Chef Jordy Navarra brings the soul of Filipino Cuisine to Mumbai

Mumbai’s luxury dining landscape is increasingly defined by culinary encounters that travel far beyond the familiar. This season, it welcomes Jordy Navarra, the chef behind Manila’s celebrated Toyo Eatery, for a residency that brings Filipino culinary heritage into a considered conversation with India’s most evocative ingredients.

Rather than presenting Filipino food as a fixed repertoire, Navarra approaches it as a living expression of hospitality, memory and place. At the heart of his cooking is an elegant tension between heritage and discovery, where vinegars, citrus, fermentation and local produce create flavours that are bright, deeply layered and quietly transporting. For Mumbai, that dialogue takes on a particularly compelling dimension, with Indian bay leaves, Bombay Duck, local fruits and the season’s prized Alphonso mangoes finding their way into a menu that remains unmistakably Filipino in spirit.

In this conversation with LuxeBook, Chef Jordy Navarra reflects on the global rise of Filipino cuisine, the shared emotional language of Indian and Filipino food cultures, and why the most meaningful luxury dining experiences begin with a sense of curiosity.

Luxebook: How do you define Filipino cuisine for diners experiencing it for the first time? 

Chef Jordy: I usually describe Filipino cuisine as food that is deeply rooted in hospitality, sharing and community. Flavour-wise, one of the things that stands out most is our love for acidity, whether it comes from vinegars, citrus, fermented ingredients or unripe fruits. Filipino food can feel familiar in some ways, but it often surprises people with how fresh, vibrant and layered the flavours are. More than any particular dish, I think Filipino cuisine reflects the stories, traditions and people behind it. It’s food that’s meant to bring people together. 

Luxebook: How do you balance tradition and innovation in your cooking? 

Chef Jordy: For us, innovation starts with understanding tradition. We spend a lot of time learning about ingredients, techniques and food practices that already exist within Filipino culture before thinking about how to interpret them in a contemporary way. At Toyo, we’re not necessarily trying to reinvent Filipino food. We’re interested in understanding it more deeply and finding new ways to tell those stories. Innovation becomes a natural result of curiosity and exploration rather than the goal itself. 

Luxebook: What aspects of Filipino food culture do you think the world still misunderstands? 

Chef Jordy: I think many people still see Filipino food through a very limited lens. There’s often a perception that it’s heavy or centred around only a few dishes, when in reality it’s incredibly diverse and regional. One thing I wish more people understood is how important freshness, acidity and fermentation are to our cuisine. The Philippines is made up of thousands of islands, and each region has its own ingredients, traditions and ways of cooking. There’s a lot of nuance and complexity that people are only beginning to discover. 

Luxebook: What parallels do you see between Filipino and Indian food cultures? 

Chef Jordy: One of the strongest similarities is how important food is to family and community. In both cultures, meals are often shared and become a way of bringing people together. I also think there’s a similar appreciation for bold flavours and the use of ingredients that carry strong cultural significance. While the flavour profiles are very different, both cuisines have evolved through history, trade and regional influences, creating food cultures that are rich, diverse and constantly evolving.  

Luxebook: How did you approach incorporating Mumbai and Indian influences into this residency menu? 

Chef Jordy: Whenever we cook outside the Philippines, we like to bring the condiments and preparations we make at Toyo and apply them to the ingredients available in the place we’re visiting. For Mumbai, we’ve been exploring ingredients such as Indian bay leaves, local fruits, Bombay Duck and Alphonso mangoes, while keeping the flavours and techniques distinctly Filipino. Rather than trying to recreate dishes exactly as we would in Manila, we see these residencies as an opportunity to learn from local ingredients and create a dialogue between cultures through food. 

Luxebook: Why do you think diners today are increasingly drawn to regional ingredients and culinary heritage? 

Chef Jordy: I think people are becoming more interested in understanding where their food comes from and the stories behind it. Regional ingredients and traditional food practices offer a sense of place and identity that feels meaningful. There’s also a growing appreciation for the people behind these ingredients, from farmers and producers to communities that have preserved these traditions over generations. For us, celebrating regional ingredients is really about recognising those connections. 

Luxebook: How do you stay rooted in Filipino traditions while earning global recognition? 

Chef Jordy: The foundation has always remained the same. From the beginning, Toyo was created as a space to explore who we are, where we come from and what Filipino food can be. Recognition is something we’re very grateful for, but it doesn’t really change the work. We continue to focus on Filipino ingredients, Filipino stories and Filipino hospitality. The more we learn about our own culture, the more opportunities we find to share it with others around the world. 

Luxebook: What do you hope diners in Mumbai take away from this experience? 

Chef Jordy: I hope people leave with a deeper understanding of Filipino food and culture, but also with a sense of connection. Food has a unique way of bringing people together, and I think there are many similarities between Filipino and Indian hospitality that people will recognise. I’d love for diners to discover how important acidity, fermentation and freshness are in our cuisine, but more than anything, I hope they leave curious. Curious about the Philippines, curious about Filipino food, and hopefully inspired to continue exploring it long after the meal is over. 

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