Kissed by the flame

Some friendships are made tender by time. Others flourish on fire — on a seething grill, to be exact.

Somewhere in the now-famous happening place and food haunt that is Poblacion in Makati City is a warm friendship made more special by the all-natural sausages they grill. The greatest ingredient they pour into their sausage grilling business is the friendship they have established. Meet the men behind Three Guys and a Grill: Tom Thurnherr from Switzerland, Duncan Gates from New Zealand and Pepper Teehankee from the Philippines.

“We all met through our very active social life in Metro Manila,” begins Tom. “I met Duncan through common friends at B-Side when I was playing a DJ gig there in 2010. I then got invited to his and his wife’s birthday party the same year where I also met Pepper, at Nuvo in Greenbelt 2. We’ve been friends ever since.”

Sausages(left) are flame grilled to get the crunch. The Swiss Army Dog(right) is a yummy schueblig.

Since then, their lives have been intertwined. And if well-meaning friendship is an ingredient to good sausages, you are assured that the kielbasa, cheese Hungarian, bratwurst, schueblig, nuernberger served at Three Guys and a Grill are delightful, mouthwatering, unforgettable. 

“I had been sitting on a business idea called ‘Duncan Dogs’ for many years (thus, I ate hotdogs wherever I went in the world). As it happens, Tom was also dreaming of a European-style sausage beer garden called ‘Berlin.’ When I learned of his idea and our combined passion for starting a food business, we got together and ‘met in the middle’ of our respective food business ideas. The Duncan Dogs and Berlin ideas were combined to become Three Guys and a Grill and the menu we have today since June last year,” says Duncan.

“And Pepper is our good luck charm!” chorus Tom and Duncan.

“I’m their mascot! I’m only saling-pusa,” Pepper, who helps in the public relations and marketing side of the business, quips good-naturedly.

“Tom is the ‘food guy’ or our chef and also the CTO. Pepper is the PR and Social Media person plus our consultant on local Filipino food and flavor. I am the ‘business guy’ (who loves food) and also the CEO,” adds Duncan.

Tom, Duncan and Pepper are certified foodies. The sausages they serve at Three Guys and a Grill are made with local ingredients. All the casings of sausages are natural. Even their yummy sauces are homemade. And the bread that goes with the sausage is always freshly baked. If you care for chips, they make the best potato, ube and camote chips, too. Oh, super crunchy!

An array of ‘Dogs’ and refreshing drinks(left). Sausage Fest of kielbasa, cheese Hungarian and nuernberger with chips(right).

But nothing beats the finger-licking crunch on each sausage bite. For example, the Swiss Army Dog — it’s actually heaven masquerading as sausage sandwich. It’s made of traditional Swiss schueblig with sliced pickles, grilled onions and homemade ketchup. You bite into it and you get a taste of sausage heaven. Ditto with the Thunder Dog (German pork bratwurst), the Anghang (spicy lamb sausage) and the Bird Dog (curry chicken sausage).

The Duncan Dog with two pork grillers is a sumptuous feast of flavors because it is served with guava mustard, homemade tomato sauce and grilled onions. This is also a must-try at Three Guys and a Grill.

Aside from its 35-sq.-m. restaurant (that can sit 15 people) in Poblacion, Three Guys and a Grill has spots in Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Grub Garden near Taft Avenue in Manila, and Southwoods Mall in Biñan City. The partners plan to open 10 outlets by the end of 2018 and they always put excitement by adding new sausage offerings on the menu as often as possible. Why not, they make their own sausages.

“We also plan on going to Boracay, Cebu and other great tourist spots for both locals and foreigners. Our longer term is to go international with our first target location being Bali, Indonesia,” informs Duncan.

“Our plans are to become a very successful fast-casual food business, with the focus on great quality, locally sourced food prepared on a grill, starting with sausages for now, but many more things to come. We want to grow not only as a business, but also as a community, together with our customers, suppliers, local communities and those who would like to participate in a project like that. We strongly believe in collaboration,” says Tom.

“Do we fight? Well, it hasn’t happened since I joined. They always listen to my input,” Pepper laughs, adding that they also do delivery and catering. 

“I believe our friendship plays a big part in our business as it helps to fully express what we’d like to achieve. As friends, we also share our personal dreams and goals in life, which we then try to integrate into our business plans. Secondly,  our strong friendship allows us to fully speak up and makes us listen to each other,” adds Tom.

At the end of the day, Three Guys and a Grill is a family business because friends, according to a saying, are the family we choose for ourselves. Oh, did I mention that Tom’s wife and sister-in-law are involved in the finance department of the business while Duncan’s wife is involved in the sales?

Inside Three Guys and a Grill.

Three Guys and a Grill is a foodie paradise for those who have a hankering for lip-smacking  sausages with premium local ingredients.

I had a few more pieces of the Polish kielbasa grilled before I called it a day.  I watched them kissed by the flame. They were served to me piping hot. I enjoyed the juicy crunch in every bite.

As I savored my kielbasa, before me were three guys — a Swiss, a Kiwi and a Pinoy — exchanging banters. Behind them was a grill, ablaze, in flame.

Beyond them is a friendship they will keep. Cheers to that!

(Three Guys and a Grill is at 4364 B. Valdez St. cor. Makati Avenue, Makati City. Call 0906-3856165 or 817-4449.)

(E-mail me at bumbaki@yahoo.com.  I’m also on Instagram @bumtenorio. Have a blessed Sunday!)