Dr. Heracleo and Oswalda Cabel. Courtesy of Melissa Cabel
For Filipinos, the family salo-salo is a time-honored tradition. At Cabel, the family invites everyone to eat at their table.
As someone who did not know how to boil an egg and burnt breakfast hotdogs in his youth, a future in the culinary scene was not what JC “King” Cabel Moreno would have anticipated. “I was your typical corporate guy who works 8 to 5. That was my routine for the last 12 years,” he says. “Maybe I got burnt out, and I missed so many family occasions. So that’s why I decided to come home.”
Years later, he’d surprise everyone when he became the visionary behind Cabel Filipino Heritage Restaurant. Together with his brother, Chef Miguel, and sister, Maria Isabel, King has turned their family’s love for food and culture into a celebration of Filipino heritage tucked in the historic Casa Roces near Malacañang Palace.
“One of the lessons that I’ve learned from my mom growing up, was to, of course, cook everything with love,” Chef Miguel says. Maria Isabel explains that Cabel began as a dream to keep their parents and grandmother’s legacies alive. “We’re paying a tribute to our parents who have contributed all their life to the people of Sulu.”
The Cabel patriarch, Dr. Heracleo Cabel, was originally from Ilocos yet established the Sulu General Hospital, while their mother, Oswalda Cabel, was a historian and public servant from Sulu who made sure her children grew up immersed in the flavors of Mindanao. Meals in their Zamboanga home were flush with coconut-rich curries, fragrant broths, and hand-ground spices.
The highlight of Cabel, of course, is its food. The restaurant’s menu reflects the Cabels’ commitment to authenticity: Pianggang Manok, a blackened chicken dish steeped in charred coconut and turmeric, holds the memory of countless family gatherings. Tiyula Itum, a beef soup dyed jet-black with toasted coconut, carries the soul of Tausug cuisine. Chef Miguel avoids modern reinterpretations, insisting instead on preserving the techniques their mother taught him, like hand-squeezing coconut cream for the richest flavor.
“I always say that simple food is good food,” Chef Miguel says. “We stick to the core of how we prepare cuisines because flavor is very important for us in presenting the dishes that we have.” He reflects that the majority of the up-and-coming Filipino restaurants fuse Filipino cuisine with other modes of cooking, a gap that Cabel aims to fill. “We felt that we should stick to that tradition and tell that story so that the future generation will not forget.”
The restaurant occupies Casa Roces, a 1930s ancestral home that was carefully restored, blending old-world charm with the family’s personal touches. Rattan chairs crafted in Pampanga fill the dining room, while Zamboanga-made Yakan fabrics line the tables. Upstairs, Isabel’s Gallery offers space for emerging Filipino artists, showcasing works that echo the vibrant spirit of the country. Even the bathroom walls carry a story, painted by Zamboanga artist Nelka Jones, whose murals weave Mindanao’s culture into the space.
The dining experience at Cabel is made to feel intimate, like sitting at your grandmother’s table. For the unveiling of Vogue Philippines’ May issue, Cabel served a five-course dinner of Mindanaoan cuisine reminiscent of the magazine’s pages for the month. “We realized that since we’re in front of the Malacañan Palace, we have guests all over the world, so we want to showcase the food prepared traditionally like the old days,” King says.
Cabel also supports local businesses by sourcing their ingredients from small suppliers in Mindanao, and hosting Miguel’s Barter, a space for artisans to sell products like tablea, homegrown coffee, dried flower arrangements, and handwoven Yakan and Inabel fabrics. At King’s Speakeasy, the in-house bar, signature cocktails honor family ties with playful names like the Miguelito (gin, calamansi, tonic), King-Koy (lambanog sangria), Maria-Rita (lambanog, triple sec, lime), and Bernardo (rum, pineapple, iced tea). Each drink adds a personal touch to the experience.
For Chef Miguel, the restaurant was more than a way of keeping their southern roots alive even while living in Manila: it was a way to reclaim their peoples’ narrative. Due to pre-conceived notions of the Zamba-Sulta region (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and the Tawi-Tawi islands) as conflict-ridden areas, its culture, as well as its cuisine are less explored. “For the longest time, these places have been less traveled. A lot of people are afraid to go because of the negativity [associated with it.]” Chef Miguel says. “Now, the situation is a lot better, and people are getting to discover it. We’re glad to bring it with us here to Manila.”
