A Look at Grand Hyatt Manila's Most Interactive Meal Yet

For almost four years, Grand Hyatt Manila has captivated diners with Le Petit Chef, a six-course dinner featuring a 3D-projected animation of a tiny chef cooking right on your plate. Now, the hotel is kicking things up a notch with the debut of The Magic Table. While it still utilizes state-of-the-art 3D projection mapping, this new experience comes with a high-stakes twist.

The Magic Table is hosted by a world-renowned, real-life duo: The Clairvoyants, Thommy Ten and Amélie van Tass. Their images are projected onto the tables, and their voices command every corner of Grand Hyatt Manila’s premium event space, Penthouse No. 66. The latter is crucial because, as it turns out, we aren't just there to be fed; we are recruited as the magicians' apprentices. To see the next plate, we are expected to follow specific instructions, solve puzzles, and perform the illusions ourselves. A magician's hat, a coat, and a wand are even offered to diners to complete the look.

Here's our experience on the first night of Grand Hyatt Manila's The Magic Table.

The challenge started immediately following Thommy and Amélie’s introduction to the magical world they’ve created. 'Choose your favorite,' Thommy’s voice commanded as a colorful grid of symbols—a unicorn, a magic lamp, a witch’s hat, a mask, a rainbow, and many others—appeared on the table’s surface. What followed was an exercise in precision: we were instructed to move our fingers from symbol to symbol, leaping to the nearest red button and then to another. It was a reminder that performing magic is actually a lot of listening and remembering, and that it's also all about probabilities—as we all ended up on the same key symbol no matter where we started. The key unlocked our first appetizer titled "A Spell of the Forest". The Forest & Porcini Mushroom Pâté is a blend of sweet (from the manuka honey) and sour (from the lemon), with textures that are both crispy (from the hazelnut soil) and pasty. It's a promising start to the five-course meal.

The next trick? Not so promising. It turns out that we're not so great with card tricks that come with another listening challenge. Fortunately, our meals were still served.

The interaction continued as we're asked to put our phones down (a projection on the table would instruct this once in a while), place our hands above the hand outline on the table, and pretend that we're conjuring our next meal (called "Enchanted Shell") from the handful of dice. A bowl of Butter Poached Hokkaido Scallop appeared—a.k.a. brought to the table, obviously—and poured tableside with crustacean bisque. The bisque was surprisingly clean and crisp, acting as a light, savory veil rather than a heavy sauce. This allowed the herb crust of the scallop to stand out, while the sun-dried tomato added a bright contrast to the salty ikura.

By the third trick, we finally found our magician’s rhythm. The narrative introduced the great American illusionist Harry Houdini, prompting a challenge that required us to crack a number-coded padlock using clues hidden on the tabletop projections. No spoilers here!

The series of appetizers ended with "The Alchemy of the Sea," inspired by Houdini's underwater escape tricks. The Crab Meat & Codfish Brandade is topped with sake-marinated ikura and mixed with avocado at the bottom. It's a layer of tastes and colors, which could have been better appreciated in a glass bowl rather than a stoneware one. Still, the flavors are all there, nicely tempered with the bread served with it.

The next sequence is a lesson on the different kinds of magicians, from the mind reader to the card trickster. It's another follow-the-instructions kind of trick as well as a permutations game. But it's best not to think about the logic behind it and just go with the flow.

The main course was served at this point: "The Order of Fire," which is Mulwarra Tenderloin Beef Wellington served with bone marrow and café de Paris butter jus. The beef wellington, in general, is too British for me (make of that what you will), but Grand Hyatt Manila's version has mushrooms on the crust, adding more taste to the puff pastry—maybe a little too much on the salty side.

Thommy and Amélie had more tricks up their sleeve, which led to the grand finale: a fiery dessert—literally, flames were part of the act. Served on a black bowl were two spheres of sorbet: cherry and hazelnut, resting on a chocolate disc. We tapped that disc goodness to get to the bits of chocolate brownies, espresso, and bourbon sauce poured tableside.

Yes—if you enjoy the challenge of a puzzle and the satisfaction of problem-solving. The magic is not exactly Houdini-level, but the novelty provides a genuine spark of excitement. Within the two-hour seating, you aren't just a passive diner; you are an active participant in something fun, making it an ideal choice for a date or a night out with someone who appreciates a bit of playfulness between courses. At least until that initial charm wears off.

The Magic Table is at Penthouse No. 66, Grand Hyatt Manila, 8th Avenue corner 35th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. It is open for dinner daily for 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. seatings, with a duration of two hours. There are only 40 seats per show, with tables arranged in groups of four or eight.

The five-course menu is priced at P8,500 net per person. Guests can upgrade to The Grand Illusion Menu and have their Mulwarra tenderloin beef Wellington topped with pan-seared foie gras and freshly shaved black truffle at P9,500 net. The Enchanted Garden Menu presents plant-forward dishes for vegetarian diners for P7,500 net. For younger guests ages six to 12, the Young Magician’s Feast provides whimsical, child-friendly selections for P4,000 net.

ALSO READ:

Catching Up with Le Petit Chef at Grand Hyatt Manila

You Can Now Drink and Dine at the Highest Rooftop Bar in the Philippines