Vlad Bunoan

Article (news)

Kazu Cafe

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781494425406724138177_905643705894825_1500632556233473909_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Kazu Cafe takes inspiration from Tokyo cafes. Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</div>For this special brunch at Kazu Café in Ayala Triangle Gardens, Chef Miko Calo isn&#x27;t serving French food. She&#x27;s also not quite serving Japanese food.Instead, she&#x27;s exploring the space where the two cuisines meet, overlap, and eventually become something else entirely.That idea sits at the heart of this three-month collaboration between the chef behind Taqueria Franco and Kazu Café, the all-day dining concept from the group behind Mendokoro Ramenba. Launched last Saturday, June 13, the 13-dish brunch menu takes familiar French techniques and preparations and filters them through distinctly Japanese ingredients, sensibilities, and café culture.It is, in many ways, an expression of yoshoku — the Japanese tradition of adopting Western dishes and transforming them into something that eventually feels native rather than imported.&quot;If you look at the spirit of Tokyo cafés, it&#x27;s really where they take something that is not necessarily local but because it&#x27;s something that they love, they do their own spin on it,&quot; explained Ryan Cruz, president and CEO of Nippon Hasha, in an interview. &quot;After a while, it stops becoming foreign and becomes something that is rightfully theirs.&quot;<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781494091428723227911_2589525021466428_7582345097881173192_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Chef Miko Calo and Ryan Cruz, president and CEO of Nippon Hasha. Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</div>That philosophy feels particularly fitting for Calo, whose culinary identity was built through classical French training. A graduate of Ferrandi Paris and a veteran of L&#x27;Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Paris, London, and Singapore, Calo has spent years working within one of the world&#x27;s most rigorous culinary traditions. Yet for this project, she found herself drawing equally from another lifelong influence.“My French background married with my love for Japanese food,&quot; she said in an interview. &quot;It&#x27;s really all these flavors and flavor profiles and putting them together with the foundation of cooking the French way.&quot;<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781495403205723526712_991965450430423_1155274292074024558_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Spicy Salmon Tarte Fine. Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</div>Take the Spicy Salmon Tarte Fine, arguably one of the strongest dishes on the menu. The familiar spicy salmon mixture often found in sushi rolls is spread over crisp puff pastry and paired with herbed cream cheese. It sounds simple, but the combination works beautifully: the slight heat and freshness of the salmon playing against the richness of the cheese while the pastry provides a satisfying crunch. It&#x27;s the sort of dish that immediately communicates the collaboration&#x27;s central idea.Elsewhere, Calo reimagines mapo tofu as Mabo Reblochon Tarte Fine, replacing tofu with melted Reblochon cheese while retaining the spicy pork ragù that defines the original dish. Served on puff pastry and topped with a potato crisp, it manages to remain recognizable while shifting entirely into a different culinary language.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781494753767720145678_2067611687515922_4308002936520019989_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Pâté de Campagne Sando. Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</div>The Pâté de Campagne Sando may be the clearest example of how comfortably the menu moves between cultures. A thick slice of country-style pâté is tucked into soft milk bread alongside pickled vegetables and umeboshi. The richness of French charcuterie finds a natural home inside the Japanese sandwich format, creating one of the menu&#x27;s most satisfying bites.Even dishes that appear straightforward reveal subtle layers of collaboration. The Kazu Curry Parmentier combines curried beef ragù with whipped potatoes and gratinéed Gruyère cheese, resulting in something that resembles an exceptionally indulgent shepherd&#x27;s pie. Comforting and deeply savory, it feels less like a main course than a dish meant for sharing alongside one of the sandos.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781495149305723330734_983160637662436_1355728604503683759_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Kazu Curry Parmentier. Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</div>The French Onion Maze Soba perhaps comes closest to embodying the project&#x27;s ambition. Maze soba, traditionally served without broth, is dressed here with demi-glace, Gruyère espuma, and onion fondant. The dish borrows the flavor profile of French onion soup while maintaining the structure of the Japanese noodle dish. Achieving that balance proved to be one of the collaboration&#x27;s greatest challenges.&quot;It&#x27;s so simple, but even the timing of the noodles is very important,&quot; Calo said of the dish. &quot;There were times when it became too mushy. Precision and technique to make the noodles perfect and bouncy — that was a challenge.&quot;<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781495071887720860074_1651721506089503_9043911066614569344_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>French Onion Maze Soba. Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</div>That attention to detail is evident throughout the menu. While some dishes such as the Steak &amp; Eggs and Croque Monsieur Sando lean toward familiarity, they demonstrate the same commitment to technique that Cruz describes as central to the collaboration.&quot;It&#x27;s her French precision applied to the menu,&quot; he said. &quot;Just because it&#x27;s casual and approachable doesn&#x27;t mean the approach has to be casual.&quot;The desserts continue this blend between French and Japanese influences.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781494393806721465326_1336630651194230_8957780615904132907_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>(Clockwise from top right) Yuzu French Toast, Matcha Raspberry Crêpe Brûlée and Mont Blanc Kakigori. Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</div>The Yuzu French Toast may be the crowd-pleaser of the group. Topped with meringue and bright yuzu curd, it delivers exactly what brunch desserts should: rich, sweet, playful, and unabashedly indulgent. It&#x27;s easy to imagine it becoming a favorite among families and anyone with a serious sweet tooth.The Matcha Raspberry Crêpe Brûlée offers a more nuanced experience. Layers of matcha ganache, diplomat cream, raspberry gel, and caramelized custard come together in a dessert that feels both elegant and approachable. Light enough to finish after lunch yet complex enough to warrant a visit on its own, it is among the menu&#x27;s most memorable creations.Then there&#x27;s the Mont Blanc Kakigori. Inspired by the classic French chestnut dessert but expressed through Japanese shaved ice, it layers chestnut cream, blackcurrant compote, and toasted sesame crème anglaise over finely shaved milk ice. Refreshing without being overly sweet, it demonstrates how effectively the menu moves between two culinary traditions without losing the identity of either.The collaboration arrives at a time when Ayala Triangle Gardens has quietly evolved into one of Makati&#x27;s most attractive weekend destinations. Once dotted with vacant retail spaces, the development is now fully occupied, creating a lively but relaxed atmosphere that feels particularly suited to brunch. Surrounded by greenery and buffered from the city&#x27;s usual pace, Kazu Café&#x27;s colorful interiors — said to be inspired by the whimsical visual world of Wes Anderson — provide an appropriately playful backdrop for a menu built around reinterpretation.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781494413020721949452_1718332392698134_2688319579791765073_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Park views give the restaurant a relaxed ambience. Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</div>For Calo, whose next restaurant is already in development, collaborations like this offer an opportunity to continue learning.&quot;It&#x27;s not just that you come in and say, &#x27;I&#x27;m going to do this,&#x27;&quot; she said. &quot;It&#x27;s an opportunity to really learn and see other kitchens and see how other chefs do things.&quot;Indeed, rather than forcing French and Japanese influences together, the collaboration allows each side to contribute what it does best. Kazu&#x27;s kitchen provides the ingredients, techniques, and perspective rooted in Japanese cooking, while Calo brings the discipline and precision of French cuisine.The result is a brunch menu that feels surprisingly natural — less a collision of culinary traditions than a conversation between them. And like the best conversations, it leaves room for new ideas to emerge.<div> </div><div>The Miko Calo Menu at Kazu Café is available daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.</div>

The three-month menu features eight brunch dishes and five desserts that blend French culinary techniques with Japanese ingredients and café traditions.

The three-month menu features eight brunch dishes and five desserts that blend French culinary techniques with Japanese ingredients and café traditions.

Makati eats: Chef Miko Calo collaborates with Kazu Café on French-Japanese brunch menu

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Makati eats: Chef Miko Calo collaborates with Kazu Café on French-Japanese brunch menu

Vlad Bunoan,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 15, 2026 12:27 PM PHT

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Kazu Cafe

Miko Calo

brunch

Ayala Triangle Gardens

Makati eats

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