A lot has been said of how difficult a time the pandemic was for everyone. Even more has been said of how business suffered through the Covid-19 era, how even established institutions were forced to close shop (i.e., the now reopened Makati Shangri-La being a prime local example). Among those badly hit was the food and beverage industry, where many were forced to adapt to a delivery-oriented business model to survive, while others could not afford even such a pivot. Still, some persisted, holding on to the business and its people throughout the pandemic.

One of these is Rafael’s.

A fine dining restaurant that opened just days—literally!—before that fateful March of 2020, Rafael’s kept its doors open for business despite the difficulties of Covid-19.

“How could I make a decision, whether to close or keep it open, based on conditions that were not ordinary?” says Rafael’s owner Henjie Carmona.

And, indeed, such extraordinary times those years were. Through it all, Henjie kept Rafael’s running. He did all he could to keep his people employed, pivoting to a delivery-only model during the early months of the Covid years and then, when establishments were allowed to finally operate under strict guidelines, having Rafael’s ready to receive guests who dared to go out armed with face shields and facemasks.

“I could not say that people did not like our food because there was no basis for that, with foot traffic severely limited by the pandemic,” explains Henjie.

During the latter part of the Covid era, Rafael’s catered to seemingly random groups of people paying the restaurant a visit for one reason or another. There were nights when people went to enjoy the modern Spanish-inspired cuisine paired with music from DJs who spinned at Rafael’s. On some occasions, private business meetings were held at the luxurious and spacious private dining area on the second floor of the restaurant. Still on more common moments, guests simply visited to enjoy wine and tapas or pintxos while admiring the quirky art collection of Henjie that he chose to display at Rafael’s.

Why keep at it? A lot of people have asked Henjie over the years since Rafael’s started operating in 2020. “I guess it’s because I really believed in the product, in what we could offer,” says Henjie, who found inspiration from his childhood years for the taste and aesthetic that Rafael’s has now. “I am a businessman, which means I know when it is time to say, ‘Ok, that’s it, it’s not going to work.’ But things were different then, the times were unusual, and I could not find it in me to let go of the people who have been with us since we opened.”

TLDR, Rafael’s stayed open because Henjie and his staff believed in it. After all, to see is to believe—or in this case, to taste—and a visit at Rafael’s now is enough to realize how much work has been put into keeping it afloat and how much heart has been put in it to make it survive.

Rafael’s Tapas Bar and Restaurant is located on the 2nd floor of the Newport Mall at Resorts World Manila.