Don’t Miss the Saintly Collab from the Underworld
A bold culinary collaboration merging comfort and experimentation through Half Saints and The Underbelly’s Saint Billy menu.
Words Tedrick Yau
Photos courtesy of Half Saints and The Underbelly
June 10, 2026
Ongoing until June 11, 2026, is a comforting yet unique selection of dishes from the different culinary spectrums of Half Saints and The Underbelly. Dubbed Saint Billy, bold flavors and indulgent creations best describe this beautifully chaotic collaboration apt for both saints and sinners. The menu combines Half Saints’ familiar take on rich comfort food with The Underbelly’s playful and irreverent approach to Japanese food.
Chef Christine Roque and Jo Arciaga of Half Saints and Chefs Noel Mauricio and Jackson Chua of Underbelly
Thriving on reinvention, The Underbelly is a ramen bar that reimagines with modern flavor combinations and inventive techniques while keeping it rooted in comfort. Headed by chefs Jackson Chua and Noel Mauricio, the restaurant has grown to be known for playful experimentation and a spirit of curiosity. Half Saints, on the other hand, is a homegrown, female-owned restaurant founded in 2018 by long-time friends Jo Arciaga and Christine Roque. After leaving the corporate world and getting inspired by a love affair with food, Half Saints was conceived to serve hearty mains and handcrafted baked goods made using a thoughtful mix of local and international ingredients.
McRib
Excitingly, the four chefs blended each of their distinct personalities, techniques, and flavor sensibilities into every dish.
Are we both Saints and Sinners? Highlighting the harmony in the disparity, the Saints section leans into comforting and wholesome, yet rich and balanced flavors that feel familiar. Billy's Holy Ribwich has flavorful grilled chashu, served with onions and pickles, drizzled with horseradish sauce inside a shokupan bun. The savory Crispy Pork Abura Soba is noodles topped with menma or bamboo shoots and thinly sliced bagnet, made creamy with a serving of stracciatella, and a hit of zest with calamansi kosho. A crowd favorite to cleanse the palate, the Calamansi Coconut Granita is calamansi crémeux served with dried sponge cake and orange ferment.
On the other side, the Sinners menu embraces unapologetic excess, indulging in deeper spice and playful twists. Inferno Tantan Puff Pizza uses yuzu cream cheese over the tantan sesame pork, crispy nori, and wasabi honey. Pork & Brie "Pain" au Chocolat twists the conventional and uses black cacao croissant stuffed with braised pulled pork, Brie de Meaux, calamansi kosho, and daikon.
Tantan Puff Pizza
Comfort meets chaos. Restraint meets excess. Hearty at its core but still staying creative and playful, the Saint Billy collaboration gives an indulgent taste of worlds apart.
The Underbelly is located at The Alley at Karrivin, Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City. Follow @the.underbelly.ph on Instagram for updates. Half Saints is located at G/F Milestone Building, 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Follow @halfsaints on Instagram and Facebook.
