This is an excerpt from September 2026 Dining
There are restaurants you go to because you’re hungry, and then there are restaurants you find yourself coming back to long after the plates have been cleared. Brontë, newly opened at the Levanto Building in Makati, seems designed for the latter.
Made for the Long Table
It begins with the restaurant itself. The lighting is lightly dimmed, enough to make an ordinary weekday dinner feel like an occasion. There are long tables made for groups who plan on staying awhile, alongside more intimate tables for couples, families, and smaller catch-ups. At its heart is an open kitchen, where the movement becomes part of the meal: chefs at work with flames and pans in motion.
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The meal itself starts with something deceptively simple: Japanese milk bread served with date chutney and tomato jam butter. Soft, fluffy, and warm, the bread becomes a vehicle for flavors that move between sweet, savory, rich, and tangy.
Then comes the pleasure of choosing your own adventure. There are oysters, tartare, and salmon among the menu’s seafood offerings. For something more indulgent, there’s foie gras, while the Brontë salad offers something lighter on the table. When comfort food is what you’re after, the oxtail French onion soup brings something deeply savory and satisfying to the meal.
Then, of course, there is the steak. Brontë’s menu keeps things familiar with rib eye and lamb chops, alongside striploin and porterhouse for those looking for something more substantial.
And just when you think you’ve reached the end of the meal, Brontë makes a case for staying a little longer. Dessert rounds out the experience with its classic pavlova with Chantilly cream and passionfruit, toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, and dark chocolate tart.
That spirit of taking your time also extends to the story behind Brontë. For chef and co-owner Wade Watson, golf has always been a favorite pastime, and it was through the sport that he met Derek Ramsay, his long-time friend and now fellow co-owner. Years of friendship eventually turned into the idea of building a restaurant together, bringing Watson’s instincts in the kitchen and their shared appreciation for good food and good company to one table.
Perhaps that explains why the place feels less like a concept built solely around a dining trend and more like somewhere meant to be enjoyed with people you actually want to spend time with. Brontë feels built for those in-between moments. For the spontaneous “one drink?” that becomes dinner. For a first date when you want somewhere that feels special without trying too hard. For family meals where everyone can order something different.
There’s no need to overthink it. Sit down, order generously, and let the day take its time.
Photographed by KIERAN PUNAY. Art Direction by TROY NONATO.
Frequently Asked Questions
Brontë is located at the Levanto Building in Makati, featuring a dimly lit dining room with long communal tables, intimate seating for smaller groups, and an open kitchen where diners can watch chefs at work.
Brontë is co-owned by chef Wade Watson and actor Derek Ramsay, longtime friends who met through golf. Their friendship eventually led to the idea of building a restaurant together around their shared love of good food and company.
Brontë’s menu includes Japanese milk bread with date chutney and tomato jam butter, oysters, tartare, salmon, foie gras, oxtail French onion soup, and steaks like rib eye, lamb chops, striploin, and porterhouse.
Brontë’s dessert menu includes classic pavlova with Chantilly cream and passionfruit, toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, and dark chocolate tart.
Brontë is designed for lingering meals, from spontaneous drinks that turn into dinner to first dates and family meals, with its long tables and relaxed pacing built for staying a while rather than rushing through a meal.
