Expect classic and innovative takes on Filipino comfort food, with Hayop exclusives and Manam signatures on the menu

What’s the story?

If your knowledge of Filipino cuisine is as limited as mine, book a table at Hayop and get ready to be schooled. Jointly launched by Russell Yu (Iki Concepts), Gwen Lim (Patisserie G) and The Moment Group, Hayop is the fancier sibling of Manam, Moment’s wildly successful casual concept that’s found across the Philippines. Like Manam, it aims to make diners feel at home with honest-to-goodness Filipino food.

How’s the food?

Few things deserve exclamation marks but since you asked, delicious! Finally, Filipinos in Singapore have somewhere to go when homesickness hits. Hayop embraces bayanihan, the Filipino concept of togetherness rooted in familial ties, making every meal a reason to celebrate.

Expect classic and innovative takes on Filipino comfort food, with Hayop exclusives and Manam signatures on the menu. Must-orders include Manam’s House Crispy Sisig (see featured photo), served on a sizzling hot plate and best had with rice. Cubes of pork jowl and cheek are deep-fried with garlic, spring onions, chilli and crackling, then tossed in a secret sauce packed with chicken liver and more. Another Manam signature is the Crispy Palabok. This twist on the Filipino classic involves deep-fried glass noodles served on a bed of charred baby cuttlefish, grilled tiger prawns, smoked fish flakes and crackling, before it’s softened by a rich shrimp-based gravy.

Other highlights include the Adobong Dilaw, made with braised pork belly, roasted bone marrow and a bright turmeric and coconut sap vinegar sauce; Manam’s Wagyu and Watermelon Singang, a hearty broth that gets its sweetness from watermelon; and Kamatis, a palate-cleansing tomato salad tossed in calamansi vinaigrette.

What else is there to know?

People come in solely for the Halo-Halo, a Filipino version of ice kacang, but with ube, red beans, palm seeds, leche flan and coconut jelly. But to end a meal so rich, a simple scoop of Sorbetes will do. Traditionally sold on the streets from pushcarts, this is ice cream churned with coconut milk and four different flavours: ube, calamansi, choco-nut and my favourite, mantecado (brown butter), topped with a quick dusting of rare Filipino sea salt.

Hayop
104 Amoy Street,
Singapore 069924
Tel: +65 8028 9012