Once upon a time in Vamos, a customer requested a very specific fish—a dover sole, to be exact.
The twist, however, was that the flatfish—usually mild and sweet—originally wasn’t in the Spanish spot’s menu. But Kyle Ureta, Vamos’ executive chef, perceived this as more than a one-dimensional dilemma.
“She wanted it fresh; she [didn’t] want it frozen. Okay, fine. We told her, ‘Just give us a couple of days and we’ll get back to you.’ Now, I have it flying in.”
“The customer is always right” has been an overused hospitality adage in hopes of earning steady loyalty and new guests. But somehow, it finds new meaning in this newly-opened three-story restaurant-and-bar standing proudly in Paseo Center, Makati since March 2025.
“The customer is always right” has been an overused hospitality adage in hopes of earning steady loyalty and new guests. But somehow, it finds new meaning in this newly-opened three-story restaurant-and-bar standing proudly in Paseo Center
“We ended up catering to whatever special request [guests] want. We’ll do it. It ended up being our DNA. I think that’s what would set us apart from everyone else. It’s not like, ‘This is our [only] food.’ No, it’s not that. I think [it is more like], ‘Come [to] our place. We’ll do our best to serve what you’re craving’” says Ureta.
Spontaneous Spanish delight
“Every day is special,” he stresses. Once you bask in its intimate interiors and sleek visuals, you wouldn’t be surprised about this claim. Tall bottles of liquor, big glass windows previewing the city’s hustle and bustle, and Rufino De Mingo paintings from the CEO-slash-founder’s personal collection grace the space. But Ureta is actually talking about what happens before your food gets served on the table.
“The fish, for example, we buy fresh every day. We go to the market every day. We built the menu around the idea that, ‘Okay, we won’t be able to sell fish today, so what are we going to do for the fish tomorrow?’ The fish will always be special [and] different. So if you’re asking [about seasonal dishes], everything is seasonal,” he says.
It’s reminiscent of how a mom-and-pop store lays out their daily menu. “Whatever we see in the market in the morning, [we’d think], ‘Hey, you know, that’s great. Let’s do that today.”
“The fish, for example, we buy fresh every day. We go to the market every day. We built the menu around the idea that, ‘Okay, we won’t be able to sell fish today, so what are we going to do for the fish tomorrow?’ The fish will always be special [and] different. So if you’re asking [about seasonal dishes], everything is seasonal,” Kyle Ureta says
At first, this wasn’t strictly the case. In fact, this kind of customer dedication was a result of thorough observation from their everyday guests. Solidifying its presence in the Makati central business district, Vamos lured in exactly their target market: the on-the-go employee. How they behaved, though, turned out to be a different story.
“In the beginning, [we were] expecting lunch to be like…” he pauses to snap his fingers twice, “…fast-paced, but we ended up having clients during lunch. During the afternoon, they have their meetings here, so they [stay] longer. We do have a VIP room, so that is usually utilized during lunch. It really turned the expectation around.”
“It’s just a lunch break at 45 minutes to an hour,” Ureta recounts his previous thoughts. “[But] then, they would slow down.”
Assumptions were also lukewarm for the evening swarm of diners—but they were proven wrong yet again. “For dinner, we were actually expecting [that] the clients, after a certain time, would leave and we would have a different clientele for the nightlife [or] the bar experience. But again, that actually surprised us because most of the clients would go here, they’d come here at 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., or 7 p.m., and then they’d stay until 2 a.m. [and] buy bottles of wine. It was completely different [from what we expected].”
A mouthwatering menu
Thus, their team took notes and adjusted accordingly. “We started adding more dishes that are smaller bites. Before, for dinner, the dishes were all very heavy, so we added a lot more light dishes that people can enjoy for a longer period of time.”
A light dish that guarantees satisfaction is their tortilla Española. This Spanish omelette consisting of potatoes and eggs showcases a delicate texture and mild taste; it’s almost like biting into a cloud. Why not pair it with the albondigas? The Spanish meatballs boast savory and nutty satisfaction—it’s hard to declare, “one last piece.” And just when you thought you’re only taking quick bites for the day, there’s a sweet treat waiting for you at the end. The tarta de Santiago or the “cake of St. James” is a moist and lemony almond cake that packs a punch with every slice.
But if you’re a more adventurous potato truther, the pulpo a la gallega may be your best bet. The first layer? Juicy and peppery potato slices. On top of them? Tender octopus tentacles. Like the tarta de Santiago, it’s traditional Galician food. Expect to spot it as the go-to dish when the Galician city of Lugo celebrates its patron saint, San Froilán.
Meanwhile, the pescado a la Bilbania, aka their tasty Bilbao-style fish, showcases their catch of the day. “We love the seafood culture of Spain, and that’s what we want to share with the people,” Ureta says.
Paella and beyond
Spanish seafood shines even more with paella—and their paella marisco is nothing short of an intricate medley of flavors, from earthy to smoky. And even if Ureta is shy to admit—probably because paella is the most cliche answer when thinking of top-of-mind Spanish food—he still chooses it as his favorite dish to cook.
“The reason why I enjoy it so much is because of the freedom. It’s easy to do, but difficult to master. That’s the dish that perfectly encapsulates me as a chef. That’s the perfect dish here that explains how we combine our love for tradition and our hunger for innovation, right?”
He adds, “How we treat our paella, like every paella flavor or dish, has a different interpretation and approach to it. So even if you’re getting a seafood paella, chicken paella, or pork paella, […] those were approached differently. It’s not the same all throughout.”
“The reason why I enjoy it so much is because of the freedom. It’s easy to do, but difficult to master. That’s the dish that perfectly encapsulates me as a chef. That’s the perfect dish here that explains how we combine our love for tradition and our hunger for innovation, right?”
After all, the chef has a rich history with it. “I’m Filipino, but my father’s side has Spanish [roots], so I grew up having Spanish food, which is, you know, a memory,” he reveals.
Working in Vamos, for him, feels like reconnecting with his roots. “‘Confident’ is not the word when it comes to Spanish food. It’s just, I guess, part of who I am. It’s like a special connection. That’s why it’s also easy for me if a guest says, ‘Can you do this for me?’ Sure.”
Core memory-building
Diving into Ureta’s penchant for memory made me realize that this tender perspective spills over how he views the guests’ dining experience, too.
“We will entertain you, not just with entertainment but also with hospitality. We will give you what you want. We will do our best to satisfy you. At the end of the day, we want to be the best background noise,” he says.
“[When] people go celebrate or they go on first dates, they go to a restaurant. Anniversary, you go to a restaurant. Promotion, you go to a restaurant. If you’re on a first date with someone, the highlight is not in the food. The highlight is the person on a date night. Everything has to be perfect to make that whole experience or memory perfect because if that memory is perfect, then you’ve cemented your place into a core memory of theirs, and they will just want to come back to you.”
So, is sentimentality a goal? He agrees. “We want them to [think], ‘Hey, remember Vamos?’ ‘Oh yeah, it brings a tear to my eye.’ We want to be that place. Of course, it won’t happen if the food isn’t good. It won’t happen if the service is bad. So everything has to come together to give you the best background for your special [day]. It’s not us who are the stars of your evening—it’s you. We will do everything we can to make sure that you feel like you’re Oscar-worthy.”
Behind-the-scenes action
For this to take effect in the room, the work should be done as early as the kitchen phase—and you can count on Vamos when it comes to introducing fresh cooking techniques, ingredients, or formats in the city.
Given the spontaneity and area for customization in this restaurant, Ureta considers that Vamos may be the opposite of a tasting menu, as their messaging thrives in, “This is what we’re doing for you”
“There’s a dish in Spanish [cuisine], it’s called pil pil. It’s quite technical because what you’re doing is you’re rendering the juice and the fat from the fish and then emulsifying it with olive oil, turning that into a very thick sauce,” he describes.
“The reason why it’s called ‘pil pil’ is because it’s the sound of the liquid smashing to the side of the saute pan. So I think that that’s a different technique,” he says. “The pil pil is a great technique we’re introducing. We love cooking with fire.”
Given the spontaneity and area for customization in this restaurant, Ureta considers that Vamos may be the opposite of a tasting menu, as their messaging thrives in, “This is what we’re doing for you.”
A full-fledged experience
Apart from guaranteeing access to global flavors, Vamos also brings culture beyond the plates, thanks to the passionate performers that double down on the world-building aspect.
“We actually have, on a daily basis, flamenco dancers [and] aerial acrobats. [Our] flamenco dancers are from Spain. Tito, the guy on the guitar, is a legend in flamenco in Spain, so we’re bringing that culture here,” he says. “Then, we have Mx Sparklemafia, Julia, the aerial acrobat. She actually flew in from London[…] Actually, when we started doing the flamenco shows, we were doing [them] outside. Then, a lot of people here [have known Vamos] as, ‘Ah, they have the flamenco dancers.’”
These fragments of the Vamos experience are also strengthened by their support system. The restaurant is a tenant of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, to which Ureta is grateful for.
Apart from guaranteeing access to global flavors, Vamos also brings culture beyond the plates, thanks to the passionate performers that double down on the world-building aspect
“If we have any requests, for example, any issues with the mall, they’re very accommodating[…] The mall management in particular is very helpful. There were a couple of times that we would make ridiculous requests, like, ‘Can we put extension cords? Can we use the power grid of the parking lot? We need to do this for this. We have a band coming in, and it’s last-minute[…] It’s a great relationship we have with Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, and I couldn’t imagine a better landlord for us,” he says.
It’s also easy to integrate Vamos in a guest’s agenda for the day, whether they’re enjoying their “me” time or grabbing groceries with friends in Paseo Center.
Ureta believes they offer diversity to the area: “Speaking of Paseo Center in particular, you have your QSRs (quick service restaurants), you have different kinds of restaurants, and then you have us. So I think it’s just the immediate community that we have in this building. It gives our guests for this mall a bigger variety… bigger choices on what to do and where to go.”
A (culinary) world without labels
How Vamos values their community and service quality may just stem from knowing their identity fully, including their open-door atmosphere. One that prioritizes honest collaboration and doesn’t thrive in intimidation. In fact, this is one of the pieces of wisdom Ureta picked up through his culinary journey.
“First of all, the word ‘chef.’ Before, I thought to myself, there should only be one chef. It was all very structured. [But] after working with a lot of great bosses, I think I don’t like the word ‘chef’ anymore, I don’t like my people calling me ‘chef.’ I don’t like calling my people ‘chef.’ We have names for a reason,” he explains.
“Everyone just has a role to play, and of course there’s titles. But because we took that idea out, everyone just feels more comfortable throwing in ideas and suggestions”
“So when we started taking out the word ‘chef’ from our vocabulary, I think that’s when we started to—at least the team here at Vamos—evolve into a team that is more… experimental? Everyone got to be more confident and comfortable doing things, and I think why we are able to do [what we do] is because we took out the word ‘chef.’ Everyone just has a role to play, and of course there’s titles. But because we took that idea out, everyone just feels more comfortable throwing in ideas and suggestions.”
He adds, “Even for the rank and file, [it] becomes less intimidating because they can just approach and say, ‘Hey, you know, I think they don’t think this is working.’ When you put the word ‘chef,’ it’s scary eh. You can’t say na, ‘Chef, I don’t think this is working,’ [versus] if you go, like, ‘Kyle.’ ‘Oh bakit?’ ‘Sige, let’s try.’”
After all, Ureta has been knee-deep in the kitchen’s workings, molding him into a multifaceted member of the industry. “I started working way, way back. I started as a dishwasher and worked my way up,” he recounts. “I [eventually] diversified my career, worked in a lot of places, in different establishments, worked in hotels, then became an executive chef.”
All roads lead to just doing the job well—so much so that Ureta’s “weekdays and weekends are kind of blurred into just [one] week.” But he isn’t complaining.
A Spanish Filipino community in Makati
“Vamos is very special[…] We want to be the best, of course. We want our team to earn money and all that jazz. But at the end of the day, what really sticks to me is our dedication to just making everyone feel special. The potential of what Vamos can bring to the community. The potential of what we can do for the hospitality industry as a whole,” he says.
This brand of teamwork exudes sharpness and urgency, like what the word “vamos” means in Spanish (“Let’s go!”). In fact, the original name of this place almost got baptized with a name that means, “Let’s go attack.”
“Our founder and CEO actually wanted the name to be different and longer,” Ureta reveals.
I tell him it’s quite ironic—the name’s aggression and thrill juxtaposed with the place’s coziness and strange familiarity.
But it boils down to transformation, he says. “That’s the whole idea of it, but eventually it evolved, like how everything evolves. It evolved into something like a community place[…] Something like, ‘Hey, let’s go. Let’s go Vamos.’ So we want people to come here and chill, just relax.”
What privilege is it to be a place where exhausted passersby choose to visit, when they can head straight home instead? No wonder people stay longer than expected—and I’m not using the word “overstaying” for that.
Megaworld Lifestyle Malls’ World of Flavors celebrates the artistry, passion, and compelling stories of culinary visionaries and restaurateurs.
