Two Manila restaurants made it to this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list: the neighboring Toyo and Metiz, both located within the Karrivin Plaza compound along Chino Roces Ave., Makati City.
The restaurants’ respective chefs, Jordy Navarra and Stephan Duhesme, were in Singapore to accept their awards at the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants recognition night on Tuesday.
Toyo, ranked 42 this year, made the 50 Best list for the fifth time in its seven years of operations, while three-year-old Metiz debuted on the list at 48th.
Both restaurants were reportedly informed of their inclusion in the list but did not find out their rankings until the awards ceremony on Tuesday night.
“Having made its debut into Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants as the One To Watch in 2018, Toyo Eatery has continued its rise, joining the list proper in 2019 and now winning the prestigious Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award 2023. Run by husband-and-wife team Jordy and May Navarra, the restaurant prioritises Filipino produce and people, fostering long-term relationships with local farmers and artisans,” the Asia’s 50 Best write-up for Toyo read.
Meanwhile, the award-giving body also singled out Metiz for highlighting fermented produce and lesser-known ingredients. “The eight-step menu at Metiz includes courses such as tofu with fermented pineapple, aged tanigue (mackerel) with fermented rice and mushroom, and banana leaf cake with rice and fresh and fermented white bean. There’s also an excellent cocktail menu where the fermentation theme continues, so prepare the palate for bold, funky and bitter flavors,” it wrote.
Toyo and Metiz aren’t the only Filipino talents recognized by Asia’s 50 Best this year. In February, the body named Singapore-based Filipina chef Johanne Siy, who heads Lolla in Singapore, as Asia’s Best Female Chef of the Year.
