One Note Samba
After almost a year since opening its Manila branch, Brazilian-Japanese restaurant Uma Nota reintroduces itself as a space for culinary collaboration.
Words Pao Vergara
Photos courtesy of Uma Nota
January 29, 2025
Japanese cuisine emerging from South America has gradually crept up in Metro Manila starting with big-name restaurants like Nobu, as well as through discerningly crafted neighborhood joints like Japonesa.
Since opening its doors in early 2024, Brazilian-Japanese restaurant and bar Uma Nota Manila, which translates to “one note,” has captivated the taste buds of many Filipino diners. As it nears its first anniversary, Uma Nota now aims to be a space for collaboration for all things Japanese fusion.
Last January 22 to 23, 2025, Uma Nota lent its space for Neon Pigeon to express itself. The Singapore-based restaurant sent chef Sean Mell, who trained under Nobu Matsuhisa, and bartender Mario La Pietra to collaborate in the kitchen—and bar—with Uma Nota chef Andrés Rendón. A special tasting menu was served to guests on those two nights.
PornStar MarTiki
Singapo rie sling
Japanese Drifter Loafer
Courses seamlessly led to one another, with each new dish building on the previous dish, a teaser to what Uma Nota has to offer.
It’s interesting to experience toasted cassava dialoguing with wagyu beef used as a sushi roll, or a duck leg marinated for 12 hours served with wasabi-spiced arugula, all after an appetizer of coffee-cured hamachi salmon (with wasabi yoghurt, to boot), followed by ceviche with yuzu.
The libations on offer also paired well with the set menu, though some were more adventurous than others, like a Moet & Chandon champagne-based cocktail served with a shot of sake on the side, or the Don Julio Blanco tequila with citrusy yuzu.
Uma Nota general manager Michele Cantini acknowledges the current trendiness of Latin American-Japanese cuisine in Manila and tells Art+ that “we want our clientele to know what Uma Nota can do,” thus the collaboration with Neon Pigeon. “This was our first [collaboration], and we got a great response” and he hopes that events like these “will be more than just once a year. Neon Pigeon won’t be the last we feature. Being one of the best, we want to be with some of the best.”
He hints that Uma Nota may introduce new items eventually as “we are in continuous evolution, we want to revise every now and then to keep our guests excited with something new in terms of new cocktails and our a-la carte menu.”
Two oceans, two continents
It’s no surprise that Uma Nota has resonated with Filipino guests. Aside from smartly adapting to local preferences, Brazilian and Japanese flavors, cooking methods, and dishes on their own can strike chords with the Filipino palate.
Thanks to the historical Manila-Acapulco galleon trade with Manila as one center, many staples taken for granted in our cuisine as well as in the cuisines of the rest of East Asia, such as chilies, papaya, and sweet potato variants were introduced from Latin America.
Conversely, many Japanese have historically migrated to Brazil, establishing their presence in the already-multicultural nation, manifesting through the country’s major cities being dotted with many Japanese-inspired restaurants. Far from simply fusing two separate cuisines, Uma Nota, as its name implies, aims to represent a distinct tradition.
Desserts like halo-halo have a notably Japanese influence, all as our tomato-based fiesta stews using the cocido method do not stray from their Iberian and Latin American roots. The Philippines, much like Brazil, is a multicultural nation.
If anything, restaurants like Uma Nota simply (re)awakened corners of the Filipino palate hiding in plain sight.
A Carnaval for the senses
Uma Nota Manila is the restaurant’s third branch, the other two being in Paris and Hong Kong.
Just as there have been many renditions of beloved Brazilian classics like Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “The Girl from Ipanema,” the covers that stand out are those done with heart, with the interpreting artist sticking to their roots, such as in Frank Sinatra’s jazzed-up version of said song.
The same could be said of Uma Nota Manila, as the restaurant as a whole creates an elevated dining experience, from its unassuming entrance which leads to the main space, all the way to its themed dining rooms blending the aesthetics of traditional Kyoto ryokan inns and the art deco tropicalia dance halls of postwar Brazil.
Music lovers will also be delighted to discover Brazilian music to save and share with friends.
While new, the Manila restaurant feels storied, as if it’s been open for a decade and not barely a year. This was purposely designed by Uma Nota co-founders and siblings Alexis and Laura Offe with the help of director Asmaa Said of Dubai’s The Odd Duck design firm, all with the support of Filipino-British investor Michael Needham.
It’s notable, too, that the Philippine branch also has a bigger focus on nightlife, and the bar, just as much as the kitchen, remains the centerpiece connecting all the themed dining areas. At the last Olympics, it was noticeable how Brazilians cheered hard whenever Filipino athletes scored points. Good-spirited jokes began to circulate online about Filipinos being Brazilians’ long-lost cousins.
At the Carnaval that is Uma Nota, it’s not hard to see why.
Uma Nota is located at Shangri-La at The Fort, corner 5th Avenue and 30th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Stay posted by visiting https://www.instagram.com/umanota.manila/ and make a reservation via http://uma-nota.com.ph.
