Pinoy Chef Oli Buenviaje brings us around the world

But don’t think it’s just about seafood, though that’s the highlight and the star at Seafood 8. There are Garden and Chicken Caesar salads, a Bicol Express Crab Linguine that goes back to its roots, and the carnivores will be more than happy with a Malaysian Beef Rendang or Grilled Pork Lechon. Good as these are, seafood will probably be your choice, especially when you spot the live seafood displayed on ice and, beyond this market scene, an open kitchen.

We opened our meal there with Seafood 8 Bouillabaisse, the classic French seafood soup made more contemporary with the addition of French beans to the mussels and clams. Giant yet tender Pacific oysters were served two ways, baked Rockefeller-style with spinach and cheese or just gloriously plump and raw. So hard to say which is better.

Underwater creatures run the gamut here, with Baby Pusit cooked in olive oil and garlic confit, or the smoky Chargrilled Japanese Octopus with a touch of Spain through chorizo and gambas roja sauce. The seafood is not confined to any one area on Earth as chef Oli sources his Tanigue Kinilaw from Roxas, fermented with Ilocos vinegar. The Dover Sole Meuniere is another tribute to his time in Paris; the fish is very simply and reverently cooked in butter. The Branzino, another tasty fish, is also simply cooked in an emulsified lemon butter sauce. The Tiger Prawns, cooked with a mirin and miso den sauce, hail from Batangas, while the Grilled Tuna Belly, served with Latin chimichurri, is sourced in Gen San. The rich meat of giant Tiger Lobsters was complemented by a lemon hollandaise.

The restaurant’s name, Seafood 8, is in fact based on chef Oli’s eight signature sauces: Kalamansi Hollandaise, Chili Caramel, Asian Sweet and Sour Sauce, Olio’s Supreme XO Sauce, Miso Butter, Inasal Citrus Ginger and Soy, Latin Chimichurri and Gambas Roja.

A mutual friend led to chef Oli’s preparing a special truffle dinner for Jorge Araneta, CEO, chairman and president of the Araneta Group. Chef Oli was then invited to open at Gateway after he explained his concept for the restaurant.

“Seafood has always been at the heart of my culinary journey,” says chef Oli. “Seafood 8 by Olio’s is my way of celebrating the incredible seafood we have in this country while presenting it through the lens of everything I’ve learned around the world. Filipinos love seafood and we love sharing meals. Seafood 8 by Olio’s is about giving guests the freedom to create their own dining experience while enjoying the quality, care and excitement with every dish.”

Being an archipelago surrounded by seafood-rich waters, we can truly appreciate that chef Oli brings it all together for us in one place, at Gateway Mall 2.