Chef J. Gamboa is Philippines' New Lambassador of Australian Lamb
Award-winning Chef J. Gamboa has been officially named as country's newest Lambassador, a role dedicated to championing the quality, versatility and growing appeal of Australian Lamb among Filipino chefs and consumers. The official announcement was made during an intimate press lunch held at Cirkulo Restaurant last May 7, 2026 which was attended by key media and industry partners.
Cirkulo is part of the Milky Way Restaurant Group which is owned and operated by Chef J. Gamboa's family. This also includes Milky Way Cafe, AzuThai and Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant which you can all find inside this building along Arnaiz Avenue in Makati City. The Hungry Kat was one of the invited media guests for the afternoon's big reveal so we were excited to head to the Milky Way building once again to join this festive occasion.
The Lambassador program is part of ongoing efforts to build greater awareness and appreciation for Australian lamb in the Philippines through chef led advocacy and consumer engagement. Australian lamb is globally recognized for its high standards in food safety, natural production systems and consistent eating quality. Through chef-led advocacy, the Lambassador program aims to bridge the gap between product awareness and actual menu adoption.
Cirkulo is a 2026 Michelin Selected restaurant which has been serving its loyal patrons for over 30 years. It first opened its iconic red, round doors in August 1995, introducing Manila to a vibrant selection of tapas, sangrias, and a playful approach to dining. Under the management of siblings Malu Gamboa Lindo and Chef J. Gamboa, Cirkulo has preserved its Spanish favorites and is well know for their signature dishes such as the Suckling Pig Sisig, Slow Roasted U.S. Beef Belly and the Paella Montana. They are open daily from 11:30am to 2:00pm and from 5:00pm to 10:00pm.
The interiors are designed by Vickie and Luigi Antonio and exude a cosmopolitan yet warm atmosphere. The dining room is adorned with collages by National Artist Arturo Luz, abstracts by Lao Lianben, photographs by Ava Lugtu, and unique matador hat lights from the original design by Ramon Castellanos. The floors are crafted from 60-year-old supa wood, restored from old bowling lanes.
We were seated with our good friend Justin Yap together with other friends from the media and blogging community. Guests were welcomed with glasses of Cava Sangria and Iced Tea before the start of the program.
As the new Philippines Lambassador, Chef J. Gamboa will lead initiatives focused on elevating lamb in the Filipino dining experience and making it more accessible in the local market. "I've been a big fan of Australian Lamb since we opened Cirkulo in 1995. Through the years Australian lamb has always been guest favorites on our menu. I'm honored to be a Lambassador and happy to share and promote our Australian Lamb and beef dishes with our guests."
Meat & Livestock Australia Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, Valeska also welcomed Chef Gamboa to the group. "Chef J. represents the best of what we look for in a Lambassador - culinary excellence, strong industry influence and a genuine passion for quality ingredients. We welcome him to the global Lambassador club." Chef J. Gamboa will lead a series of engagements including chef collaborations, menu development initiatives and consumer-facing activities designed to make lamb more accessible and relevant in the local market.
Now it was time to sample some of the delicious lamb and beef dishes that Chef J. Gamboa had prepared for the guests. We started with the Tartar de Buey which comes with Australian beef tenderloin, capers, shallots, roasted bone marrow, and served with toasted brioche. Despite being served raw, I liked the deep flavors of the tartare which was seasoned well.
Cirkulo also featured some of their other appetizers like the Bolas de Queso. These are crispy Grana Padano cheese balls which are crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy inside.
The Potato "Carbonara" Omelette is an upgrade over the standard omelette dish we usually have. This egg omelette comes mixed with potatoes, pancetta, cream, and Grana Padado Italian cheese.
One of the best starters we had was the Slow Roasted Australian Lamb Shortribs which is cooked with garlic, pepper, sea salt, olive oil, and fresh lemon. The meat was quite tender and I didn't taste any of the gamey flavors from the lamb.
We also has a salad course, the Insulate Di Gorgonzola. This comes with Lolorosa, Granny Smith apples, gorgonzola, walnuts, pickled carrots, radish, and apple vinaigrette.
Chef Gamboa also gave us a few surprise dishes that were not on the menu for that afternoon. The Roasted Bone Marrow and Beef “Mole Asado” was obviously my favorite. It is served with toasted brioche and sea salt.
Get a spoonful of the bone marrow and slather it on the toasted bun then bite away. This was so good but I had to control myself from eating too much of this sinful dish.
We also had a taste of their meaty Kebabs which were served with hummus and vegetables.
After all those appetizers, it was finally time for our main courses. The Cordero Lechal Asado is an oven roasted Australian suckling lamb prepared with rosemary, garlic, and chimichurri sauce. This was a very different way of enjoying lamb and it was the first time for me to see it prepared this way.
Another exciting lamb dish is the Lamb Shank Ossobucco. Unlike the traditional version with veal, this uses red wine braised Australian lamb shanks and is cooked with lemon gremolata until very tender.
The main highlight of our menu was the Chuleta De Lomo Alto Con Hueso, a huge charcoal grilled bone in Stanbroke Farms Australian Ribeye (800 grams) served with roasted vegetables and thyme salt.
This is prepared in their custom Josper oven so the result is a perfectly cooked medium doneness ribeye steak that everyone really enjoyed.
We can't have a Spanish meal without paella, right? The Paella Montaña comes with Portobella mushrooms, whole roasted garlic, asparagus, and truffle oil. This was a great compliment to all our meaty lamb and beef main courses.
To cap off our lamb feast, guests were served two special desserts. The Warm Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake with Liquid Center comes with a gooey molten lava filling and is served with raspberry coulis and fresh oranges plus a scoop of Vanilla ice cream.
On the other hand, there is also the Warm White Chocolate Bread Pudding with bourbon cream sauce topped with Vanilla ice cream. Both desserts were a great way to end our afternoon at Cirkulo.
We would like to thank Lambassador Chef J. Gamboa and Spanky Enriquez for hosting our lovely press lunch at Cirkulo. It was a great way to experience these unique lamb dishes that more Filipinos should be able to try. Congratulations Chef Gamboa on your new role and we hope to catch up with you again really soon.
Cirkulo Restaurant
G/F Milky Way Building, 900 Arnaiz Ave., corner Paseo de Roxas, Makati City
8810-8735 / 8810-2763 / (0927) 136-1305
www.elcirkulo.com
www.facebook.com/CirkuloRestaurant