That fleeting moment after the rain leads to the fragrant release of gentle mist rising from the damp concrete with hints of comforting tropical greens and the mildly acidic notes of tomato leaf and tamarind. And the nostalgic whiff of sinigang. It's these in-between and transitory moments that trigger and open up a sensory realm taking you to the distant past and far away place long hidden and stored away in memory. Wren Atelier and Chef Michelle Adrillana transform these memories into a feast of fragrance and flavor in one elegant and seamless weave with the launch of Acid Rain at Hilltop by Everyday Coffee Roasters...
In a series of creative collaborations dubbed The Visible Invisible art and scent exhibition, Wren Atelier explores the tightly knit relationship between the olfactory and visual arts. And now, a culinary component is added to the complex weave highlighting how scent and taste are equally deeply embedded for a memorable sensory experience. Chef Michelle Adrillana brings her unique style of conscious cuisine and wellbeing with her creative culinary expressions capturing the essence of Wren Atelier's newest scent celebrating our cultural identity, Acid Rain. Read on for a taste and whiff of The Invisible Palate...
Wren Atelier is an award-winning niche perfume house established by Renato Lopena Jr. in 2020 known for creative, inventive and even unexpected original and avant-garde fragrances infused with subtle hints of local culture, heritage and atmosphere. Renato Lopena Jr. is a storyteller, recreating nostalgic and fond memories in an exquisite fragrance inspired by local elements reflecting the uniquely Filipino experience and identity. Challenging the usual fragrance conventions, Wren Atelier brings a refreshingly new color palette of fragrances for a distinctive and personal experience. Along the way, Wren Atelier has been recognized as the Best Filipino Fragrance of 2025 by the Mega Beauty Awards for its Batuk creation and a winner of the coveted Emerging Perfume Brand Award by the prestigious Asia Perfume Foundation.
Each expression by Wren Atelier is an homage to the familiar, given new life and resonance captured in a bottle. It's these nostalgic tapestry of memories that sparks the basis and foundation for a creative process driven by passion and classic training from the Grasse Institute of Perfumery in France. The collections of Wren Atelier takes you on a journey with its interpretations of the olfactory experience woven with distinctly Filipino cues and character...
...like the Hacienderos with its base of leather, grassy flouve and earthy and musky notes punctuated by citrusy, herbal and floral hints. This is Wren Atelier's tribute to local farmers and landowners capturing the very essence of their daily routine with its fresh and pristine start to its rugged finish.
The Manila Oud draws inspiration from the colonial experience with incense, banana cue and sampaguita evoking memories of busy streets lined by vendors by the church. The composition includes top notes of calamansi, ginger and nutmeg followed by wood, leather and amber reminiscent of the old city.
The afternoon's highlight belonged to Acid Rain, a modern interpretation of the Philippine atmosphere enhanced and captured through the deconstruction of the comforting staple, sinigang. It's that short transition after the rains, releasing a bouquet of lush tropical greens followed by tomato leaf and tamarind for a mildly acidic yet soothing finish. In between whiffs, one is pleasantly reminded of the traditional sour and tart soup. It's this composition that becomes the foundation for the culinary component by Chef Michelle Adrillana for the second sensory experience at Hilltop by Everyday Coffee Roasters.
Wren Atelier founder Renato Lopena Jr. fondly recalled the moment when the familiar scents of rain and sinigang sparked the idea for Acid Rain, inspired and driven by local cultural heritage and identity.
"When you cook sinigang, it's like the formation of rain. Water comes to a boil, heats up, condenses in the air and turns into rain." That feeling and moment of enjoying sinigang in rainy weather struck Renato Lopena Jr. as a solid concept for his new composition.
Chef Michelle Adrillana then described her lifestyle-driven metabolically calibrated cuisine to complement the taste dimension of Wren Atelier's new fragrance taking cues from the bold yet refreshing profile of Acid Rain. Fragrance and flavor, in one seamless weave.
As the kitchen prepared the dishes, a soothing Iced Latte from Hilltop by Everyday Coffee Roasters opened up the palate for the coming feast...
...starting with the Sugar-Free Low Carb Bread and Laing Dip with cheeses for added richness while retaining the core flavors of the local dish.
Creamy with a silky smooth richness, the Laing Dip brings the familiar nutty hints made even more indulgent with the mild salty notes of cheese for a modern rendition of a local classic and a cool spin on the popular baked spinach dip. Paired with the Sugar-Free Low Carb Bread made with almond flour, Chef Michelle Adrillana opens the sensory feast of fragrance and flavor on a high and healthy note.
The savory appetizer of Tamarind Chicken Rillette, Guava Gastrique, Cauliflower Hummus and Grana Padano served with Low Carb Crostini brings a delectable play on contrasting flavors to the palate with the bright hints of tamarind and guava complementing the delicate notes of the chicken for that perfectly balanced finish.
The intricate execution of each dish with purposeful intent on flavors replicates the light yet complex composition of Acid Rain. Chef Michelle Adrillana and Renato Lopena Jr. have successfully aligned their brands into one cohesive and harmonious thread of fragrance and flavor.
The flavorful highlights of the appetizer takes its cue from the pronounced hints of Acid Rain, particularly the sour and acidic notes from the tamarind and guava tempering the creamy savory richness of the rillette. The Low Carb Bread completes the flavors with its lingering nutty flavors.
For the main course, Chef Michelle Adrillana served her Tamarind Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Charred Eggplant Mash and Duck Fat Vegetable Cassoulet for a medley of rich savory flavors on a plate. The smoky sweetness from the Charred Eggplant Mash and the buttery flavors of the Duck Fat Vegetable Cassoulet combine well building layers of flavors for the Pork Tenderloin with the Tamarind Glaze cutting through the richness.
The beautifully plated dish first feeds the eyes before the palate consistent with the sensory theme of the feast for Wren Atelier. And just like Acid Rain, the dish brings deep, bold and pronounced savory flavors with bursts of bright and vibrant notes in one well executed dish.
Chef Michelle Adrillana then served her dessert course starting with the Verdant Sour Matcha Tea with calamansi and lemon...
...paired with Bonbon Dark Chocolate Covered Tamarind Candy with Matcha, Cayenne, and Toasted Coconut Ash to cap a sumptuous feast of sensory layers inspired by the new Acid Rain from Wren Atelier. Sweet, nutty and sour with each note complementing the other, it's the perfect ending to a lavish feast of fragrance and flavor. The acidic hints of sinigang are faithfully infused for that familiar astringent finish with just a whisper of bitterness and absolutely no sugar to cleanse the palate. Each course set up the afternoon's theme of fragrance and flavor in multiple renditions for a satisfying meal. Yet one doesn't get the usual heavy, bloated feeling and that's where Chef Michelle Adrillana's metabolically calibrated approach to cuisine comes in. It's rare to feel genuinely good after some serious feasting, but metabolic calibrated dishes definitely works.
A memorable afternoon that explored the inseparable link and relationship between smell and taste becomes one of the most novel, creative and innovative launch concepts yet. From deconstructing a Filipino dish into fragrance and deconstructed once more from fragrance to exquisite dishes, The Invisible Palate by Chef Michelle Adrillana and Renato Lopena Jr. for Wren Atelier has to be one of the best collaborations yet.
Proudly homegrown, Wren Atelier brings both local culture and identity to a much bigger stage with Acid Rain, Hacienderos and Manila Oud along with the rest of its award-winning repertoire of unique compositions. And in one afternoon, creativity flowed seamlessly merging the worlds of the culinary arts and perfumery in a lavish sensory feast.
Inspired by the elements of rain, minerals, tamarind, humidity and memory, Renato Lopena Jr. captures the essence of the moment with Acid Rain for Wren Atelier perfectly reinterpreted through the dishes of Chef Michelle Adrillana intertwined in a tightly woven knit. Here's to more memorable whiffs and bites...
For more on Wren Atelier, you can visit their website, FB Page and IG Feed at https://wrenatelier.com.ph/, https://www.facebook.com/people/Wren-Atelier/ and https://www.instagram.com/wrenatelier for more information and updates.\
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