Private Filipino cooking class in a local Manila Home

We were warmly welcome by Isi in her home in the central part of BGC. She told us all we needed to know about Filipino staple ingredients to have in our cupboards, the typical ingredients used in everyday dishes. We were up for a treat as we cooked different types of local fish and prawns. All dishes were easy to make and accessible to all. We shared the meal all together and Isi surprised us with a special dessert. Isi then spent time to answer all our questions regarding potential trips to different areas of the Philippines included islands, northern cities, restaurant recommendations and more. This is an ideal activity if you start visiting the Philippines from Manila as you will be able to link the recipes, ingredients and stories to your travel here. Do not hesitate! Book it!

What a fabulous experience this was. Isi was super friendly and had us cook three different Filipino dishes which were all incredibly flavoursome. It wasn’t just a cooking class, but an experience from love of the culture. Isi also provided us with lots of tips to continue enjoying the Philippines; you could genuinely feel her passion. We asked lots of questions, none of which were too much trouble. Isi went above and beyond to provide us with an incredible cultural memory.

Chef Isi was awesome & generous! Had a great time and even made an surprising “small-world” bonus connection with her. Food tours are really best with more guests, I think. Unfortunately, it was just my husband (who was still a little sick that time) and I for that weekend morning. The experience wasn’t also what I expected of a home-cooking class experience--- we were moved to a different venue due to pandemic restrictions so no calamansi-picking gardens with a side commentary of personal stories and proper cooking techniques, haha awe :( Still, the food we helped prepare were still indigenous to Philippine cuisine and delectably flavorful. Chef was also gracious and let us try some of her personal favorites of local crafted beers. We’re not huge meat eaters, so our personal favorites were the Ginataang Pinakbet (vegetables stewed in coconut milk & local spices-- even the garbanzos added a new texture memory to my taste buds), and the Bistek Tanguige (spanish mackerel marinated in soy sauce & calamansi). 100% YUM!