Chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou is no stranger to the culinary scene, having opened several dining concepts through the years. The post-pandemic years have been especially fruitful with the opening of Chef Tatung’s Private Dining, contemporary Filipino restaurant Lore, Spanish and American concept Azadore, and American diner with a Filipino twist New York Cubao. However, it is his latest venture, Tindeli, that could be considered as his dream come true.
Tindeli — a portmanteau of the Filipino word tindahan and the German delicatessen, was a dream 10 years in the making. “The concept has been with me for a long time, for about a decade now. I’ve pitched it to investors in the past, but it has taken a lot of effort — from the equipment to the research and development. But now, I have my commissary, my own staff. We can cure our meats and bake our own breads. We are ready now for this bold vision. We have a full concept, and our story is complete,” Chef Tatung shared.
The commissary kitchen allowed Chef Tatung to refine and perfect his recipes for cured meats — an essential item for any delicatessen. Here, Tindeli pulls out all the stops, offering a wide variety of goods, from rashers of American wood-smoked center-cut bacon, to different style of sausages, whole leg hams, their own take on luncheon meat, Filipino favorites such as tapa, longganisa, Chicken Galantina, as well as a variety of cakes and pastries. “The food we serve and sell at Tindeli is custom-made for the store, thus giving it a very personal touch. We bake our own breads and pastries, we make our own sausages, longganisa and other charcuterie”
There is also an 80-seater dining area for those who want to enjoy a quick bite or catch up over a hearty meal. Chef Tatung is justifiably proud of the restaurant’s range of Tindesal sandwiches. An oversized pandesal, the Tindesal is aimed at showcasing just how good the Filipino staple can be. Each sandwich is stuffed with homemade fillings, such as Cheesy Chicken Salad Melt, Tindeli Pride Chicken, Tuna Tomato Melt, Choriquezo, Egg Sandwich, Galantina, Chistmas Jamon, and even Lechon Baka.
It also offers an All-Day Almusal menu, which pays homage to classic Filipino silog meals. Diners can choose between the different cured meats such as chicken tocino, smoked bacon, homemade spam, beef tapa, or corned beef. For those who can’t decide, the Mixilog combines Filipino classics tocino, beef tapa, and longganisa in one dish. Each choice of protein comes with either fried garlic rice or pandesal along with eggs cooked according to preference.
Ultimately, Chef Tatung envisions Tindeli to become a cozy neighborhood favorite, where guests can come in at any time and enjoy a good meal or take home their favorites to share with friends and family. He aims to open more branches in key cities around the metro and nearby provinces in the next few years and bring his food closer to his fans