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Since The Matcha Tokyo opened the doors of its Philippine stores to the dining public, it became the standard for all things matcha. A brand that comes directly from Japan, The Matcha Tokyo is known to serve 100 percent organic matcha green tea. The quality of the matcha powder it uses is unmatched, which is why its wide range of matcha drinks, both hot and cold, ice cream, cookies, pastries and more.

Also housed at the Mitsukoshi Mall in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig, is El Born La Patisseria, a go-to place for Spanish, specifically Catalan Mediterranean, cuisine. Owned by chef David Amoros and his wife Ivone, the restaurant is best known for its Basque style Burnt Cheesecake.

The good thing is that, armed with mutual respect and appreciation for each other, The Matcha Tokyo and El Born La Patisseria recently entered into a collab to create the Matcha Burnt Basque Cheesecake, which is so good that people who have tried it cannot stop talking about it. It is whipped up just the way Chef David whips up his popular cheesecake but using The Matcha Tokyo’s super premium matcha. As they both describe it, “this cheesecake rich, creamy indulgence with the earthy depth of 100 percent organic Japanese matcha” to achieve a perfect balance of sophistication and flavor. The cheesecake bursts with umami notes complimented by a caramelized, buttery biscuit crust—the product of fusing Japanese matcha with Spanish cheesecake in a most delicious way.

The Matcha Burnt Basque Cheesecake is available in three sizes — Slice (P480), Mini (P1,150), and Whole (P3,800) — at El Born Patisseria and The Matcha Tokyo’s branches in Opus Mall, Vertis North, Gateway, Robinsons Magnolia, Parqal, and Lucky Chinatown Mall until 31 March.

Over at Hit n Bun, the new burger place of celebrity chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou and his nephews Bryce, 27, and Andrew, 21, the menu of basically six classic burgers has been expanded to include three new hotdog sandwiches. These are Longga Lovers (a Pinoy favorite featuring a sweet longganisa sausage, fire-grilled and served with pickled vegetables); Bavarian Brat (a traditional German bratwurst topped with curried ketchup and caramelized onions); and The New Yorker (a house-made beef hotdog, topped with caramelized onions and yellow mustard).

“We make our own hotdogs from scratch. We felt it went well with our burgers, so we did the same. The hotdogs are a suitable alternative to people who opt out of burgers. They are served on soft toasted buns that are also house-made,” says Chef Tatung, who has also at the same time added a few sides, such as Crinkle Fries, Onion Rings with Ranch Dressing, and Chicken Macaroni Salad, to the Hit n Bun menu.

From fine dining and Asian specialty restaurants and degustacion meals, chef Tatung has recently found an inner calling to develop really awesome burgers that will surely please serious burger lovers, and the idea or inspiration for it came from a craving for that classic, no-fuss burger that has been crafted to truly hit the spot — juicy and flavorful grilled patties with smoky flavors in a freshly baked bun. Simple, hearty and satisfying. Burgers that are done right.

His new burger place is called Hit n Bun, which was brought about by a family effort, with him leading the team and developing the menu, but he put it together for his nephews, Bryce, 27, and Andrew, 21, who are brothers. It is their first venture into the food business, who are now learning the ropes from the master chef himself, who insists that “I’m just here to guide them and make sure we serve great burgers.”

The menu itself has been kept simple. There are six fire-grilled burgers to choose from, each made with juicy, fire-grilled quarter-pound beef patties, served on toasted brioche buns. The choices are simple Classic Hamburger (which customers can have with cheese aside from Hit n Bun’s signature dressing); Classic Cheeseburger (the patty is topped with melted American cheese, housemade pickles, lettuce, tomato and sautéed onions, finished with signature dressing); Backyard BBQ Cheeseburger (patty, melted American cheese, house-smoked bacon, homemade pickles, lettuce, tomato and onions); Hit Signature Burger (patty, melted American cheese, house-smoked bacon, truffled mushroom duxelle, and sautéed onion); Chorizo Burger (Filipino-inspired grilled pork chorizo burger, topped with pickled vegetables and barbecue sauce); and Chicken BBQ Burger (chunky grilled chicken patties smothered in barbecue sauce, topped with lettuce, onion and tomato; which customers can have with cheese).