You’ve most likely heard about Lampara being the newest dining destination in Poblacion, Makati, run by co-owners and cooks RJ Ramos and Alphonse Sotero. As its name suggests, the inspiration of Lampara (which means “lamp” in Filipino) is to shine light on Filipino cuisine, more specifically an all-encompassing kind of contemporary Filipino cuisine, “which also includes Chinese-Filipino [and] Spanish-Filipino,” explains RJ, recognizing the influences that have become so intrinsic to the Philippines’ identity. By the way, RJ and Alphonse, who are 31 and 27 years old, respectively, prefer to be referred to as cooks rather than chefs as “it will take years of experience for us to respectfully carry that title,” Alphonse humbly shares.
The restaurant is located on the second floor of a renovated apartment complex at 5883 Enriquez Street, just across from Oto. A cozy enclave of mismatched chairs and hanging lamps (it may seem bright but it’s perfect for your food shots, and they start to dim the lights after 9PM), Lampara offers indoor-outdoor seating with the main dining area fronting the kitchen which is situated directly behind the bar.
The menu currently has five appetizers, five main courses and three desserts– all Filipino in origin, executed in exciting permutations—and are overall, delicious. While you may prefer some dishes more than others, there is not one bad dish on the menu. (My family ordered the entire menu! We went for my brother Charles’ birthday.) An order of the Rice Cups (P220 for 4 pieces), comes in two flavors: longganisa, ubod and aligue, and a vegetarian rendition with bean sprouts, peanuts and tofu, served with a house sinamak. Dinuckduckan (P320) is an accidental dish that was born from an oversupply of duck breast– served with fried egg with crispy duck skin and pickled green chili. Ensalada (P180) is a gorgeous salad of frisee, salted egg and a winning eggplant baba ghanoush underneath. Duck Leg (P680) was another of our family’s unanimous favorites, perfectly fried to a crisp with a little liver pate empanada on the side. Chicken (P290) is everything you want in an inasal but extremely flavorful, tender and juicy.
As for desserts, the Yema & Tsokolate (P220) was hands-down our favorite, and also one that’s close to Alphonse’s heart. “It’s a celebration of our local chocolates, Tablea and Malagos, and the Filipino’s love of condensed milk,” he shares. It’s basically yema, Malagos nougatine made from 85% dark chocolate with Davao cacao nibs and muscovado, with the tablea providing a dash of bitter to the sweetness of the yema. “The roasted barley cream is the one that brings everything together to give that malty flavor. I wanted to create layers of flavor, different textures and make a seemingly sweet dessert into something balanced and indulgent.”
From 10:30 PM onwards, they serve their bar menu, which are little bites that go well with cocktails by head bartender Lawrence Soriano.
Also outstanding at Lampara is their service, led by JV Albano. They are quick, alert, friendly and efficient. My two-year-old niece Amanda had made the restaurant her stomping grounds and the staff were so kind to play with and assist her. Also, when we asked to take a family picture, JV was also equipped with his own pocket light to “light” the photo– hard to beat that!) There is also no hesitation to go the extra mile. For my brother’s birthday “surprise” (requested by yours truly), instead of just serving one of their existing desserts laced with a Happy Birthday, Alphonse that night decided to create a new dessert of Barako Semifredo served with Malagos crunch, Tablea shortbread and coconut wafer, for the occasion.
Lampara is not only being run by a team brimming with passion and talent, keen on showcasing contemporary (keyword: delicious) Filipino cuisine in a cozy, relaxed environment, but there’s also no pretense here: everyone is kind, friendly and humble, and embody the kind of good vibes that always resonates very well with diners – you know you’re going to have a good time.
5883 Enriquez St., Poblacion, Makati, Philippines (across Oto); Open Mondays to Saturdays from 6PM to 2AM; Phone +63917-1735883; Instagram @lampara.pob
