From Biñan with love

CITY OF BIÑAN, LAGUNA—On Manabat Street in Barangay San Antonio, a brightly lit house-turned-cafe/restaurant easily stands out, as it sits smack dab in the middle of a row of carinderia-style eateries selling either pork chops or litson manok (roasted chicken)—a much more common entrepreneurial food venture in this part of the province.

But common wasn’t what Chef RV Manabat was gunning for when he decided to put up, initially, his small cafe, two years ago. He wanted an establishment that would be known as something unique to Biñan—a “must-eat-at” place for tourists visiting his hometown.

“When I visited Bacolod City, a friend urged me to visit the cafe Calea, because, apparently, I couldn’t say I had been to Bacolod if I didn’t go there, or take home something from there,” says Manabat. “I thought to myself, Biñan needs something likes this, because there’s really nowhere to go here. So that’s what we did—we built a dining establishment which would be identifiable with Biñan, and would sell products exclusive to us, so that people would be motivated to visit the city.”

But before the cafe and restaurant, there was only the kitchen—his mother’s old dirty kitchen, in fact—where Manabat introduced himself to the local foodie scene by holding baking classes.

The Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate of the College of St. Benilde, who completed his Master’s degree in Food Studies at Boston University and also pursued pastry studies in France, says he had always wanted to teach others the art of baking, which is something he has always been passionate about. Prior to his baking classes at home, Manabat had been teaching in different schools, including his college alma mater.

“I started with seven students—neighbors, family friends. It started March 2014. A second session soon followed, and then it became a regular thing on Saturdays. By June, I didn’t renew anymore my contracts with the schools I had been teaching in, because by then I was holding regular workshops on Saturdays and Sundays,” Manabat recalls.

It was at the urging of his students that the 30-year-old chef finally opened his cafe in 2017. Among his bestsellers is his Quezo de Bola Cheesecake, which Manabat wants to position, like his restaurant, as a delicacy exclusively available in Biñan.

“It was an ‘accidental’ cheesecake—what happened was we ran out of our usual cheese, so I used quezo de bola. Then one of my regular customers was able to taste it, and commented that it actually tasted better than what I originally made using cheddar. People then started buying it to give as Christmas gifts, and the most common feedback we’ve heard is that it’s the first time they’ve tasted anything like that,” says Manabat.

“So now we’re calling it Biñan’s Quezo de Bola Cheesecake, so we have something else to offer visitors, aside from the popular puto Biñan,” he adds.

Manabat’s original plan was to keep his establishment small, and just serve coffee and other beverages with his cakes. However, customers kept asking for more, and before he knew it, he and his family had turned the house into a full-blown restaurant, which today can seat up to 160 people.

Manabat says his biggest challenge was coming up with recipes for hot dishes, not because he didn’t know how, but because of the fact that he was serving the Biñanense, who, apparently, a hard lot to please when it comes to food.

“People here really have a different palate. They aren’t very adventurous eaters… and if they taste something that doesn’t agree with them, that’s it, you won’t see them again. Because we were dealing now with hot dishes, we needed to maintain the freshness and consistency, so we could please the local market,” Manabat says.

“The price range, too, was something we had to consider. [Biñanense] are not willing to spend money on food that they feel won’t satisfy them,” says Manabat. “And even if I believe my food to be reasonably priced, I have to compete with the likes of [cheaper eateries serving pork chops]. We are still, of course, more expensive than them, but luckily I was able to satisfy the taste of local customers. Maybe my taste buds represent the local market, since I grew up here.”

Manabat says he is exceptionally grateful for the support from his fellow Biñanense—from his students to his customers, and even his competition. He says the ‘bayanihan’ spirit is very much alive in his hometown, which is why Manabat has no immediate plans of branching out in other cities just yet.

His next location, set to open next year, will be at the heart of the City of Biñan: in the historic Alberto House, the maternal ancestral home of the Philippines’ national hero Jose Rizal. Chef RV will be its official cafe.

“We really want Chef RV to be a Biñan brand, a place that would be unique to [the town],” Manabat says.