Early this March, I was invited to try out an intriguing menu, first because of what it is called, kind of a perfect foil to the upcoming Holy Week, and because the restaurant has been around for quite a while, and I have never actually got a chance to visit.

Tandem, a contemporary restaurant in Legazpi Village led by husband-and-wife chefs Alex and Mikee Tan, opened in 2023 and has since built a reputation for its thematic tasting menus and a commitment to sustainability. Within months of opening, it found itself on lists of notable dining destinations in Manila, and with the arrival of the Michelin Guide in the Philippines last October 2025, it earned a Michelin Selected distinction.

The tandem was on hand that evening, Mikee chatty and lively, Alex focused in the open kitchen. Mikee and I recalled how, not yet acquainted with each other at the time, we did not even exchange a greeting at Chef Bettina Arguelles’ birthday bash at her new restaurant, Curio, on Maginhawa Street in Quezon City.

“Hindi tayo nagpapansinan noon, no?” (“We didn’t even acknowledge each other back then, did we?”) I said. We both laughed.

Both took turns explaining each dish. The space is nondescript, almost hidden along the side of Greenbelt Hamilton’s ground floor, the kind of place you could easily miss if you were not looking for it. I know I did. I have friends living in the condo, which I have visited a number of times, and I did not realize Tandem was located there.

The current menu, titled “Seven Deadly Sins,” plays on a theme that might seem provocative in a predominantly Catholic country, but the chefs treat it as a way of looking at human nature, indulgence, and everything in between.

The meal opens with Pride, a trio built around vegetables. A tomato tartare plays with different textures, using everything from pulp to peel, finished with basil, smoked olive oil, and kesong puti. Then an eggplant “sandwich,” with charred puree set between crisp lavash, topped with cured egg yolk and ash made from the skin. A carrot skewer follows, worked in several ways, from puree to a crisp bark, with a depth that almost recalls grilled meat.

From there, Greed shifts the tone. It takes something familiar, bread and butter, and pushes it further. A truffle brioche is paired with foie gras torchon, layered with champagne jelly and cashew streusel, then finished with honeycomb and a whipped blue cheese butter. One of my favorites that night.

Envy lightens the palate, but it does not hold back. Built around greens, the dish leans into sharp, bitter, and cold notes. Zucchini ribbons, compressed in parsley oil, sit over snowpeas and arugula dressed in white balsamic, with smoked honeydew and pistachios. A honeydew granita brings everything together, clean and refreshing.

The fourth course, Sloth, is perhaps the most familiar and another favorite of mine. It turns to comfort, a bowl of cappelletti filled with caramelized onions, set over braised beef and breadcrumbs, and finished with a burnt onion espuma. Everything is cooked low and slow.

Wrath follows with heat. Monkfish comes in a spiced red curry, with alugbati worked in different ways, charred, sautéed, and reduced to ash. Chili threads add another layer, bringing both texture and a steady burn.

Then comes Gluttony, which arrives as a spread rather than a single plate. Pork runs through the course, from marinated loin to a pork and shrimp dumpling, with chicharron crumble and roasted squash alongside it. Around it are sides, pork cheek skewer, bone broth, pickled leeks, citrus kosho, and rice, meant to be mixed and matched.

The meal closes with Lust. At the center is a spiced honey ice cream, surrounded by strawberry, pomegranate, and chocolate in different forms, gel, powder, sponge, with crisp layers underneath. It is rich, but not heavy, and a fitting way to end the meal.

Running through the entire menu is a consistent approach to ingredients. Scraps are reused, peels repurposed, trims transformed into something else. It is not something that calls attention to itself during the meal, but it becomes clear once you start listening to how the dishes are put together.

In the end, the theme stays with you, not in an obvious way, but in how the dishes come together. Each course stands on its own, but taken as a whole, it forms a complete story.