Five years since his solo venture into the restaurant industry, Amado Forés’ confidence is at an all-time high.
Not just for the fact that his Italian restaurant A Mano (stylized as a mano) is the 96th best pizzeria in the world last year but also for the timely decision he made to finally work with Kansas-born interior architect, furniture and product designer, and creative director Sean Dix.
“I really wanted to work with him for a mano. It just didn’t work out with the timelines. And at that time, I was just starting out so I didn’t have the confidence to work with Sean honestly,” Forés says with a laugh.
Now though, the young stalwart is evidence of the unmistakable effect that growth and confidence have on individuals.
“Sean has designed every restaurant that I consider the classics of Hong Kong,” says Amado Forés. ”His restaurant interiors are sublime but still hit a certain atmosphere.
“In those five years, we really got to know each other and even just chatting, seeing each other a few times really contributed to the storytelling we were able to develop here.”
That ‘here’ is the stylishly unconventional steakhouse Forés opened in December 2023 that is as much about staking his claim on Manila’s meat-loving market as it is a toast to good design.
“Sean has designed every restaurant that I consider the classics of Hong Kong,” says Forés. ”His restaurant interiors are sublime but still hit a certain atmosphere. And lastly, Sean has lived in the Philippines. He has a history with the Philippines. Sean and his team get it,” he continues.
We also get that Dix, who splits his time between Hong Kong and Milan and who was recently in Manila for what we can guess is a new project, isn’t one to mince his words.
He doesn’t like ambient lighting (“I like focused light or if it’s hiding behind things”) nor does he find communal tables effective (“Operationally speaking, you’re never going to optimize all the seats”).
But what the Dix Design+Architecture founder does like conspicuously thrives at Steak and Frice—if you know where to look and if you take the time to sense and feel the visual story in the 161 sq.m space.
“I like to create spaces that look a little bit better than the real thing. In other words, kind of like a film set,” Dix says. “You feel like you’re part of the movie.”
Is this the best designed steakhouse in Manila?
Steak and Frice employs this cinematic and thoughtful design ethos throughout, showcasing Parisian and New York inspiration and infusing it with London’s charm and Manila’s attitude.
Thanks to the generous amount of natural light the location delivers, the handsome place evokes a reenergized “Nighthawks” painting by Edward Hopper with bespoke seating and American red oak tables.
“It’s always about what is the story we want to tell, what are we trying to communicate here, and how do you kind of complete the experience?” Dix says.
Art and photography are ubiquitous on the walls. Flooring inspired by traditional butcher blocks and a mosaic of unglazed French tiles referencing Ifugao weaving offer a cultural trip. Elsewhere, the plush dark green seats present drama without looking exaggerated while the table bases channel American sculptor Joel Shapiro’s minimalist wooden work resembling human motion.
“I’m not trying to engage you emotionally with my table base, but it is inspired by it,” says Dix. “We could have done any table base and you probably wouldn’t have noticed. But if you do notice that you think ‘oh, that’s kind of cool.’ And if you don’t notice it, that’s okay, too. It just kind of brings some joy.”
The seating layout is a mix of strategically positioned two-top tables around the perimeter that “you can configure however you want” and clusters of larger tables for groups. “In the center of the space, which are the least desirable places to sit, we figured that those are better with four-tops because you are a little more protected being four people. You can unify those into one 8- or 10-top as well so there’s some flexibility built in,” says Dix.
Another seemingly unassuming design decision Dix made that has a great impact is opting for radiuses (rounded corners) for the bar counter at the center of the space.
“They improve the flow of space. They soften the blow when you run into it as a waiter carrying trays,” he says. “Structurally they’re much stronger and much more difficult to damage. A hard edge is easy to get banged up and damaged, a radius less so.”
It’s these details that drive Steak and Frice into a “future classic” it aspires to be.
Beautifully designed, technically sound
That said, Dix and Forés didn’t just have the customer in mind when designing the restaurant. Thoughtful care went into the operational flow, too.
Especially when you know that Dix has worked with the likes of Yardbird’s Matt Abergel, Estro’s Antimo Merone, and Asia’s Best Female Chef 2015 Vicky Lau as well as experienced working in restaurants himself back in the day.
“When people talk about design, they don’t think so much about operations but it is a huge part,” says Dix. “How does the flow work? How can we get the waiters to move efficiently through the space? How do we minimize the visibility of the stuff you don’t really want people to see like the back of the house?”
“When people talk about design, they don’t think so much about operations but it is a huge part,” says Sean Dix. “How does the flow work? How can we get the waiters to move efficiently through the space? How do we minimize the visibility of the stuff you don’t really want people to see like the back of the house?”
As far as making these decisions is concerned, it isn’t for the faint of heart. Restaurant design dictates a level of pragmatism between the restaurateur, the chef, the architect, and the interior designer to tweak the space to certain specifications, adjust it for ergonomics, and maximize it to its full potential.
“Everything in design, and maybe in F&B, everything is zero-sum. So if I do this, then I’m not doing that. If I do this, I’m not doing that. If I give the guests that space, I’m taking it away from the kitchen. It’s very much about how do you get that balance,” explains Dix.
“I tilt towards the guest but as somebody who spent a lot of time in the back of house as an employee, I kind of know where I can go to what limit I can push stuff.”
The Steak and Frice formula
Like many chef and restaurateur partnerships, the chemistry between Forés and Dix is harmonious enough to spotlight the young restaurateur’s newly discovered confidence bleeding into his irreverence to assemble fries, rice, and steak—your choice of ribeye, striploin or Chateaubriand—onto a plate or put pimiento into gougères.
The breaded and fried onion flower, salted honey Parker House rolls (which, Dix says, feels like revisiting 1950s America), and the delicate potato soufflé meanwhile all boost the overall experience.
“You know, I’m lucky because the food’s already a killer so the biggest problem’s already solved,” says Dix.
“I don’t think we would have created the same sort of effect, flow, and balance had we not done what we did, which is to create symmetry,” Forés says of their collaboration.
Akin to the traditional art of shooting films and editing their footage, the Steak and Frice experience Forés and Dix crafted makes it feel like you’re right in the thick of things.
The steakhouse provides plenty of tasty thrills but there is also plenty of quality design imbued within its walls that is sure to positively satisfy the senses time and time again—or next week.
“We like saying ‘See you next week’ with a wink and smile. It’s not because we believe that our guests will be back next week. That would be presumptuous,” says Forés. “It’s more of a commitment to always aspire to provide an experience so unique and so comforting that you will want to come back again and again.”
A steakhouse that’s easy on the eyes and the palate? Now that’s (medium) rare. Exactly how most people like it.