Inside Dara Hong Kong’s Modern Filipino Restaurant

In Hong Kong, Filipino food has long existed in plain sight. It is deeply loved by the Filipino community, yet often overlooked by everyone else. Before Dara became a modern Filipino restaurant in Hong Kong, it was a family cooking out of their home during the pandemic. Led by Darang Mel, whose Kapampangan recipes were inspired by her own mother, the Bunoan family began preparing comfort food for a community that missed home. In this episode of The Grind, we follow Darang Mel, her son Jermaine Bunoan, and the rest of the team as they balance family, tradition and the brutal realities of running a destination restaurant in one of the world’s most expensive cities. LOCATION: Dara Shop 3, 5-6, G/F, Soho 189, No. 189 Queen's Road West, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong For reservations: https://book.bistrochat.com/dara Follow Dara:   / hkg.dara     / dara_hkg   Special thanks to: Imelda Bunoan Jermaine Bunoan Jon Bunoan Mark Korponay Alyssa Menchavez Jay Brodit Ehrica Maristela Jump to: (0:00) Intro (0:50) Busy Hong Kong (1:45) Jermaine (2:45) Darang Mel (5:25) The Beginnings (6:40) The Rise (14:10) The Struggles (16:00) The Magic (18:00) Outro Shop our merch: https://shop.featrmedia.com/ Shop the products that we featured: https://chingolodeli.ph/collections/f... ------------------------------- We are looking for collaborators, content producers, brands, and anyone who has a story to tell. Email us at hello@thefatkidinside.com The Fat Kid Inside Studios Erwan Heussaff - Founder Kashka Gaddi - Creative Director Eamonn Quizon - Cinematographer Edel Valera - Story Producer Harold Singzon - Story Producer Mary Lournette Baligod - Story Producer Kleo Balares - Supervising Producer Hans Rivera - Creative Director Janelle Sy - Content Producer Elyzza Ragodon - Associate Producer Julius Rivera - Videographer Lorraine Santos - Editor Dana Blasé - Editor Kim Arroyo - Editor Evan Olfato - Editor Hazel Juniosa - Editor Whilhem Lorena - Multimedia Editor RM Alfonso - Multimedia Editor Martin Narisma - Food Editor Ynna Gaita - Junior Food Editor Kathryna de Bustos - Social Media and Content Manager Chester Velasco - Studio Manager & Camera Operator Kevin Amponin - Production Assistant Dustin Dagamac - Colorist Sofia Paderes - Graphic Artist & Illustrator Joshua Gonzales - Graphic Designer Dajed Binauhan - Multimedia Artist Eros Deocariza - Multimedia Artist Bianca Adriano - Accounts & Sales Coordinator Donalyn Aranda - Administrative Accountant Jennylyn Quizon - Admin Accounting Assistant Marvin Hernandez - Messenger Janette Mellina - Office Maintenance Personnel Sandy Mellina - Office Maintenance Personnel Content Creators: Seth Alonzo Samuelle Bawasanta Trisha Chua Nica Soledad Interns: Fionna Virgo Dharlene Ilagan John Gabriel Gemzon Social Media:   / featrmedia     / featrmedia     / featrmedia   https://x.com/featrmedia https://www.threads.com/@featrmedia Follow Erwan:   / erwan   https://www.threads.com/@erwan