The dinner pairing is part of the first Philippine Cocktail Fiesta, a week-long celebration that brings global bartenders to Manila for guest shifts, pop-ups, and pairing events across the city.
Three Dots, a family-run restobar in GH Mall in San Juan, hosted a pairing dinner with Taiwan’s The Han-Jia, (ranked No. 59 in Asia’s Best Bars extended list) and the whole menu was built around the idea of “gathering.” The dishes used familiar Philippine ingredients, and the cocktails from Han-Jia played off those flavors in a thoughtful way too.
The dinner pairing is part of the first Philippine Cocktail Fiesta, a week-long celebration that brings global bartenders to Manila for guest shifts, pop-ups, and pairing events across the city. The idea behind the Fiesta is simple: highlight Filipino flavors, connect Manila with the rest of Asia’s bar scene, and create moments where people can gather over good drinks. This dinner fit right into that overarching idea really well.
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Familiar flavors done well
The first dish was foie gras with calamansi brandy jam. It was sweet with a little tang, and it cut through the richness of the foie gras really well. The foie gras was creamy, which I appreciated, and set the tone for the rest of the menu.
Then came the tropical pomelo salad. It had the structure of a Thai-style pomelo salad, but the Filipino touches were there: calamansi and asin tibuok from Bohol. Light, refreshing, and exactly what I needed after the foie gras. It cleansed the palate in a way that made the next courses easier to enjoy.
The sourdough toast with homemade butter was such a good pause. Their sourdough is soft inside, has a slight tang, and has that chewy crust you look for in good bread. I liked it so much I ordered a separate one to take home.
The camaron rebosado was straightforward fried battered shrimp served with garlic and calamansi mayo. I’m a fan of prawns, so I enjoyed it. It also worked well with the cocktail it was paired with.
Next was the pandan chicken skewers, which is Three Dots’ take on inasal. The chicken was marinated in coconut milk, lightly smoky, and very tender. One of the stronger dishes for me.
For the mains, the coconut-crusted salmon with pandan rice arrived first. At this point I was already full, but the salmon was hearty and the toasted coconut flakes added texture. Then the bistek tagalog rib-eye came in with fried onions and chimichurri, plus mushrooms and mashed potatoes on the side. Flavor-wise, this dish really belongs with rice—that’s just Filipino instinct: bistek is best with rice.
The cocktails named after by films
Each cocktail was named after a film and a year, making the whole lineup feel like chapters in a story.
Coherence 2013 was paired with the foie gras and shrimp. It had Bonifacio white rum, atemoya, honey black tea, and rose geranium. Light and fruity, easy to pair with richer flavors.
Lady Bird 2017 matched the pomelo salad. Herby, fresh, slightly tea-like. I liked this one a lot. It smelled good, tasted clean, and had a blooming flower that made it look pretty without being fussy.
Wonka 2023 was one of my favorites. It had cacao notes (hence the name), and the sweetness was just enough. Fruity, fun, and easy to drink.
Perfume 2006 was the most interesting. The rim was covered in blueberry jam, which helped balance the spices in the drink as it has cardamom, Sichuan pepper, and cloves. It felt layered but still easy to enjoy.
What made the cocktails even more memorable was Nono Yu himself. Every time he served a cocktail, he did a magic trick: card tricks, magic wands, small illusions. He also explained the ingredients in between, adding a fun, unexpected element to the night.
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A good ending to a full night
For dessert, we had Three Dots’ queso de bola burnt cheesecake. It was rich but not too sweet, very creamy, and the toffee sauce made of muscovado sugar balanced the saltiness of the queso de bola.
I ended the night full, carrying a bag of sourdough, and had a quick chat with Nono before leaving. He gave me a special deck of playing cards featuring bartenders around Asia. It was such a small but thoughtful detail, something that made me feel proud of how strong and recognized the Asian bar scene is becoming.
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