Filipino cuisine continues to shine in the global food scene as two local restaurants make it to the list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2023.
Making a comeback in the prestigious list is Toyo Eatery. After taking the 94th spot in 2022, the Makati-based restaurant reenters the top 50 list, ranking at 42. During the awards ceremony of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 on March 28 in Singapore, the restaurant was also honored with the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award, an award “given to the restaurant with the highest environmental and social responsibility rating.”
Toyo Eatery's Chef Jordy Navarra
Since 2016, Toyo Eatery, through the leadership of Chef Jordy Navarra, has been championing Filipino cuisine with its use of local ingredients that mirror the chef’s heritage, memories, training, and experience. One of its famous creations is a salad featuring the 18 vegetables mentioned in the local children’s folk song “Bahay Kubo."
“Chef Jordy Navarra and his team have built a business around forming and maintaining relationships with those who have a positive impact on the Philippines, be they indigenous craftspeople or heritage suppliers,” 50 Best reported. “While sourcing local, organic, and traceable ingredients, Toyo Eatery aims to strengthen communities and in 2022 it helped raise vital funds for Good Food Co., a female farmers’ cooperative, to build crop rain shelters and pay for research. The restaurant also works with local community organizations to educate young people in hospitality careers, and supports its own young employees while they continue their education.”
Metiz's Chef Stephan Duhesme
One of the newcomers in this year’s list is Metiz, another Makati-based food spot led by Chef Stephan Duhesme, taking the 48th spot. Established in 2019, the bistro serves dishes spotlighting lesser-known local ingredients. Its name is an homage to the chef’s heritage as a French-Filipino culinary master. According to 50 Best, among the must-try dishes in the restaurant are the “tofu with fermented pineapple, aged tanigue (mackerel) with fermented rice and mushroom, and banana leaf cake with rice and fresh and fermented white bean.”
Metiz's aged pork and squash blossoms and Toyo Eatery's banana catsup with tortang talong
Created from the votes of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential gender-balanced group of more than 300 leaders made up of food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs, and regional culinary experts, this year’s list includes restaurants from 19 cities across the region, and these include seven new entries and a further eight re-entries. Dominating this year’s list is Thailand’s Le Du restaurant. Discover the other restaurants that make it to Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2023 list here.
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