There are chefs who travel the world to discover new cuisines, and there are those who eventually realize that the flavors they were looking for had been part of their story all along.
For Chef Oliver ‘Oli’ Buenviaje, that realization has brought him home.
Born in Sorsogon, Buenviaje left the Philippines as a teenager and went on to build an international culinary career that took him through some of the world’s most respected kitchens, from Alain Ducasse’s Le Meurice in Paris to Al Mahara at Dubai’s Burj Al Arab, Le Normandie at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, and Caprice at Four Seasons Hong Kong. He eventually established Olio’s Fine Food in Perth, Australia, where he built a reputation for refined dining and premium catering.
Now, after years abroad, he is bringing that experience back to the country with Seafood 8 by Olio’s, his first restaurant venture in the Philippines. Located at Gateway Mall 2 in Araneta City, the restaurant opened its doors in August 2026 as a contemporary interpretation of the Filipino dampa experience.
And while the restaurant may be polished and modern, its inspiration is surprisingly familiar.
From the market to the table
THE premise behind Seafood 8 is simple: choose your seafood, choose how you want it cooked, then choose one of eight signature sauces.
But the experience is designed to be anything but ordinary.
The restaurant brings the energy of a seafood market into a contemporary dining space, with live seafood, displays on ice, and an open kitchen allowing diners to see their food being prepared. The concept is designed to accommodate approximately 130 guests.
It is essentially the dampa brought into a more polished, restaurant setting-retaining the sense of discovery and choice while adding the precision and technique that Buenviaje has developed through his international career.
The restaurant’s name is built around its defining element: eight signature sauces. The lineup includes Kalamansi Hollandaise, Chili Caramel, Asian Sweet and Sour, Olio’s Chili Supreme XO, Miso Butter, Inasal Citrus Ginger and Soy, Latin Chimichurri and Gambas Roja.
That combination of familiar Filipino flavors and international influences is very much at the heart of Buenviaje’s approach.
‘Seafood has always been at the heart of my culinary journey,’ he said. ‘Seafood 8 by Olio’s is my way of celebrating the incredible seafood we have in this country while presenting it through the lens of everything I’ve learned around the world.’
A taste of the journey
THAT philosophy came through clearly during the media lunch held at the restaurant.
The tasting menu moved comfortably between Filipino flavors, European technique, and Asian influences, offering a glimpse of how Buenviaje approaches seafood without making it feel overly complicated.
The meal began with a selection of starters including Seafood 8 Bouillabaisse Soup, Pacific Oysters, Baby Pusit, Chargrilled Japanese Octopus and Roxas Tanigue Kinilaw. The kinilaw, prepared with fermented Ilocos vinegar, coconut milk emulsion and pickled shallots, was particularly telling: a distinctly Filipino preparation presented with the kind of refinement expected from a contemporary restaurant.
The chargrilled Japanese octopus, meanwhile, paired the seafood with marble potato, chorizo, calamansi and gambas roja-a combination that reflected the restaurant’s broader philosophy of bringing different culinary influences together without losing the character of the main ingredient.
The main seafood courses continued that exploration. Dover Sole Meunière brought classic French technique to the table, while Branzino with emulsified lemon butter sauce kept things elegant and restrained. Baked Batangas Tiger Prawns were paired with mirin and miso den sauce, while Grilled Gen San Tuna Belly came with Latin chimichurri and herbs. The Tiger Lobster with calamansi hollandaise perhaps summed up the concept best: a luxurious ingredient meeting a flavor that feels unmistakably at home in the Philippines.
There was even room for a Filipino classic reimagined through the lens of pasta: Bicol Express Crab Linguine.
And that pairing feels particularly appropriate for Buenviaje.
After all, his roots are in Bicol, a region whose cuisine is known for its bold use of coconut and chili. The restaurant’s broader menu carries that spirit into dishes such as Bicol Express Crab, Singaporean Chili Crab, Grilled Tuna Panga in Miso and Soy, Suah? Garlic Chili Butter, and Chili Garlic Mussels.
The menu isn’t exclusively about seafood, either. Signature house meats include grilled pork lechon and braised beef rendang short ribs with coconut sambal, while desserts include banana and jackfruit croustillant and coconut panna cotta.
The Filipino lesson behind the chef
PERHAPS the most meaningful part of Seafood 8, however, isn’t found on the menu.
It is found in Buenviaje’s memories of growing up in Sorsogon.
He credits much of his philosophy of hospitality to his late grandfather, Jose Aviles, who taught him about generosity, community, and the importance of sharing meals.
That idea gives the restaurant’s dampa concept a deeper meaning.
For many Filipinos, seafood isn’t simply food. It is something gathered around a table. It is a weekend meal, a family celebration, a feast shared with friends. It is the pleasure of choosing what looks freshest at the market and then deciding how you want it cooked.
Seafood 8 takes that familiar ritual and gives it a more contemporary setting.
Its official concept is essentially ‘choose, cook, sauce, enjoy’-allowing diners to select their seafood, preparation, and sauce rather than simply ordering a finished dish from a menu.
In that sense, the restaurant isn’t trying to replace the dampa. It is preserving what makes the experience enjoyable while making it more accessible to today’s diner.
A homecoming served on a plate
THERE is something fitting about Buenviaje’s first Philippine restaurant being centered on seafood.
His career may have taken him across six countries and through kitchens associated with some of the world’s most celebrated culinary names, but the foundation of his story remains Filipino.
And perhaps that is what makes Seafood 8 more interesting than simply another new restaurant.
It represents a chef taking everything he learned abroad-technique, discipline, international influences, and an appreciation for exceptional ingredients-and bringing it back to the flavors and traditions that shaped him in the first place.
At Seafood 8, a familiar Filipino dining ritual gets a new setting. The seafood is fresher, the sauces more globally influenced, and the techniques more polished. Yet the essential experience remains wonderfully familiar: choose what you want, gather around the table, share the food and enjoy the company.
For Buenviaje, it seems, coming home was never about leaving the world behind.
It was about bringing the world home.