Where there’s Oak & Smoke, there are also Asian ambitions, Californian cuisine, and creative soul food that defies conventions
They say where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But at Oak & Smoke—the newest addition to Salcedo Village’s dining scene—there’s smoke, fire, explosions, and a frenzy of friendly fire coming out of chefs Anna Bautista and Sean Jorgensen’s kitchen.
And why wouldn’t that be the case, when the photogenic space complete with a slanted glass ceiling as its defining feature plays second fiddle to the binchotan looming deep inside the semi-open kitchen.
“I want guests who dine with us to see us, to know that what we are doing here isn’t a cookie-cutter cut-out. It’s got a living vibe to it,” explains Jorgensen. “We’re only scratching the surface of what can and will be,” he adds. “I’m excited to play with fire and the ideas of what I can do with binchotan as well as the open flames and smoke themselves.”
This special type of charcoal may emit minimal smoke but like what its effects on food are, Bautista and Jorgensen’s approach at Oak & Smoke takes you to dimensions they’ve lived and thrived in; places that aren’t atomized by their differences but are instead celebrated for their distinction.
“Oak & Smoke is really the birth of what Sean and I like to eat and how we like to eat,” explains Bautista. “The cooking techniques and principles are where we draw from Californian and Southern cooking. But the flavors really stem from the life we have lived in China and our travels around Asia.”
Setting the scene
After learning (or relearning) of their culinary backgrounds—Bautista spent time in Michelin-starred restaurant Madera in Menlo Park, California, while Jorgensen embraced a virtual smorgasbord of food knowledge over 20 years in the industry in restaurants like Maya, Liquid Laundry, and The Cannery in Shanghai, China—there is a deep sense that their partnership, their latest creation in Makati is a joyful marriage of everything they stand for.
“Madera is a place where I was immersed in what California cuisine is really about. Being its chef de cuisine and gaining its first Michelin star in the first year was a huge accomplishment,” says Bautista, highlighting that this was where her deep appreciation for farm-to-table ingredients was inculcated.
“The contrast between our cooking styles is evident. I paint with broader strokes and Anna uses a finer approach,” Sean Jorgensen says.
“The contrast between our cooking styles is evident. I paint with broader strokes and Anna uses a finer approach,” Jorgensen says. “Our menu incorporates elements of smoke on our dishes—be it in smoking almonds, pork jowls or salmon. We want to be known for these hints of smoke and cooking over coal and wood.”
Jorgensen also proudly brings to the fore the fact that they use sampalok wood to smoke sauces, proteins, and even seasonings they use to soulfully engineer a deliciously multidimensional and multicultural menu to gorgeous effect.
On the Oak & Smoke menu
The packed Oak & Smoke menu feels like a psychedelic trip around Asia, the American West Coast, and the Deep South but no matter what dish you sink your teeth into, Bautista and Jorgensen ensure the journey is enjoyable.
“What we do at Oak & Smoke is take the idea and elements of barbecue and smoke and apply it to different flavors,” says Jorgensen, referring to his aforementioned affinity for smoke and fire demonstrated particularly in the binchotan section.
Customers can sample and share buzzy dishes such as the velvety blue marlin belly that shimmers in the palate with its miso-yaki flavor working together with furikake puffed rice and wasabi. The ayam taliwang chicken thigh skewers (with a concentrated sambal taste) then transport you to Indonesia even with just a whiff of its aroma while the tender octopus leg is personalized with Korean elements (gochujang-honey mustard, zucchini kimchi) to appealing results.
Their coal-kissed steaks (bavette, bone-in short loin, a juicy ribeye, and a full-bodied wagyu sirloin) and mains like the flavorful Frenched pork chop sourced from a go-to supermarket and is devoid of starchy sides and just filled with fire-roasted grapes and pickled onions) teeter into luxurious comfort food territory.
Elsewhere, the shrimp garlic noodles stomp into the picture with a springy bite and a full-throttle crab fat lemon butter sauce that, for a relatively small dish, causes a big stir.
The hot and cold dishes meanwhile are flavor-heavy, showcasing traces of Bautista’s creative tinkering. The medley of beautiful plates all deliver, especially the nutty grilled eggplant amid a whipped feta-tofu, which you eat with the warm fried mantou. The prawn toast with smoked quail egg, citrus kewpie, kabayaki sauce, and black tobiko follows in the same fashion, but if you love some zesty pop to your meal, feed on the pretty white snapper crudo.
There are a couple of desserts that naturally brings more people together for a sweet ending to the night: a dark chocolate crémeux with raspberry sorbet dubbed “520 Wo Ai Ni” and a super light banana-miso tres leches that doesn’t sacrifice heft or potency for that matter.
It all feels quite effortless, which is part of its charm but, in reality, this Makati venture perturbed even its most experienced chefs. “Having an Asian-inspired menu is both challenging and exciting for me. There are a lot of textures, flavors, and unique ingredients,” explains Bautista.
After getting to sample Oak & Smoke’s menu, both Bautista and Jorgensen have no need to worry about cracking the East and West quandary. They look absolutely home here. A place where everything gets to shine.
“China, for example, has the most intricate cooking methods from oil blanching to velveting to their knife skills. There is so much science behind it that, to a geek like me, makes cooking more interesting… That’s where we are at with Oak & Smoke, trying to figure out what are the Asian flavors we are familiar with and how to either present them differently or be bold enough to marry them with Western techniques.”
After getting to sample Oak & Smoke’s menu, both Bautista and Jorgensen have no need to worry about cracking the East and West quandary. They look absolutely home here. A place where everything gets to shine.