QUEZON CITY, Philippines — The familiar Filipino dampa experience is getting a modern makeover in Quezon City as Seafood 8 by Olio’s opens at Gateway Mall 2 in Araneta City, bringing fresh seafood, customizable cooking styles and globally inspired sauces into a contemporary restaurant setting.
The bistro-style seafood concept officially opened on August 8, 2026, according to reports from The Manila Times and other coverage of the launch. Its arrival gives diners a mall-based alternative to the traditional seafood-market setup associated with dampa dining.
From traditional dampa to modern mall dining
At the heart of Seafood 8 is a familiar Filipino dining ritual: choose your seafood, decide how you want it prepared, and pair it with a sauce.
But instead of navigating a traditional seafood market, diners encounter the experience inside Gateway Mall 2, where the restaurant combines fresh seafood displays with a more polished, bistro-style environment.
The restaurant describes its concept as a modern and interactive interpretation of Filipino dampa dining, with seafood sourced daily and prepared according to the customer’s preferred cooking method and sauce.
The concept was developed by Filipino chef Oliver “Oli” Buenviaje, whose culinary career has taken him through kitchens in several countries before returning to the Philippines with a seafood concept rooted in Filipino traditions.
The number eight is more than just a name
The restaurant’s biggest signature is its lineup of eight sauces, designed to give diners different ways to enjoy their seafood.
Among the combinations highlighted in reports and the restaurant’s own materials are Miso Butter, Inasal Citrus Ginger & Soy, Oriental Chili Caramel, Latin Chimichurri, Pomodoro Tomato Olive Capers, Gambas Roja, Bagoong Béarnaise and Sambal XO Chili.
That means the experience isn’t simply about choosing between grilled, fried or steamed seafood. The sauces are intended to bring international influences into ingredients and flavors familiar to Filipino diners.
A seafood feast with a global influence
Buenviaje’s background helps explain the restaurant’s international approach.
Daily Tribune reported that the chef’s culinary experience includes stints at establishments such as Le Meurice in Paris, Al Mahara at Dubai’s Burj Al Arab, L’Normandie at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Caprice at Four Seasons Hong Kong and Four Seasons Macau. He also founded Olio’s Fine Food Catering in Perth, Australia.
InsiderPH similarly described Seafood 8 as an attempt to combine the freshness and personalization of the traditional dampa model with a more elevated dining environment.
The restaurant’s official website says the concept was developed by Buenviaje together with Jorge Araneta and centers on three choices: your seafood, your preparation and your sauce.
Built for groups and seafood lovers
Seafood 8 can accommodate around 130 diners, with the restaurant designed to retain some of the visual energy of a seafood market through displays and an open-kitchen setup.
The concept also keeps the communal spirit of Filipino seafood dining alive through sharing platters, making it particularly suited to groups and family-style meals. The restaurant’s official website specifically highlights feasting platters designed to be shared.
Why the opening is drawing attention
The timing is also notable.
Seafood 8 arrives as Araneta City holds its first-ever Seafood Festival this August, creating an especially seafood-heavy moment for Gateway Mall and the surrounding district. ABS-CBN reported that the month-long festival brings together food, drinks, film and cooking-related activities.
The new restaurant therefore isn’t simply another seafood spot in Quezon City. It represents a broader effort to bring the casual, communal and highly Filipino dampa tradition into a more contemporary urban dining environment.
For longtime dampa fans, the question is whether the familiar pleasure of picking seafood and having it cooked your way can survive—and perhaps become even more appealing—in a mall setting.
For a new generation of diners, Seafood 8 is betting that the answer is yes.
And with eight sauces, multiple cooking options and a chef bringing international experience back to Filipino seafood, the restaurant is clearly offering diners more than just another plate of grilled seafood.
Seafood 8 by Olio’s is located at The Lagoon, Gateway Mall 2, Araneta City, Quezon City. The restaurant’s official website lists the location and contact details.
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