When most people his age are still in school, 20something Don Patrick Baldosano has already been busy with Linamnam, where he hosts private dinners at his family’s home in Parañaque City, a suburb in the southern part of Metro Manila.
Before a metro-wide lockdown was imposed because of Covid-19, Baldosano would whip up a 16-course degustation menu practically every night for a very reasonable P1,700++ (USD33.50++) per person. “I wanted to introduce a tasting menu without the unnecessary fuss,” Baldosano says. “It’s a dining experience that’s not at all uptight, but very much relaxed.
When Linamnam officially reopens – hopefully soon – the chef will be offering a more streamlined 11-course tasting menu comprised of dishes that, he says, are more attuned to local cooking techniques.
Diners can expect his inventive take on kinilaw (ceviche) where he uses tuba (coconut wine) instead of vinegar to “cook” the fish meat. He also plays with tutong (scorched rice) by mixing it with pili nut and smearing it with mayonnaise mixed with pinakurat vinegar and topping it with dried shrimp and santan flower.


Growing up in a household that loves to cook, and being second cousin to influential restaurateur and cookbook author Myke “Tatung” Sarthou, Baldosano’s love affair with food started at 10, when he was inspired by celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Anthony Bourdain on television.