, and the quality of the food still surprises me each time I pay a visit. Last Saturday, Jason created a special set menu that teased the tastebuds.
A six-course meal, the dinner started off with canapés and cocktails. Their cocktail menu gives you a variety to choose from, and is arranged in a way that goes with each course perfectly, from appetizers to dessert, and even have their respective hashtags for when you’d like to post it on social media.
Their Dill or No Dill, which is available at every restaurant managed by Jason, is a crowd favourite; it’s made with gin, lemon juice, elderflower cordia, cucumber, dill (of course), and rimmed with smoked salt. Try their McBanDaq, which I describe as a deceptively dangerous banana milkshake, or their quirky Coff’ Medicine, a concoction of Don Papa rum, Kahlua and espresso, that comes with a doctor’s prescription.
Seared tuna with feta cheese, tomatoes and black olives
The first course was their Seared tuna with Feta and Pistachio Mousse, Tomatoes and Black Olives. To be honest, I don’t always get to finish dishes that have raw (in this case, seared) fish, but I surprisingly did with this dish. It was that good. The tuna was fresh and had no strange fishy aftertaste, probably offset by the roasted tomato and the balsamic reduction. The parmesan tuile and minced black olives on top added a burst of umami to the already harmonious flavors.
Cold-smoked duck breast with pickled cabbage, foie gras parfait and candied walnut
The Cold-Smoked Duck Breast was divine. As someone who loves duck, this dish left me wanting more. The duck breast was cold-smoked with apple wood, giving it a delicate flavor. The pickled red cabbage on the side complemented it very well, along with the foie gras parfait.
Fillet of British beef with potato fondant, roasted pumpking and oats
The star of the dinner was their Fillet of British Beef. The Pig & Palm is proud to be the first to market British beef in Cebu, and it did not disappoint. Succulent and tender, it could make other kinds of beef give a run for their money. The sweetness of the roasted pumpkin and the richness of the potato fondant rounded off the dish.
Black forest gateau
For dessert, we had their Yogurt and Calamansi White Chocolate Lolly, which was tangy and refreshing on the palate, and their Black Forest Gateau, a decadent dessert made with layers of cherries, chocolate cake, and chocolate mousse.
Jason shares that these dishes will be available on their regular menu soon, so don’t worry if you didn’t catch him when he was in town. Meanwhile, make sure to check out their cocktails and the other items on their menu!
MSY Tower, Pescadores Street, Cebu Business Park
For inquiries and reservations, call +63 917 657 6866
Open 11:00 AM to 12:00 AM from Tuesdays through Sundays
Catch him live in action in the kitchen as he displays what has made him garner four coveted Michelin stars across his 17 restaurants globally.
“I can’t wait to be back to whip up something interesting for the Filipinos. The warmth of the city has always made it like a second home to us, which makes it even more exciting,” says Chef Jason Atherton.
The Pig & Palm, a modern European tapas-style restaurant, is a part of his epicurean journey to the Philippines, his first foray in the country. Since it opened in 2016, it has become one of Cebu’s culinary gems and a must-visit dining destination for locals and tourists alike.
The restaurant, being reflective of the evolving local culinary scene, was recently honoured by T. Dining’s Best Restaurants Guide for 2018 as one of the Top 20 Restaurants in the Philippines.
For reservations, contact +63 917 657 6866 or (032) 255 8249
Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11:00 a.m. onwards
MSY Tower, Pescadores Road, Cebu Business Park, Cebu City
Jason Atherton relaxes at The Pig & Palm (photography Chester Baldicantos)
Let’s backtrack on Jason Atherton’s footsteps, to six years ago when it all started. He opened Pollen Street Social, his first restaurant, in London, and it was awarded its first Michelin star that same year. Since then, he’s opened 17 restaurants across the globe. “It’s more than just ‘chef-ing’ now, I guess,” he admits. “We are The Social Company. Armed with different sub-brands, we do a lot of things—we help Westminster college, we design plateware and bar tools. I guess you can say we are a multi-brand operations.” That explains the 1400 employees.
It leaves one to wonder: how do you grow that fast in six years? He reminds me that he was the development director of the Gordon Ramsay group for 11 years. “I owe the ‘taking off’ to him,” he explains. “I was already doing with him what I am doing now, only this time it’s for my own company.” He, of course, credits a lot to his former mentor, who he says knew exactly what he wanted to do from the start. “He opened his restaurant and got his stars, and then he said, I want to be on TV. He was on some of the most watched British TV shows. After that, he says he wants to be on TV in the US, and now he’s one of the most recognized chefs in the world. It’s amazing.”
That kind of drive is something that Jason’s clearly adapted himself, and it’s something that he feels he could most attribute for his success. “I was a dreamer, and I was determined. When I worked with Marco Pierre White, I wasn’t the best. There were way better chefs than I was. But I was there every day, doing my job the best way I could, day in, day out. I kept sticking to it because I knew one day something good would come out of it. There has to, right?” he says. “I’ve always looked to the world like an Olympic athlete. You can get to the top with a little bit of talent, but you need a whole lot of determination. And that’s what it was. I’m not an overnight success story.”
Roasted venison breast with lavender, honey spiced beetroot and roasted mini potatoes (from the Jason Atherton website)
Jason is disarming that way. He’s the first to point out he’s not a genius, but he understands what people look for in food that’s contributed to his success. “I had a little bit of talent in cooking over the years, and I’ve developed a way to put food together in which a lot of my contemporaries have not been able to do,” he shares. “Especially in London. I really understand the palate of the London Westerners.”
The Jason Atherton story gets even more interesting—and detailed—when he found himself in a bit of a problem when a potato recipe he was trying out in The Clocktower, his New York restaurant, wasn’t working as well as it did in London. He reveals that a large space in his headquarters is dedicated to a test kitchen, where a group of chefs spend days experimenting with and perfecting recipes that they could then send to their restaurants around the world. In the case of the potatoes, the variety of potatoes available in the US just weren’t working for the recipe—which had originally been made with London’s King Edward potatoes. Eventually, he decides to send two of his test kitchen chefs, who ended up sourcing potatoes from different states until they could find a match. “For two weeks, were problem-solving the potato. We were getting deliveries of potatoes from everywhere to get that perfect chip,” he shares. This just goes to show that Jason is committed to achieving detailed results—but wow the food cost on just those potatoes must have come quite high?
“It is very important to me to get the product and the output right,” Jason continues. “I’d rather have a 50% food cost of a business and make a little bit of money, and we can sustain it for now, than a 7% margin on a good food cost on a restaurant that’s losing money. The food and bar margins may be correct, but if the food is bad, the drinks are bad and the service is bad, you don’t have a business. In the end, you’ll just have a great percentage of nothing. I always say to my boys, you can’t take a percentage to the bank.” It’s a great lesson for restaurateurs starting out, a breakthrough even.
At this point, the cards are all laid out on a the table. There’s no secret formula, just perspectives of getting things done. The question gets thrown out: how much of the mingling part of the business does he actually enjoy? “We do a lot of events in the UK, where it involves us meeting such interesting people. So meet the Beckhams, Jude Law, Benedict Cumberbatch. So they come to the restaurants, so I say hello. I mean, it just doesn’t work if you’re in the kitchen all the time. I wear many hats,” he replies.
But, he continues, “When success happens to you and you don’t have family roots, you can get carried away, especially in a city like London. I get tons and tons of invitations. I come back from a trip with a stack of envelopes on my desk, and I could be out every night in a different party. When you start to believe your own bullshit, then all of a sudden your life begins to wobble because you’re not paying attention to the things that got you there in the first place. I’m very conscious about that. It’s important to pick and choose.”
The bar area at Pollen Street Social, the restaurant that started it all. (photo from the Pollen Street Social website)
With so much achieved, we have to wonder, what comes next? “My work goal is to make Pollen Street Social a two Michelin-star restaurant,” he answers, but reveals that he plans to work on something very close to his heart. “When I first moved to London, there was a youth hostel called the PM Club. It was funded by the government, and it was a community of chefs, waiters and sommeliers. You could stay there and you could meet all these people from the industry. I wouldn’t have made it without the PM Club. The government had stopped the funding for this, but I want to be able to rebuild it for the city, for future chefs.”
To these future chefs, he leaves these words of wisdom: “Everyone wants to be a celebrity or famous—be careful what you wish for. If you want to be a chef, be a chef for the right reasons. Be a chef because you love food. There are very few that become superstars, but it’s important to be yourself. I’ve seen so many great chefs wash away their career chasing being famous and not concentrating on what they are putting on the plate. It’s what you’re putting on the plate that will fill your restaurants. And that really puts life in perspective.”
Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, February 2017
]]>Pro tip: You can drop a hint and share this list too! Who knows, your own manito or manita might be struggling on what to get you as well. 
HAPPY SKIN x DISNEY MOISTURIZING MATTE LIPPIE
Happy Skin is the first local brand in the Philippines that Disney has partnered with
Matte lipsticks were a big hit this year, and there’s no reason the trend wouldn’t continue in 2017. Pass it on to the new year with Happy Skin’s moisturizing matte lippie, which contains shea butter and collagen that hydrates lips while leaving a gorgeous matte finish. Happy Skin’s holiday collaboration with Disney also brings limited edition (read: must-have!) shades. ‘Snow White’ features an apple-red shade, while the ‘Anna’ has that roasted cherry tone that’s popular right now.
UGF, SM City Cebu | Facebook
HAVAIANAS IN GREENERY
This Havaianas top in Liberty Green is on point for 2017’s color of the year
Earlier this month, ‘Greenery’ was announced as the color of the year for 2017. Take this relaxing yet vibrant shade with you one step at a time as you conquer the Year of the Rooster, with a brand new pair of Havaianas. The neon green Top is definitely on point, while, the Liberty Green pair features a fun and whimsical print that’ll turn heads.
All Flip Flops | Ayala Center Cebu, SM City Cebu and SM Seaside City Cebu
A 7-COURSE DINNER BY JASON ATHERTON
Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton of The Pig & Palm
If you’re looking to impress, you can’t go wrong with a dinner at The Pig & Palm. Just in time for the holidays, Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton is whipping up a special seven-course meal with an optional champagne and wine pairing. Slots for this two-day event (December 22-23) are extremely limited.
MSY Tower, Cebu Business Park | Facebook
- READ MORE: Let Jason Atherton cook for you this Christmas (via zeelifestylecebu.com)
A STAY AT KANDAYA RESORT
Kandaya Resort in Daanbantayan, Cebu (Photography by Dan Douglas Ong: Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, October 2015)
Okay, this is really pulling out the big guns, but who wouldn’t want to experience paradise? Kandaya Resort’s iconic infinity pool, luxurious rooms and myriad of activities from island hopping to a private beach in Malapascua Island to horseback riding guarantee that a stay in this gorgeous resort is on top of anyone’s wishlist.
Daanbantayan, Cebu | Facebook
- READ MORE: Moon over Kandaya (via zeelifestylecebu.com)
SNAPBACKS FROM NEW ERA
The New Era store in Cebu has over 500 snapbacks to choose from
With the rise of the athleisure trend, sporty accessories have become acceptable in daily wear. Not sure where to start? Put your thinking cap on with New Era’s expansive selection of headgear. Their store in Cebu has over 500 hats to choose from, whether you’d like to root for your favorite sporting teams or show off your love for pop culture.
SM Seaside City Cebu | Facebook
LIMITED EDITION JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL
The limited edition Cebu bottle from Johnnie Walker Blue Label Philippine Crafts: Our Cities special collection
A bottle of whisky is always a classic gift, but there’s no reason it should be boring. Surprise your Secret Santa with a limited edition bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Philippine Crafts: Our Cities. With three distinctly Filipino designs to choose from—the Manila Jeepney, the Cebu Guitar, and the Davao Pearl—anyone would definitely appreciate having these added to their collections.
Available in leading supermarkets | Facebook
APOPHIS PUMPS FROM SALA CHAUSSURES
Sala Chaussure’s Apophis pumps in black (Photo: Facebook)
Personally, it’s hard to choose just one kind of footwear from this decadent shoe brand because there’s something for every girl. If we really had to recommend one thing though, it would be the Apophis pumps in black. It’s the classic black pump with a gorgeous twist—dragon wings. Perfect for the Khaleesis in your life.
DR. MARTENS DM’S LITE
DM’s Lite in Newton Cherry Red
Why yes, men can be into shoes too. For your guy friend (or “guy friend”), a great addition to his growing footwear collection would be the DM’s Lite, the newest shoe from Dr. Martens. Featuring the brand’s signature style but in a new ultra-lightweight Phylon midsole, it’s both durable and even more comfortable. Go timeless with the black pair, or be a little more edgy with the Newton cherry red one.
General | 2F, Ayala Center Cebu | Facebook
- READ MORE: The Doc Martens is in (via zeelifestylecebu.com)
PET STUFF FROM PESO STORE
Give your furry pal a debonair look with these cute bowties from Peso Store
With items at Php 88, it’s easy to buy a lot of stuff that any pet lover and their furry BFFs would certainly appreciate. Take your pick from colorful collars to cute food bowls, and fun harnesses to amusing chew toys. There’s also quite a selection of doggy t-shirts that Fido can wear for Christmas.
Streetscape | Cebu I.T. Park | The Outlets at Pueblo Verde | The Persimmon Plus | 4J Bldg., Mango Avenue | E-Park Talamban | Facebook
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From the Philippine and the US elections to Brexit and Brangelina splitting up, the year has its share of ups and downs. Whether it was a good or bad one really depends on individual perceptions, but it’s finally coming to an end in a few weeks’ time. With that, we’re all about spending the remaining days of the year right.
And since those Christmas bonuses are in, why not splurge on the ultimate holiday dinner? Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton, who’s spending the holidays in Cebu, will be whipping up a special seven-course Christmas menu at The Pig & Palm from December 22-23.
Michelin-star Jason Atherton
Dinner starts with a selection of canapés with an optional pairing of Moet & Chandon. The assortment includes scallop, yuzu, cucumber and avocado; seaweed cracker, smoked salmon and dill; chicken and foie gras terrine with red onion jam; and pulled pork empanadas.
The second course is the Heritage tomato salad, goat’s cheese, black olive, and basil ice followed by crispy duck egg, confit leg, and autumn truffle, both best paired with Camas Viognier white wine.
For the fourth course, Chef Jason will be serving roast grouper, spiced aubergine, pistachio dukkah, and charred leeks followed by sirloin and cheek of beef, horseradish mash, roast carrot, and watercress, both ideally paired with El Mago red wine.
The Pig & Palm’s crispy duck egg
To finish, passion fruit and white chocolate lollipops and chocolate delice, mulled wine poached apples with Christmas pudding ice cream will cap off the meal on a sweet note.
The special seven course menu is priced at Php 2,900 per person. At Php 3,900 per person, you get an additional wine pairing on top of the meal and a glass of champagne to welcome you upon your arrival. Now that’s how you do Christmas. (with PR)
THE PIG & PALM
MSY Tower, Cebu Business Park
6332. 255 8249, 63. 917 657 6866
website | Facebook | Instagram
The opening saw many of Cebu’s foodies in attendance as they sampled the British chef’s creations.
]]>Just like any other new restaurant in town, it can get overwhelming to decide what to have, especially with The Pig & Palm’s selection of mouthwatering dishes. With Zee Lifestyle present at the media launch right after it opened, we give you some of the early favorites that’ll definitely keep you coming back for more.
SQUID CRACKERS
Squid crackers, potato aioli and black onion
Don’t be wary of the black color! The squid crackers, potato aioli and black onion is a light appetizer, with the dip bringing out the unique flavors of the squid. This would surely stave off the hunger pangs while making you look forward to the other courses.
CHICKEN KARAAGE
Chicken karaage and sriracha mayonnaise
When you have sriracha mayonnaise, you can’t really go wrong with anything… especially not with The Pig & Palm’s chicken karaage. It’s a slightly heavier appetizer so tasty that you’re going to want to keep grabbing seconds. This, or the main courses? Yep, this definitely makes setting priorities difficult.
OLD-FASHIONED PORK TERRINE
Old-fashioned pork terrine, pistachio, “onion-onion & onion”
The old-fashioned pork terrine is pleasantly cold to the taste buds, the temperature allowing for an irresistible burst of flavor. Just like the karaage, this loaf is quite the delicious treat that would easily make you decide to have it as a main course. And, no, we can’t really blame anyone for that.
KINILAW
Kinilaw of shrimp, calamansi, pickled papaya, chili and coconut
Every Cebuano knows what kinilaw is. Jason Atherton elevates this delicacy of sorts with a fresh take, serving the kinilaw on shells set on a bed of ice. The zesty flavors brought about by the calamansi makes this dish ridiculously addicting.
ROASTED SUCKLING PORK
Roasted suckling pork, soya onion gravy, apple, mustard leaf
Sure, call it lechon, but you’ll have to admit this is roasted pork unlike anything else before. The meat is temptingly tender, the skin roasted to that perfect crisp, and that soya onion gravy is a surprising twist that makes a lot of sense. If there’s a star in Atherton’s Pig & Palm menu, this would definitely be it.
Do you agree with our list? Sound off in the comments with your other recommendations!
See photos from The Pig & Palm’s grand opening below:
THE PIG & PALM
Open Tuesday to Sunday
8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
MSY Tower, Cebu Business Park
website | 63. 929 481 4668