Step through the doors of Fable Cafe + Lounge and suddenly you’re no longer in urban Manila. Instead, you’ve entered a storybook realm, where oversized flowers bloom, wire creatures nest in delicate cages, and a painted pebble path weaves past bamboo groves and fabric banana trees. Overhead, custom LED-lit leaves shift hues, bathing the 230-square-meter space in a dreamlike glow. This is the creation of multiawarded Cebuano design icon Kenneth Cobonpue, and opened his new showroom and the Cloudgrey Gallery at Grand Hyatt Manila Residences. The beautiful restaurant redefines dining as theatrical escape. 

Fable Café feels like an escape into fantasy | Photo: Jar Concengco

Fable’s magic springs from Cobonpue’s childhood. “My mom used to read fables and fairy tales every night,” he recalls. Without the internet, young Kenneth visualized castles and creatures, crafting figures from wire and scrap in his family’s workshop. “Fable is like exorcising me being a child forever,” he says with a laugh. The cafe’s name honors those stories, its interiors a canvas for his imagination. Wire mesh cages, inspired by his early creations, house fantastical beings, while cloud-like fixtures and giant blooms create a surreal wonderland. “It’s fantasy, enchantment,” Cobonpue explains, designing a space that transports guests instantly.

Imaginative lamps crafted from wire mesh | Photo: Jar Concengco

Cobonpue views design as a universal narrative. “Design is how to connect to people miles away, from other cultures,” he says. His signature organic materials—rattan, bamboo, handwoven fabrics—blend with innovative elements like carbon fiber, woven into award-winning pieces. A cathedral-inspired lantern nods to abbeys and winemaking, while flower-shaped chairs evoke universal appeal. “Everybody loves a flower,” he notes. The adjacent showroom showcases new colorful collections downstairs and classic designs upstairs, while the Cloudgrey Gallery, curated by artist Ronald Ventura, features Southeast Asian talent, with Ventura’s sprawling blue sculpture adorning Fable’s walls.

The stunning cathedral-inspired lantern | Photo: Jar Concengco

A menu that evolves with time

The menu, deliberately understated, is a work in progress. “I didn’t want a complicated menu—things can go wrong fast,” Cobonpue admits, starting with familiar “classics” and planning bolder dishes. Collaborations with chefs are in discussion, though details remain undisclosed. Current offerings include Black Truffle Tortellini (P885), rich with mushrooms, and 48-Hour Miso-Marinated Sea Bass (P2,280), alongside the Quinoa Salad (P590) with mango and avocado-sumac dressing. Desserts like the Deconstructed Cheesecake with biscoff soil add a playful touch.

Black Truffle Tortellini | Photo: Car Concengco

48-hour Miso-Marinted Sea Bass | Photo: Jar ConcengcoThe bar shines with narrative-driven cocktails. The Wandering Whelk (P550), blending peppermint vodka and salted caramel, evokes a shell-less creature’s journey, while The Hidden Hermit (P550), with spicy truffle honey, conjures a recluse’s solitude. Cobonpue, a gin and tonic fan, favors floral Nordes gin. “The cocktails are good,” he says. By night, Fable becomes a vibrant lounge, with a DJ spinning Wednesday to Saturday and a strong wine selection fueling a “chill” party vibe.

A delicate balance

Opening Fable posed challenges, particularly managing expectations. “The interiors are so crazy, people expect the food to be as wild,” Cobonpue says. The space’s dual role as restaurant and gallery requires staff who can convey its creative ethos. “It’s hard to get people to think like you,” he reflects. Design, he insists, is critical: “It starts with your eyes before your mouth.”

Expect limited-time dishes and special curated menus from time to time | Photo: Jar Concengco 

A new chapter in BGC

Fable builds on Cobonpue’s experience, including his Cebu lounge-bar Morals and Malice that was celebrated in global design magazines 15 years ago. The move from his smaller Makati showroom to this large corner space in BGC gives him freedom to express a more holistic vision—cafe, showroom, gallery—united by lifestyle. The showroom’s K Curated line offers accessible pieces, and the gallery cements Fable as a cultural hub. Future restaurants? “It’s a lot of work,” Cobonpue says cautiously. “We’ll see.”

Not ready to splurge on a signature Cobonpue just yet? The K-Curated line offers style at wallet-friendly prices | Photo: Jar Concengco

Fable remains a singular destination, a portal where every detail—from wire creatures to truffle-laced tortellini—tells a story, making it a must-visit for travelers seeking Manila’s most imaginative escape.

Visit Fable Cafe + Lounge at G/F Grand Hyatt Manila Residences, 8th Ave. cor. 36th St., Taguig City. Open daily, 11 AM to 2 PM for lunch, 6 PM onwards for dinner and drinks. For reservations, call 0919-2678000. Follow @fablecafelounge on Instagram.