What seemed to be a passing viral fad has become a legit trend—a dining staple even. Smashburgers rose to fame in the late 2010s by way of Los Angeles pop-ups like that of Smash N Crispy. Favored for their thin, lacy-edged patties that have been made crispy and caramelized with maximum Maillard reaction (plus the speed in which they accomplish this), the “smashies” spread like wildfire and saturated the city fast. Not long, the rest of the world followed suit—Manila included.
Now that it has found its rightful place in the industry, natural progression would be to do a collaboration—and Sarsa’s JP Anglo and Alvin Cailan of Greenlight Burgers have done an outstanding and memorable example of it.
Dynamic duo
The collaboration happened very organically. “We’ve always been friends and we’ve always gotten along,” says JP. “We share the same type of cooking approach—casual, tasty, and bold. So one time, I was in Greenlight, and he goes, “hey chef, do you want to do something? And I said, tara!”
One didn’t have to convince the other. It felt like it was meant to happen and a simple invitation was all it took. It was a casual conversation that materialized. And the next thing JP knew, a group chat was already created to get things rolling. They added each other’s teams in the mix and things just played out with much ease.
![Sarsa’s JP Anglo and Alvin Cailan of Greenlight Burgers [PHOTO COURTESY OF JP Anglo]](https://assets.delish.ph/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/smashburgers5-2240x2240.webp)
“In that chat group, we bounced off ideas. He was the one who said, let’s do an inasal burger. I said, okay, then let’s do a kansi burger. He goes, what if we use the broth of the kansi as a dipping sauce? Like a birria. Then another chef said, what if we thicken it up a bit to make it like a gravy so it will cling to the bread.” Their thoughts stacked up beautifully, much like a smash burger would, and so they ran with those and executed them—to delicious results.
In between buns
The Chicken Inasal Burger consists of flame-grilled boneless chicken that’s been lubricated with annatto mayo and balanced in flavor with atchara, while the Kansi Burger has a patty with raw onions, cheese and a bone marrow kansi mayo, along with a gravy ready for dunking.
Being Filipino and from Bacolod, it made good sense for JP to come up with kansi and inasal burgers. “And Alvin is the master burger/sandwich guy so ang dali. Kami taga-timpla. Siya taga-assemble and balance. Kaya nabuo siya and naging maganda [outcome] actually. Ang ganda ng discipline nila sa ratio and components,” says Anglo.
Smashing success
It was held over two days—May 6 and 7, timed exactly to the day Alvin arrived in Manila. And in both occasions, they sold out…fast, all 800 (estimated) of them. “The response was really, really good, “ says JP. “It surprised a lot of people that we had a collab, and it led to curiosity. And then they got surprised again that the burgers were actually good.”
People lined up and got rewarded for their patience. “I’m surprised that people came out in such a larger fashion. It shows chef JP’s champion form,” confesses Cailan. “I’m honored to have everyone at Burgers. Truly amazed at the love of our customers.
Smashburgers make for a great canvas. And as this collab proves, when you have two beautiful minds simultaneously working on a masterpiece, the end result would be nothing short of wonderful. Or in this case, crazy good.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chef JP Anglo is a Filipino chef known for championing elevated Filipino cuisine. He is behind restaurants such as Kooya in Dubai and Sarsa Field Kitchen in Parañaque.
Alvin Cailan is a Filipino-American chef, restaurateur, and founder of Greenlight Burgers. He is also known internationally for his work in the food and burger scene, including the popular Eggslut brand.
A smashburger is a style of burger where the beef patty is pressed flat onto a hot griddle, creating crispy, caramelized edges and a flavorful crust.
Kansi is a popular Negrense beef soup known for its rich broth, sour flavor, and use of bone marrow, often compared to a mix of bulalo and sinigang.
Chicken inasal is a famous Bacolod-style grilled chicken dish marinated in calamansi, vinegar, spices, and annatto oil, known for its smoky and savory flavor.
The pop-up featured two special burgers: the Chicken Inasal Burger and the Kansi Burger, both inspired by iconic Bacolod flavors.
