Amid the hum of the busy kitchen at Casuals in the city of Makati, you will find Rowen Amurao, a mustachioed young chef, shifting between prep stations and scorching burners, quietly confident with a calm demeanor, which paints a stark contrast amid the bustling sizzle of pans and the constant flow and ebb of diners.

At 33, Manila-born chef Rowen has already charted a path few of his age have achieved — an eye-opening internship in the United States, seven years immersion in the vibrant food landscape of Australia, and today, his very own domain in the metropolis’ dining central. When he launched Casuals in January 2025 at the Paseo de Magallanes Commercial Center, it was his formal return to the local scene. 

Raised in Manila and graduated from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, chef Rowen embraced the essentials early. “The fundamentals are the most important to master. Grasp the basics and the rest will follow.”

From the US internship — “As a young intern, I was fortunate enough to work for The Farm at the Canyons Ski Resort … I was just 20, he said” — to his productive time in Melbourne at eateries like all-day East Asian spot Supernormal and the Southeast-Asian-angled Chin Chin, he gainfully absorbed an overarching stylistic palette which incorporates both Asian flavors and Australian style.

Back in Manila, Casuals is his expression of what he has picked up — a space defined by clean concrete walls, framed posters, recycled bottles and favorite books, beloved memorabilia, which reflects his own personality and experiences abroad. One shelf even holds the Supernormal Cookbook, a tangible token of his time at Melbourne.