SOON
But until then
Who We Are
Bahay is a buzzy food venture by Irish Filipino chef Riggz Castillo and Alex O'Neill. Founded in 2021 after the pandemic threw the restaurant industry into chaos, Riggz lost his job. He decided he wanted a chance to play by his own rules, go back to his roots and harness his creativity to create something personal and true to him, all the while being egged on by his partner Alex O’Neill who has a background in Computer Science, a masters in Digital Marketing, an IT manager working in a non-profit and a personality that refuses to take no for an answer. Bahay released their very first cookbook in October 2023, to critical and widespread acclaim.
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"A small book of Filipino food that I love in a big way!" - Nigella Lawson
Together they have focussed on introducing people to Filipino flavours created with the best Irish ingredients. They wanted to share these incredible, bold and exciting tastes, as well as highlighting the rich Irish-Filipino culture, through food, music and art. They were named in Ireland Top 50 to watch in 2022 in the Sunday Independent, Ones to Watch in 2023 in Food and Wine magazine and The Observer, won Best Front of House 2022 and 2023 at Taste of Dublin Awards and were awarded Foodie Favourite at Bord Bia Bloom 2023. They were named best Foodtruck in Ireland by Char Magazine in 2022, came third in RTE's Irelands Best Food Truck TV show in 2022 and have been on everybody’s watch list since bursting onto the food scene late 2021, and have become well known for their innovative approach to exploring modern Irish food.
Bahay, which means home in Tagalog, have found a niche popping up in unique venues across Ireland, finding locations and spaces to bring their adventurous menus to life, and make it feel like home. They specialise in creating a familiar “Bahay buzz” with warm hospitality, delicious food and carefully curated dining experiences in these spaces, where they introduce diners to bold and unique Filipino flavours using the very best Irish ingredients.
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Click here to buy our book!
However, the one bit of feedback Bahay get from diners is that when they want Bahay, they very often cant get them, due to this popup nature. That’s why Bahay have developed their very own retail product, that allows consumers to bring the taste of Bahay, home. The very first product that will be launching this year, is their tantalising fermented Banana Ketchup.
What they say:
"The name entices many, confuses some and disgusts a few. Banana ketchup is made from bananas, vinegar, sugar and spices. It’s bright red, fruity, sweet and tangy. But why banana? Banana ketchup came about after the Americans introduced tomato ketchup in The Phillipines, which the sweet-loving, condiment-obsessed Filipinos instantly fell in love with. However, when World War Two closed the Pacific Ocean for trade, there was a shortage of regular ketchup and tomatoes. This forced Filipinos to make their own alternative with what they had plenty of: bananas.
The result is a sweet, slightly smoky sauce that has a multitude of applications.
Banana ketchup is a pantry staple in households all over the world, and we want to bring our own to life to share with Ireland (and beyond) this amazing punchy, sweet, fruit sauce thats good for breakfast, lunch and dinner, baby!
Bahay's banana ketchup is fermented, so good for the gut. It uses all parts of (organic & fair trade) bananas, including the skin, so its good for the planet. It can be used in marinades, stir fries, glazes on meat, fish and veg, in sambos, on rice bowls or your morning eggs. The possibilities are endless!"
Join us by hitting subscribe to hear first about our Banana Ketchup, and if you want more details on our book Masarap, you can find out more and purchase it by clicking the little picture of it below.
Get on it
Sign up to get the first word on what we're getting up to next, where you can taste our Banana Ketchup and all the other juicy goss you'll want to hear. We might even send over a few freebies, mixes or other fun bits.
We refuse to join Facebook, so you can catch us mainly on Instagram, and sometimes TikTok but not much because Alex cannot be arsed posting on two locayshes and Richie refuses to even download it.
We joined Twitter but there's too many scary blue tick headbangers.
Click icons at your own peril!!