Tatung's Takes You "Home"

When Filipino food is discussed, the images in one's mind are either fiesta-like with its cacophony of colors or the utilitarian turo-turo style, where diners grab a quick lunch break before heading back out to a bustling city. Walking into Chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou's latest restaurant Tatung's is like walking into someone's home, invited as their important guest.

For Chef Tatung, that feeling is no accident. It is, in fact, the very heart of the restaurant. "I believe that everyone deserves to eat deliciously. We don't eat just for nourishment. We eat for pleasure and delight, too. That's part of what makes us human."

For more than two decades, Tatung has built a career around making Filipino food approachable without losing its soul. Whether through best-selling cookbooks, television shows, digital content, or restaurants, his mission has remained remarkably consistent. "Feeding people well is also a way of honoring their dignity. Every restaurant, every book, and every Simpol video is really just that belief taking a different shape. The goal is always the same, to help people find their way back to a home they recognize."

"That's the whole reason behind our tagline, 'Home, remembered.' It isn't a marketing slogan. It's the measure I use for every project. If something doesn't make people feel more connected to family, to culture, and to one another, then it probably isn't worth doing."

That philosophy comes to life at Tatung's at the Gateway Mall 2 in Araneta City. More than another dining destination, it is perhaps his most personal project to date, one that reflects not only the food he loves to cook but also the values that have guided him throughout his life.

Coming Full Circle

Long before he became one of the country's best-known culinary personalities, Tatung operated a modest private dining space in Quezon City that simply carried his nickname. "The name Tatung has been with me longer than most people know," he recalls. "Many years ago, when I was just beginning, I opened a small private dining place simply called Tatung. No grand concept, no elaborate branding, just a place where I could cook for people."

That humble beginning would eventually lead to cookbooks, television, the Simpol brand, and a growing restaurant group. More recently, his restaurant Lore earned a place in the Michelin Guide's Selected list, affirming that Filipino cuisine deserves recognition on the world stage.

Yet even as international recognition came, Tatung found himself reflecting on where everything had started. "The Michelin Guide Selected distinction for Lore was validation that Filipino cuisine can be appreciated on its own terms, not as a footnote to someone else's culinary tradition. It opened doors and gave me the chance to represent the Philippines on larger platforms, including ITB Berlin, where I could speak about Filipino food as a serious culinary language with its own history, technique, and identity."

He adds that the recognition strengthened his sense of purpose. "It isn't a finish line, it's a responsibility. Excellence, for me, isn't about collecting accolades. It's another way of caring for people. When we strive to do something well, we're telling our guests they're worth the effort. As the platform grew and the accolades came, I realized I had drifted from something essential. Coming back to Tatung's is, in many ways, coming back to myself. I am, first and foremost, a cook. I cook food that comes from memory, family, and the soil and sea of this country."

The Joy of (Filipino) Cooking

Ask Tatung about his cooking philosophy, and he doesn't begin by talking about ingredients or techniques. Instead, he talks about a Filipino value that he believes deserves to be remembered. "There's an old Filipino word, naya-naya, the joy of preparing a feast for others. That's a value I've always tried to hold onto. Hosting, for me, is an expression of self. When I cook for someone, I'm not simply feeding them. I'm sharing a part of who I am."

It is a philosophy that shapes his kitchen decisions. "I'd rather perfect an adobo than reinvent it, and I'd rather teach a host the story behind sinigang than simply list its ingredients. Technique matters, but only if the naya-naya is still there. Recipes are shaped by the values of the cook. Every decision in the kitchen begins with an intention, whether we recognize it or not."

Rather than chasing culinary trends, Tatung describes the food at the restaurant as "Filipino heirloom cooking with intention" and he treats local food with the respect that it deserves. "These are dishes passed down not through recipes written on paper, but through hands. A mother showing a daughter how much is enough. A lolo who never measured anything and yet never got it wrong. What I do is honor that transmission while being deliberate about sourcing, technique, and presentation."

The result is a menu that feels both familiar and thoughtful. The Kinilaw brings together sukang tuba, biasong limes from Mindanao, with tabon-tabon fruit from the Visayas. The crisp Okoy has become an instant favorite appetizer among diners, while the Pancit Guisado with homemade kikiam sausage and the Santol Wood-Smoked Roast Beef Caldereta with queso de bola offer fresh perspectives on well-loved classics.

Among all the dishes, however, one stands above the rest. Chef Tatung says, "If I had to choose one dish that says everything about what Tatung's is, it would be the Whole Pampano Braised in Coconut Milk, my Lola Juanita's recipe. It is not the most dramatic dish on the menu. What it does, quietly and gently, is remind you of something you may have forgotten you knew."

He explains the recipe is more than a family favorite. "This dish connects me to my roots in the most direct way I know. It is very much hers, and very much mine. Every time this dish is served, it proves that our culinary heritage is not a museum piece. Culture survives not through preservation alone, but through the act of cooking it again, and again, and again."

Kapwa Hospitality

For Tatung, great restaurants are defined not only by the food they serve but by the way they make people feel. "We've worked hard to create an ecosystem of trust and care, where people feel respected, supported, and empowered to do their best work. People who feel trusted and cared for naturally become more generous in the way they care for others."

That culture is rooted in another deeply Filipino value: kapwa, the recognition of our shared humanity. "Our hospitality philosophy is grounded in kapwa. We want every guest to feel less like a customer being served and more like someone being welcomed into our home. That belief shapes how we hire, how we train, and how we work together every day," he explains.

Today, that same spirit extends to the next generation of cooks. "I've realized that this stage of my life is about passing something on. Standing beside a young cook and showing them not just how to braise a piece of pork or balance a sauce, but why it matters, why the dish exists, where it comes from, and what it carries, feels like some of the most meaningful work I have ever done. I want to make sure that what my lolas taught me, and what this country's culinary heritage has given me, none of it stops with me."

No Place Like Home

For the celebrity chef, the concept is deeply personal. "Everything at Tatung's is intentional, the food, the details, and the spirit of the room, but none of it is about us. It is about the person sitting at the table. We are not here to dazzle. We are not here to lecture people about Filipino food or make them feel like they are walking through a museum. We are here to make people feel welcome, fed, and genuinely happy."

He adds, "If someone leaves Tatung's with a full stomach and a light heart, if something they ate reminded them of someone they love, or made them proud of where they come from, then we have done everything we set out to do."