Category Archives: Celebrations

Celebrating The Moment Group’s @themoplex 5th year anniversary today from 130pm to 630pm with a food crawl curated by JJ Yulo @nekkidchef who is so funny & entertaining. So much fun and surprises. 7 Restaurants @8cutsburgers@phatphomanila @ooma_ph@dintaifungph @manamph @mechauma1 bar @bank.bar , 18 dishes, 7 drinks, 4 Bus rides, 1 theater visit and a fat belly ( haha ) Happy 5th year anniversary to a family Heart2Heart loves!  More power @jonsyjuco@abbanapa @eantonino @tarasantos@maitaq  #BGCxTMG #ExploreBGC#TheMomentGroup #TMG5#h2hcelebrations

Since being founded in 2012, The Moment Group (TMG) has produced some of the most prominent restaurant brands in Manila. It began as a team of three hungry dreamers, led by founders Eli Antonino, Abba Napa, and Jon Syjuco. “Operating in the first year revolved around having the mindset of us working on a ‘school project,’” Napa shares. “The role we played revolved very much around being, primarily, a dreamer, and a cheerleader, and an inspiration to the team.”

This trio then grew to nearly a thousand makers of moments. “The reality of having to put in place structure and professionalism without losing touch of entrepreneurialism, and the ability to dream big and turn on a dime, has been the most challenging aspect of growth that we now have to balance on a daily basis,” Napa says of the right work balance.

Throughout the challenges TMG has faced, they’ve been greatly rewarded with many milestones. This month, they celebrate one of their biggest achievements yet—five years of creating moments through so many different dining experiences.

The TMG Purpose

The commitment put into TMG’s research and development that can be seen and tasted, in each dish churned out in every single shop under TMG’s 10 brands. Alongside the constant kitchen development, thorough branding and passionate service have attracted a strong following across various generations. Hand in hand, this collaboration has produced restaurant brands that have created demand as seen in crowds and the long lines stretched outside their doors.

When it comes down to it, The Moment Group has put much thought and hard work into creating experiences for every kind of diner, across all brands in their roster. This dedication to achieving the right mix of good food, service, and atmosphere, has earned TMG quite a following—which, in turn, has made way for opening more spaces.

Brands that Make Moments Happen

The Moment Group offers a diversity of cuisines as seen in their various brands:

• 8Cuts is an authentic burger joint, and was the first of its kind to offer hand crafted burgers with the full service experience.
• Manam is the definitive experience of Filipino cuisine that is at once current and timeless, offering classic and reinvented local dishes, including the “#1 Best Sisig in Manila.”
• Ooma is a bold new take on casual Japanese fare, through playful and creative dishes, paired with a range of beers and sakes.
• Mecha Uma is the city’s most dynamic chef’s table, in collaboration with young and talented chef Bruce Ricketts, which highlights global cuisine with Japanese inflections, and champions special ingredients.
• Bank Bar, listed by CNN as one of the “7 Most Intriguing Speakeasies in the World,” is a top-shelf drinking den that serves the most extensive range of liquors, spirits, and cocktails in the city.
• The Mess Hall is a perpetual pop-up of The Moment Group’s establishments and dish concepts, served up in the in-house canteen of the TMG headquarters.
• Phat Pho Manila, a partnership with Cebu’s Abaca Group, is an upbeat and casual noodle bar that dishes out a variety of phos, alongside a delicious array of modernized Vietnamese street food.
• Linguini Fini Manila, a partnership with Hong Kong’s Homegrown Foods, is an Italian restaurant rooted in New York culture, where the pasta and pizza are 100% homemade.
• Din Tai Fung is an award-winning and half-century-old Taiwanese restaurant brand, known all over the world for its quality, consistency, and most importantly, its world-famous xiaolongbao.

There are thoughtfully crafted burger stacks and sides at 8Cuts, classic and unconventional Filipino meals at Manam, unlikely Japanese dishes at Ooma, and creatively concocted cocktails at Bank Bar. The Moment Group is constantly driven to creating dining experiences in Manila unlike any other. “To be honest, we’ve never thought as far as five years until now that we’ve approached it,” Napa confesses, “But now that we are here, the dream is to make it to 50 and build Moment to become something that can be constantly creating value and adding value to our industry, our dining scene and even to our society.”

The Moment Group’s vision is to be where you want to eat—be it now, five years from this moment, and perhaps even five decades down the line.

Apart from food, we’ve got  the launch of the Moment Five card!

It’s been a long time coming, but now it’s finally here! The Moment Five card is our way of giving our diners exclusive offers – with benefits that include discounts and freebies when used at participating TMG restaurants. The card is available for purchase at P1,000 and comes with an initial P500 voucher, and a 10% discount on every single-receipt purchase with a minimum of P500.

Love the 5th Anniversary giveaway 🙂