Know how the newest dining hot spot achieves the balance of being many things all at once—classy yet homey, charming in an old world kind of way but infused with a fun energy that the young and chic set gravitate to
This is an excerpt from MEGA September 2024 Dining story.
If one is to describe Papillon, it would be that it has that trendy, one-off feel characterized by restaurants found in Poblacion, transplanted with a bit of polish in the genteel neighborhood of Salcedo Village. Both these Makati districts may be different, but they are known for their lively drinking and dining scenes.
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While Poblacion is hip and cultured, with a smidgen of seediness to add to the experience—being one of the oldest neighborhoods in Makati; Salcedo Village has a more refined, concrete gray and white collar aesthetic as an upscale commercial-residential enclave in Makati’s commercial business district. It is quite a successful feat of balance that makes the restaurant stand out, but has a sense of belonging in its space just across the Salcedo park.
With Their Powers Combined
Papillon is the first culinary venture of a group of restaurateur-friends from Poblacion that include Lampara Chefs RJ Ramos and Alphonse (Fonso) Sotero, Lunes and La Vie En Rose owner Jenny Yrasuegi, and Project Vino’s Rob Martin and Steven Ticzon. The whole idea to start a new restaurant concept together came about one innocuous evening in July 2023, when Yrasuegi visited Lampara and she mentioned that she had just been offered a space in Salcedo. “I was like—see if you like it,” she shared.
“And if you like it, maybe we can do something together, because I don’t want to do it on my own.”
She continued, “I would have only done it if it was with chefs that I would be proud to be partners with.” Then they invited Martin and Ticzon to complete the team.
It was clear from the start what the roles were going to be: Ramos and Sotero had the menu, kitchen, and restaurant operations; Martin and Ticzon brought in the wines to pair with the food and to complete the dining experience; and Yrasuegi supported operations on the events and public relations side. They all agreed on the chefs’ proposal to serve Southeast Asian food, and they opened the doors to Papillon nearly a year after their initial talks with relative smoothness, much to their pleasant surprise.
Read more about what makes Papillon the newest dining hotspot in MEGA’s September 2024 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
