Chef Martin Laurel brings his culinary influences together on a plate
At a private lunch I attended, the dishes served immediately captured my attention—not in a loud, theatrical way, but in that quiet, disarming way that makes you pause mid-conversation because something unexpected just happened in your mouth. The flavors were hard to pin down: sour and sweet, savory and umami, familiar yet unique. I thought the combinations should not have worked as effortlessly as they did—but they did.
One bite that stayed with me was the luxurious Potato Caviar Bite. Built on a crisp potato base, it was topped with white chocolate, a generous serving of caviar, and a touch of edible gold. It sounded unusual. It tasted indulgent—salty, creamy, faintly sweet, and surprisingly balanced. The Korean Croquette Bomb, stuffed with kimchi, bacon and mozzarella and served with a sweet kimchi marinara, felt like several cuisines— Korean, Spanish, Italian—collided and decided to cooperate instead of compete.
A mango kinilaw, made with cured tanigue infused with mango for two weeks, vinegar, chili oil, edible flowers and alliums, was bright and sharp. It woke the taste buds rather than easing in. A dish that could have been a simple palate cleanser before the main course—watermelon in matcha yogurt—turned out to be one of the most memorable. Watermelon soaked in lemon sugar for a full day, paired with matcha yogurt, crispy rice, and mint, it was cool, tangy, creamy, and texturally playful. Then came the steak confit on mushroom truffle fried rice with a secret truffle steak sauce—deeply savory and comforting. Delicious. What was the secret sauce, I wondered.
The chef behind this meal is Martin Laurel, a globally trained Filipino culinary professional whose resume includes Michelin-starred kitchens in New York and San Francisco, as well as time at Toyo Eatery in Manila. Raised in a family of restaurateurs, he grew up inside professional kitchens, developing an early instinct for timpla, balance and flavor. Formal training later sharpened what was already there.
“Training in some of the world’s most exciting Michelin-starred kitchens, from New York to San Francisco, instilled in me a deep respect for detail,” he says. “True excellence comes from paying close attention to every element on the plate because it’s that precision that allows each ingredient to express its best qualities.” He also emphasizes that restaurant cooking is never a solo act. “A restaurant only succeeds when every member of the team performs their role at the highest level. Great cooking is always a collective effort.”
One of his most formative experiences was working under chef Emma Bengtsson at Aquavit, a two-Michelin-star restaurant known for Scandinavian cuisine. While that style is often associated with restraint, Laurel points out that the flavors themselves are not timid. “Chef Emma’s flavors are actually bold and explosive in their own way. She simply expresses them through different ingredients and flavor notes than those typically found in Filipino cooking.” What stayed with him was finesse. “A commitment to precision, balance and thoughtful composition continues to shape how I present Filipino flavors, allowing them to remain vibrant and expressive, but delivered with refinement and care.”
His cooking today reflects a mix of influences. Years spent in Scandinavian, Japanese, Californian, Filipino and Thai-influenced kitchens have blended into something more instinctive. “I don’t consciously try to replicate or strictly adhere to the traditions I trained in,” he explains. “It feels less like drawing from specific cuisines and more like expressing a style that has naturally evolved from all of them.”
Returning to the Philippines to work at Toyo Eatery shifted his perspective again. After years abroad, cooking Filipino food felt personal. “It was grounding to cook food that I genuinely crave and connect with on a personal level,” he says. Working alongside cooks from different regions exposed him to a wide range of approaches to flavors and reinforced the value of local ingredients. “That experience reshaped my perspective on Filipino food—not just as tradition, but as something dynamic, thoughtful, and rooted in what we already have.”
His ingredient-focused style also traces back to people close to him. “Some of my most meaningful mentors have been closer to home: my father and the cooks I’ve worked alongside over the years,” he says. They shaped how he sees produce—not as decoration, but as the foundation of honest cooking.
Even with an early start in the restaurant world, international kitchens pushed him beyond what was familiar. He had to learn new techniques, new ingredients, and new ways of thinking about flavor. “It broadened my understanding of timpla and showed me that there are many different paths to creating something delicious, each shaped by history, geography and perspective.”
Chef Martin’s food reflects a willingness to combine ideas that many would keep separate. He draws from everything he has learned—from family kitchens to Michelin-starred restaurants—and brings those influences together on one plate without hesitation. The result is not just fusion, but a bold, cohesive style that delivers a fresh and memorable dining experience.
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For private bookings, email chef Martin Laurel at chefmartinbookings@gmail.com.
