Gordon Ramsay survives Manila traffic, eye pen strike in new Netflix docuseries

‘I’m more in love with Manila than they are in love with me,’ he says during his visit

The newest six-episode docuseries of Gordon Ramsay features the Philippines’ beauty—and chaos. At one point, he sits through Metro Manila’s traffic, and in another, an overexcited fan accidentally hits his eye with a pen.

On Episode 4 of Netflix’s “Being Gordon Ramsay,” released globally on February 18, Gordon—in his first visit to the country—traverses the busiest parts of the metro, including Quiapo, Recto, Avenida, Padre Burgos, Intramuros, Pasay, Cubao, and EDSA. Witnessing the gridlock, he notices the abundance of motorcycle taxis. 

‘Bike are like ants in the PH’

“A bike is definitely the best means of transport here, isn’t it? I don’t know how long you’ll survive on a bike here, but they are everywhere. They’re like little ants, aren’t they?”

The 59-year-old global culinary superstar also reminisces his days as a commis (junior chef) in Paris, where he’d take what Filipinos call habal-habal. “At night, if I miss the last tube, I’d just jump on the back with no helmet and get taken home, down the Champs-Élysées on the back of a bike.”

Gordon—who has a fiery, profane persona in shows like “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares” but is reputedly a supportive, endearing mentor off-screen—also collaborates with top food content creator Abi Marquez.

Abi Marquez, queen of lumpia

Abi, dubbed the Lumpia Queen for her expansive spring roll recipes, took her stab at Gordon’s signature Beef Wellington and gave it new life, going massively viral online. “This is the biggest day of my life,” Abi says as she works alongside Gordon, who says he doesn’t “like” her creation—he “f*cking” loves it.

Episode 5, meanwhile, showcases Gordon’s January 20, 2025, event celebrating the local opening of Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill at Newport World Resorts in Pasay. A MasterChef-style challenge stars actress Judy Ann Santos, vlogger Ninong Ry, Gordon’s head chef Bea Therese Qua, and culinary student Danica Lucero.

“I’m more in love with Manila than they are in love with me,” he tells the crowd of Filipino chefs, celebrities, foodies, and media. He also notes that the Philippines is the “Sleeping Beauty of Asia.”

Outside the venue, Gordon gets rockstar treatment, but it goes wrong when a pen strikes his eye and another one scratches lines across his jaw. This prompted security to flank him and stop entertaining fans as he makes his way to the elevator.

“I’m not used to that,” he says, noting to update his wife Tana, who scolded him for being “that close” to fans. He replies, “It’s not about getting that close. It’s about just doing your job, right? Doing your job and giving them a little piece of you.”

‘No frills. It’s just you and the produce’

Gordon also explores Cubao Farmers Market, marveling at fresh seafood and produce. “Beautiful. Really beautiful,” he says holding an octopus. He buys bagaybay (tuna sperm sack), suahe, alimango, and black lapu-lapu, then visits the dampa.

“That’s insane,” he says. “What I love most, there’s no f*cking frills. It’s you and the produce. That’s it.”

“Holy sh*t. That is so good. And that sauce is not overpowering either,” he adds as he enjoys a seafood feast that includes tahong and lobster.

Overall, Gordon is full of praise for the Philippines and its culinary scene. Though his Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill is “quintessentially British,” he says they opted to “adapt” what’s Filipino for the local branch. For instance, they’re using lapu-lapu for fish and chips instead of the usual Atlantic cod.

“And we have to increase the heat, the sour, the bitterness,” he says. “You’d be so ignorant if you didn’t incorporate what’s happening locally.”

Three more Ramsay restos in the PH

Gordon has two other local restaurants: Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips and Street Burger by Gordon Ramsay in Cebu. During his visit last year, he says there’s a possibility of opening more restaurants, including his famed Hell’s Kitchen.

“We are looking at potentially three new restaurant sites here in the Philippines,” Philstar.com quoted him as saying in a 2025 report.

In the docuseries, Gordon also commends the “Filipino flair” embodied by restaurants and chefs.

“What they do, and what they stand for, and the humbleness, I can relate to because it relates to my upbringing,” he says. “And just the food scene, the culture is incredible.”

“Filipino cuisine in general,” he adds, “Oof! It’s bubbling like no tomorrow.”

 

 

Gordon Ramsay calls the Philippines the “Sleeping Beauty of Asia.”

 

 

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