Images: 118 Kovenant Restaurant & Cafe/Facebook
A new restaurant is set to bring a reimagined take on Filipino cuisine to Adelaide’s east end, with family-run venue Mutya’s preparing to open on Rundle Street this winter.
Created by the team behind 118 Kovenant in Pooraka, Mutya’s will offer what the owners describe as a “semi fine-casual” dining experience, blending traditional Filipino flavours with elevated techniques and influences from across the Philippines’ complex cultural history.
Having won first place in the ‘Family Dining category’ at the 2024 Restaurant and Catering Awards for Excellence in South Australia, the team might just have what it takes to make this new restaurant a new go-to.
Rather than focusing on a single regional style, the menu is expected to draw inspiration from the country’s Spanish, Chinese, and Malay influences, reflecting the layered culinary identity that defines Filipino food today.
“We’re reimagining the flavours of the Philippines,” explained the team ahead of the launch.
“It’s not just traditional cooking, we’re bringing flavours from all over the Philippines together into one dish.”
While full menu details are still under wraps, diners can expect elevated interpretations of familiar flavours, including seafood dishes inspired by the spicy, creamy coconut-based cuisine of the Bicol region.
The restaurant’s interior will continue that storytelling approach, with the design taking cues from the Philippines’ Spanish colonial era.
As the team explained, the Philippines has been shaped by centuries of colonisation and migration, hence the venue will aim to reflect those intertwined influences not only through food, but also through its atmosphere and styling.
The name Mutya’s also carries significance. A play on the Tausug word ‘Mutia’, translating to ‘Pearl’, the venue’s branding references the “Pearl of the Orient”, with pearl-inspired design elements set to appear throughout the space.
For the family behind the restaurant, opening Mutya’s represents more than just another hospitality venue; it’s an opportunity to showcase Filipino culinary artistry in a city where the cuisine is still underrepresented.
“We’re excited, but nervous at the same time.”
“People know Filipinos cook well, but we don’t really have a big restaurant presence here yet.”
“We want to show Filipino culinary arts and let people experience Filipino hospitality.”
Mutya’s By 118 Kovenant
Where: 277 Rundle St, Adelaide
When: coming soon
For updates, click here.
