Get a lowdown on what’s next for the Clavano brothers and their partners as they plan to take Metro Manila’s already bustling dining scene to new heights.
What do the restaurants Izakaya Geronimo, Wagyu Studio, Carlo’s all have in common? Besides being some of the Metro’s trendiest dining spots—each one contributing a fresh new voice to Japanese and Italian-American cuisine in the country—they’re also the brainchildren of the unstoppable Clavano brothers, Lui and LA, as well as their innovative partners Carlo Alvarez, Frank Lao, and Janica Lao. Never ones to stay stagnant and complacent, the Clavano brothers and their team continue to build their strong portfolio of restaurants, promising an exciting lineup of new establishments that foodies can look forward to.
So, we return to the central question: what’s new? The Clavano brothers give Lifestyle Asia the latest scoop in an exclusive interview. Let’s dig in.
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Wagyu Studio Gets A Refresh
The hit restaurant Wagyu Studio, a disrupter in the local dining scene since it first opened roughly five years ago, will be getting a refresh—testament to the team’s commitment to constant growth. The restaurant will be reopening in West Gallery Place in BGC under a new name: Niku Niku Banzai.
“We wanted to add new elements that the original space just didn’t allow for,” Lui explains. “We also want to cater to a bigger market.”
The establishment will be offering a broader range of premium beef cuts, including Australian ones; a new leap from Wagyu Studio’s exclusive focus on Kobe beef. Diners can still expect the beloved yakiniku format that made Wagyu Studio a hit, but this time with an added element of shabu-shabu.
The Mystery Diner
The brothers and their team will also be adding a new venture to their list: an unnamed, eight to 10-seater burger diner designed by JJ Acuña (the Hong Kong-based Filipino talent behind the charming and inviting look of Carlo’s). We’re at the edge of our seats here, but what we do know is that it’ll be foregoing the usual signage we see in restaurant facades, instead opting for a simple red light and green light system to indicate whether they’re open for business.
“We’re hoping it will invite curiosity,” says LA mischievously. “People will think, ‘What the hell is this?’ They’ll come in, try the food, and hopefully come back.”
The diner is a collaboration with Filipino-American Chef Alvin Cailan for this venture, the “burger god” behind Eggslut, head chef of Umami Burger in California, and host of First We Feast’s web series The Burger Show.
A New Concept With Asia’s #1 Bar and Michelin-starred Talents
Frequent, high-profile pop-ups under the team’s various concepts have kept them busy—and in the loop with some of the continent’s best talents. Case in point, in May 2024, Izakaya Geronimo hosted a two-day omakase pop-up with Lindsay Jang and Matt Abergel, co-founders of the Hong Kong-based, internationally-acclaimed Yardbird: a Michelin-star izakaya and regular on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
The team has since kept in touch, and is currently working on a concept involving Lorenzo Antinori of Bar Leone (also based in Hong Kong), which ranked No. 1 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars for 2024. Antinori has also worked in various Four Seasons Hotels, including Charles H in Seoul and Argo in Hong Kong.
With such a strong line-up of collaborators, we can’t help but anticipate what’s to come. If it’s anything like the Clavano brothers and their team’s other projects, there’s certainly a lot to be excited about.
Photos of Clavano brothers by Sela Gonzales; food photos via Instagram @wagyustudio, @carlos.philippines, @izakayageronimo.
