About
A show about cooking, culture and conversations - with a lot of laughs.
Dishes & Dialogue started in a kitchen with chicken adobo and no script. Chaos ensued. It’s grown into a show where Liem has no idea what he is walking into and asks all the dumb questions you are afraid of asking. Each episode is a surprise.
The origin
It started with one line.
“I’ll show you.”
Chef Fhred had been told there was no room for Filipino food in Melbourne. He took it personally - opened Barangay catering Filipino fare, then Palay in Fitzroy. Jasper and Liem heard the story on the OKIRU podcast and said, why not cook it on camera. So we did.
Episode one was chicken adobo. Vinegar, soy, turmeric, garlic and bay leaves. We cooked it, we ate it, we talked about onions making you cry no matter how professional you get. The conversation kept going long after the dish was on the plate.
Then we did more. Making pandesal, we stained the studio’s white marble bench with ube and pandan essence - and knew we had to keep going. Each episode a different dish, a different conversation, the same two friends. Cook something real, talk about whatever comes up, see who laughs first.
Now the counter moves. With Trial Run, we step into hospitality businesses we don’t run and take them over - learning the menu, working the line, and showing what makes each place tick. The food is still the hero. The business is the story.
The team
The people behind the dish.
Chef and co-host
Chef Fhred
Professional chef. Owner of Palay in Fitzroy and Barangay, with over a decade of heat-tested experience in the kitchen.
Co-host
Liem Nguyen
Philanthropy professional. Host of the OKIRU podcast. Cooks man meals for himself, and asks all the questions you are too scared to ask.
Director of Design
Jasper Menor
Built the brand and visual identity for Dishes & Dialogue. Sees the show as a love letter rendered in moving image.
Director of Photography
William Diasnes
Behind the camera and the look of every episode. The reason it plays like a film, not content.
What we’re really about
The dish is the dialogue.
Heritage without translation
We don't explain food to anyone. We cook it the way our families cook it, or improvise along the way, and we trust you to come along.
Tastemakers, not commentators
We don't review from the dining room. We get behind the heat, do the work, and let you see hospitality the way the people who run it see it.
We learn, we laugh, we show
We learn a business from the inside, we laugh because nothing is scripted, and we show what makes it worth your night out - the value, the culture, the vibe.
Want to bring your dish to the counter?
Sponsors, restaurants, fellow chefs, brands. Here’s how we can work together.
How to collaborate