Malaysia’s Secret Recipe opens 1st Philippine restaurant

MANILA, Philippines — In the Philippines, when T’boli weavers go to sleep, they try to dream of new patterns for their weaves. As for Sweepstakes bettors, they hope to dream of winning numbers, of course!

In 1990s Malaysia, hairdresser Dato' Steven Sim once had a dream to fill the gap in the café market. Unable to think of a name for his new dining concept, Sim went to sleep – and surprisingly, found the answer in a dream!

Thus, in 1997, Sim founded Secret Recipe. Fast-forward to today, his café-restaurant chain now has 365 branches in Malaysia and has expanded abroad by opening its first ever Philippine restaurant in One Ayala Mall, Makati City last March 1.

“The name came to our founder in a dream. He was trying to figure out something, then he went asleep and then suddenly, he woke up and then like, ‘That’s it, that’s the name!’,” Patrick Sim, Managing Director of Secret Recipe Malaysia, shared to Philstar.com the story behind their restaurant’s name.

“So if you want to think of something, go to sleep!” advised Patrick, who hails from the second generation of the family-owned franchise. “Dream about it and it just comes up – subconscious!”

“We think the Philippines is a very wide market and I think it’s only the next step for us to expand further in Southeast Asia,” he said about their decision to bring their brand to the country.

While the restaurant chain still keeps its “secret recipe” under wraps – the secret to its success is not a secret at all. 

“What makes us standout are our really great tasting, quality cakes that no one can match,” Sim claimed.

The Bistro Group, which manages Secret Recipe in the Philippines, said it is their first ever restaurant concept that offers Asian-Western cuisine and a wide array of baked “fine quality cakes.”

“It is a promising Asian brand and a good addition to our portfolio,” The Bistro Group Chief Operating Officer Rechele Tiongson told Philstar.com in an interview at the diner’s Philippine opening.

“We don’t have much Asian, so (the brand) is a good fit to our company and also, the café and the feel of the restaurant is something that is unique among all the restaurants that we have.”

Of all the cakes the chain is proud of, Sim vouched for their cheesecakes that come in different flavors, including different fruits and cheeses. There is “something for everyone,” he assured.

Tiongson particularly recommended the burnt cheesecake that somewhat has hints of Filipino Leche Flan. But according to her, they don’t have plans yet to infuse Filipino dishes into the restaurant’s menu since its “original concoctions in Malaysia work very well in the Philippines.”

She, however, revealed that the restaurant’s menu has been tweaked for the Filipino palate. The Malaysian specialties, for example, were made less spicy or with option to make them spicy to-taste. These include Laksa, Beef Rendang, Fried Rice with Chicken Satay and Irish Lamb Shank.

Also “especially blended for the Philippines,” she said, are local and imported coffee selections made from the “finest beans in the market.” Among these blends, she shared, is Salted 4Cs – a medley of caramel, cream cheese, coffee and cashew nuts, which she believed is “new in the market.”

Other products of Bistro Group’s hours of “research and development” by its chefs are “curated” and handcrafted teas that give the restaurant a “very titas and titos feel” in complementing the cakes, said Tiongson. These teas are topped with edible flowers to one’s liking, and Tiongson couldn’t think of any other restaurant in Manila that offers such.

Complementing the menu is what Sim described as an “Instagrammable” ambience fit into the 240-square-meter space, with a 90 seating capacity. The diner now accepts bookings and advanced reservations. Bistro is also planning to open two more branches for the year, said Tiongson.

“I think this is the best place where you could have your special event, birthday, wedding, reception, anniversary,” she enthused.

Secret Recipe’s success is proof of what Walt Disney had been saying all along – dreams do come true.