It’s an unexpected departure for chef Nuit Regular and her husband and business partner Jeff: not an unexplored region of Thailand, but Filipino food. Their new restaurant, Makilala, is set to open at the end of July in the former Golden Thai space.
It’s been almost two decades since the couple’s first restaurant, Sukothai, opened downtown, giving many ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½nians their first taste of khao soi and helping put the spotlight on Northern Thai cooking. Since then, the two have continued to showcase the vastness of Thai cuisine — whether it’s royal Thai fare at Kiin, the Thai-style party atmosphere (and eventual celeb hotspot) at Pai, or, most recently, a snack-centric bar called Tha Phae Tavern.
Among the dishes on Makilala’s menu, from left, tortang talong (eggplant fritter), pandesal (fresh bread rolls), sisig (crispy pork) and fresh lumpia (vegetables wrapped in a crepe).
Andrew Francis Wallace/ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ StarNamed after the Tagalog word that means “get to know” or “recognize,” Makilala is located at 105 Church St., not far from the original Sukothai location that launched their culinary dominance in the city. It’s not that ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ needs an introduction to Filipino cuisine at this point, with ube-flavoured desserts being as ubiquitous as vanilla and regular online debates on who in the city does the best lechon. Rather, it’s a way to show another side of Nuit’s cooking.
Plus, where the chef behind Sukhothai, Pai and Kiin goes for her favourite baked good, a perfect combination of sweet and savoury.
Plus, where the chef behind Sukhothai, Pai and Kiin goes for her favourite baked good, a perfect combination of sweet and savoury.
“This is half of my life,†explains Nuit, who has been learning and cooking Filipino food with Jeff’s family since the two met — he was backpacking in Thailand, and she was working as a nurse. “I married a Filipino and when I first came to Canada we lived with Jeff’s parents,†says Nuit. “Jeff’s mom is the biggest influence, she’ll make adobo and sisig. We’ll also go to the Philippines to meet Jeff’s aunt, and I’ll stay in the kitchen while she teaches me. It’s been like this for quite some time.â€
“This place has actually been in talks since Sukothai first opened in 2008,†says Jeff’s brother Joel Regular, who co-owns the restaurant with Jeff and Nuit. “A lot of this started with my brother and I exploring our food that we were sharing with Nuit.†At the time, the chef was hesitant to open a Filipino restaurant, wanting to focus on Thai cooking and unsure of her ability to replicate her in-laws’ dishes. But when the space became available last summer, the trio decided it was time.
Makilala restaurateurs Nuit and Jeff Regular’s first foray into Filipino cuisine.Â
Andrew Francis Wallace/ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ StarOpen for lunch and dinner, the menu will include classic dishes like tortang talong (eggplant fritter); sisig (a sizzling plate of crispy pork cheeks, ear and belly with egg); fresh lumpia (thinly sliced jicama, chayote, long beans and carrots wrapped in an eggy crêpe); itlog maalat (a chopped salad of salted duck egg and tomato); and fluffy, house-made pandesal (a slightly sweet bread roll typically eaten at breakfast), served with barako coffee, a chocolatey, sweet and ultra-strong variety from the Philippines. “This is the real, authentic home-feel,†says the restaurant’s head chef, Ron Mayorga, who previously cooked at the Shangri-La hotel in Cebu.
The space, which seats about 90 including a private dining room, is modelled after a community basketball court, says Jeff. Court lines are painted on the floor, an old net is anchored on the wall, and a clothing line of basketball jerseys hangs by the entrance.
“I love everything that ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ offered me. ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½nians love Thai and that allowed me to showcase my food.â€
“I love everything that ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ offered me. ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½nians love Thai and that allowed me to showcase my food.â€
“Every barangay (neighbourhood) in the Philippines has a basketball court,†he explains. “It’s a very important thing. Because it’s a flat and open space, it’s also where birthday parties, celebrations and pageants are held. That gathering aspect is what we wanted here.†The restaurant will also feature a stage for karaoke and live music. Anyone who’s spent enough time online has likely come across viral videos of singers casually belting out five-octave ranges at Filipino talent shows.
While chef Nuit Regular is known best for her Thai cooking, she’s been cooking Filipino dishes at home ever since she met her now husband and business partner, Jeff.
Andrew Francis Wallace/ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ StarFilipino cuisine has made strong inroads across the GTA in recent years. Non-locals now frequent long-established hubs like Bathurst and Wilson or Agincourt; young chefs are reinterpreting adobo and leche flan; kamayans have become a go-to group dinner format; and big-name chains like Seafood City and Jollibee have firmly planted roots in the city. Makilala hopes to build on that momentum.
“There are already so many great Filipino restaurants. It’s nice to have a cuisine where you can just find it anywhere now, like Italian food,†said Jeff. “There’s Mineral doing high-end, Little Manila, the convenience stores with the hot tables — there are so many different experiences, and we just want to be another piece to that puzzle.â€
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