Chef Sharwin Tee’s 6-month pop-up at the Center for Culinary Arts BGC has been creating buzz with its first-ever Chinese-Filipino (Tsinoy) tasting menu — a thoughtful celebration of heritage flavors, intimate dining, and refined execution that’s giving off true Michelin-level vibes. This is the first time I really enjoy Chef Sharwin’s cooking with a splash of stinky childhood stories and heritage ingredients from Eu Yan Sang.
The pop-up, tucked away on the 3rd floor of the Center for Culinary Arts at the UP BGC campus, opened last June and will run its Autumn 2025 menu until the end of December. This space is still used as a culinary classroom, and I remember we once used it to host a fundraiser for our friend Spanky Enriquez.
It is open for dinner only on Fridays and Sundays, with a maximum of 12 guests or five tables per service.
Tiam Sim various snacks
Dinner begins with Chinese snacks: shrimp croquettes, radish cake with XO sauce, and beef balls, paired with a cocktail of orange purée, lemon-lime soda, and rum.
(Note: There is no wine or drinks list, so it’s best to bring your own bottle.)
Sibut Tang
Eu Yan Sang Tang Kui broth. suahe. dragonfruit
This sibut broth was energizing, with the sweetness of dragonfruit and tender bits of shrimp. Eu Yan Sang offers a packaged nourishing herbal soup for vitality that you can enjoy at home.
Love how Chef Sharwin prepares each dish from scratch, all with his lovable demeanor.
Si Dit Misua
angel hair. carrot. cabbage. egg
Misua is a must for celebrations of long life, but this version is made with angel hair pasta, a perfectly soft-boiled egg, and a dash of tultul salt.
The crunch from the cabbage was lost in translation, and it was a bit bland, so you can request tultul salt for extra flavor.
One of the dinner’s highlights was a fun round of dice, where the highest roll won gifts from Eu Yan Sang and Chef Sharwin’s special XO sauce—Rache took the prize with three 4’s.
Pe Bok Ni
white fungus. EuYan Sang Codonopsis tea
Palette-cleansing tea with goji berries.
Tao Meng Tsai
hair vegetable. beard tooth mushroom. abalone
This was one of our favorites — a savory take on taho with soy milk, “hair vegetables,” beard tooth mushroom, abalone, and pearls, all served atop mahjong tiles.
“Beef and Brocolli”
Mayura Station wagyu. oyster. broccoli
The highlight of the tasting menu is the Mayura Station wagyu, featuring the chuck cut and a rich oyster-infused oyster sauce. Deliciously cooked medium-rare, the portion is surprisingly satisfying for a tasting menu.
Kiam Peng
Jasponica. pork belly. mustard leaf. apple
The Kiam Peng was cooked paella style with the traditional version based on Chef Sharwin’s Ama recipe at the bottom and the elevated version topped with sliced chunks of pork belly, Japanese mayo, apple compote and mustard leaves to balance the flavor.
Ang sarap! The base Kiam Peng is packed with generous chunks of pork and bursting with flavor in every spoonful. I love the charred rice bits too. No need to finish it all — save some for the next day at home; it tastes even better!
“Amah’s Gulaman”
pana cotta. pineapple. frozen yoghurt
This dessert was first showcased during the fundraiser for Spanky, and it’s fascinating to see how it has evolved. The panna cotta is served inside an orange rind, layered with pineapple curd, torched to caramelize the top, and finished with a dollop of frozen yogurt.
Malay Ko is a brown butter and muscovado sugar bread — perfectly sweet, with a soft, mamon-like texture, making it a fitting way to end the meal.
Tsa
green tea. malay ko
Malay Ko is paired with a warm cute cup of green tea with coi, perfect for cleansing the palate and aiding digestion.
Masarap pala maluto si Chef Sharwin! We loved every dish in the Autumn menu. Rache’s favorites were the misua and the taho, while I couldn’t get enough of the Mayura steak and Kiam Peng. Overall, the dining experience was thoughtfully curated, with each dish carrying a heritage story—even the Eu Yan Sang–inspired creations were excellent.
The interactive elements, from the traditional Chinese baon to the one-round dice game and mahjong tiles, made the experience engaging and fun. My only wish is that it had been held in an authentic Chinese home rather than a culinary school setting, to fully bring the Chinese stories to life.
Little Grace Dining
Autumn 2025
Friday and Sunday
Center for Culinary Arts BGC
₱5,000/head
Live an Awesome Life with Christ,
Founder & Digital Creator, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: This article was written entirely by a human—reflecting my own biases, opinions, and insights—with grammar and clarity checked using AI assistance. Thank you to Chef Sharwin Tee for inviting us to this Eu Yan Sang collaboration.
P.S. Masarap yung Chef Shar’s XO (₱700/bottle) which Rache won during the dice game.
P.P.S. Eu Yan Sang is best known for Essence of Chicken and Superior Bird’s Nest.
