Stars Galore for Filipino Cuisine!

Carmina and Patch's digestive juices overflowed during their exploration of the Michelin Guide's inaugural visit to the Philippines. They chat about the Guide's surprising origin story, why its stars are considered by some as the culinary world's most coveted honor (although they will talk about why some chefs are resisting this notion!) and explore how a single distinction can transform a restaurant’s journey—both positively and negatively. Just as importantly, they talk about the controversies that shadow the Guide and discuss perspectives on how to celebrate this milestone with both pride and mindfulness.

Learn more: Why Michelin Guide PH matters — and what it means for Filipino chefs, culture, The MICHELIN Guide Manila and Environs & Cebu Bib Gourmand 2026 Selection, The inaugural Michelin Guide Philippines is the beginning—not the endpoint—of important food conversations, Michelin Guide Philippines, and first lap honors, and PODCASTS: Over Seasoned Podcast and  The Halo-Halo Show. Visit https://filtrip.buzzsprout.com. Drop a note at thefiltrip@gmail.com.

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Transcript

Welcome to FilTrip, a podcast where we explore everything fun, weird and in between about the Philippines.

Hi Patch.

Hi Carmina. Welcome back.

I know, season five. We're five years old.

Still young.

Yeah. We're past the toddler stage though, so.

Yes. Yes.

First, Patch, sorry for my voice. I am recovering from the flu. And part of the pain of my flu was also the impact to my tummy, which is why this episode was torture to research.

Did it also impact your taste buds? Because we're going to be talking about the Michelin Guide.

I'm thankfully recovered and I can now eat normally. But during the research, I was like, why did this have to be the topic now? Anyway, right off, I'm going to say, don't expect me to pronounce these in the original accent, okay?

Let's just not embarrass ourselves. Yes, we will apologize in advance.

So we are talking about the Michelin Guide's inaugural visit to the Philippines.

Which we are all very excited about.

It created a kerfuffle in the Philippines.

A lot of excitement there because there was a total of 108 restaurants and eateries that were recognized by the Guide.

The way they described it is in Manila and Environs and Cebu. I don't blame them for putting guardrails around the territories because there is a lot to explore in the Philippines.

So, but why is it such a big deal? It's because the Guide is one of the most respected food and travel guides in the world. And it was first published in 1900 by...and this is what is, I guess, tripping. Get it? Tripping? Tripping? Never mind. It's by the French tire company Michelin.

What does the tire company have anything to do with food and restaurants? In 1889, the brothers Andre Michelin and Edward Michelin founded a tire company at a time when fewer than 3,000 cars existed in all of France. At that time, cars were considered still very impractical, even unnecessary. For, of course, a tire company, this was a serious problem. The brothers realized that in order to sell more tires, they needed to encourage people to drive more. Their solution was, I guess, one of the most successful marketing strategies in history. They encouraged road trips. And in 1900, the brothers published the first Michelin Guide, which included maps, instructions for car and tire maintenance, and lists fuel stations and mechanics. And it was only even almost an afterthought that they included places you could eat and stay overnight.

At first, the guide was limited to France, but by 1904, it expanded to other countries, such as Belgium, Algeria, Tunisia, parts of Italy, Germany, Spain, and in 1911, it reached the British Isles.

I was shocked to see they did not launch in the US until 2005, and beginning with New York City.

So interestingly, after World War I, the Michelin Guide lost much of its prestige. And according to legend, Andre Michelin once saw a copy of the Guide being used to prop up a workbench in a tire shop, and supposedly remarked, man only truly respects what he pays for. So in 1920, the Guide became a paid publication. Michelin also removed its ads, and it expanded its restaurant listings. And by the mid-1920s, the restaurant section had become the most popular part of the Guide. In 1926, Michelin introduced the now famous star system to rate restaurants. And at first, there was only one star. But by 1931, the now famous three-star system was introduced. And in 1935, that's when Michelin officially defined what each star meant.

The anonymous Michelin inspectors evaluate restaurants based on quality of ingredients, the mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef, which is representing in the dining experience, harmony of flavors, consistency between visits, because they don't just visit once. They apparently visit multiple times to see if the consistency is there. How the chef's personality shines through their cuisine and the flavor profile and the consistency of it across the entire menu, not just that particular dish.

One star is awarded to restaurants that use the top quality ingredients and a high standard of consistency. And they describe it as high quality cooking worth a stop. Then you get two stars if in addition to the criteria I just mentioned, the talent of the chef and the talent of the team who's helping the chef shine through in dishes that are expertly crafted with food that is both refined and inspired.

And the tagline for two stars is excellent cooking worth a detour. Then you get the highest award for what they call exceptional cuisine. And the tagline for that is worth a special journey.

And worldwide, there are only 137 restaurants with this rating. So some key points about the process. The inspectors are anonymous, they're full-time employees, and they have to be former hospitality professionals.

They pay for their own meals. They visit the restaurants multiple times, like I mentioned, and across different seasons. And the stars are awarded to restaurants, not individual chefs.

And the ratings, they say, focus solely on the food, and not the core or ambience. And then, Patch, I didn't know if you knew this, but I only started really understanding that there were two other categories. One is the Bib Gourmand, which is a distinction that's awarded to restaurants providing good quality food at affordable prices. And Michelin Selected Category, or also referred to as Michelin Recommended, which recognizes restaurants that serve high quality food, but haven't yet reached the criteria that I've mentioned.

So, Carmina, do you know what the Bib Gourmand is named after?

Yes, but why don't you say it?

Okay, so it's named after the Michelin Man, whose name is Bibendum.

Apparently, it comes from the Latin phrase, nunc est bibendum, which means, now is the time to drink.

Well, it's so funny because we're talking about cars and road trips. It's kind of ironic because you're not supposed to be drinking and driving, right? 

That's so true.

But apparently, in the original ads, he was shown drinking a goblet filled with nails and glass and road debris. And it's symbolized that the Michelin tires could drink up road hazards without being damaged.

I also had kind of wondered why the bibendum or bib kind of looks like the Pillsbury doughboy.

Okay, yes. Everybody comments on that.

What I have found out was that the original marketing was a humanoid figure made entirely of stacked white tires. And he was white or is still white because the tires were naturally light gray or beige until carbon black was added for durability in 1912. And I don't know that I've seen this, but apparently he's been depicted as a gladiator, a kickboxer, and even a ballroom dancer, depending on which market he's in.

Oh my goodness. He certainly evolved.

But anyway, enough about the history. Let's talk about the actual events in Manila. This event happened October of last year. It was supported by the Philippines Department of Tourism. But apparently, you have to pay them to come.

I did not realize that as well, because one of the questions I had, how come we didn't have the Michelin Guide in the Philippines?

Also, remember we've been talking all these years about how we've been puzzled why Philippine cuisine had never really reached its full potential here. And I wonder if this kind of recognition is going to help that, even if, as we know, there are also Michelin Star-Awarded Filipino restaurants nowadays. But I think this can only help solidify our footing.

I do agree. And I'm encouraged by all the PR, honestly, and that's the whole point of them, inviting them there.

You talked about the 108. Of that 108, there was one two-star restaurant, eight one-star restaurants. There were 25 Bib Gourmand, 74 in the selected category.

And there was one, we're calling it the green star. And I guess that's a newer one for them for sustainability.

The two stars was awarded to Helm by Chef Josh Boutwood. His restaurant is the only one awarded with two stars. And that, of course, made history.

According to the Michelin Inspectors, this restaurant presents a deeply personal expression of the British Filipino chef. With a creative yet disciplined approach, making for a modern tasting menu that's intimate, precise, and profoundly expressive. And there were eight one-star restaurants, Asador Alfonso in Tagaytay, Celera, Gallery by Chele, Hapag, Inato, Casa Palma, Linamnam, and Toyo Eatery.

And Gallery by Chele also received the Sustainability Award that we were talking about earlier because of the farm-to-table approach and their commitment to biodiversity. And notably, Chef Chele González is Spanish, not Filipino. But that's a full circle moment too, right?

Because he's Spanish. 

Right. And I'm making fun of Chele. Actually, the chef in Asador is also Spanish.

Well, I guess they really did well blending their Spanish technique and using Filipino ingredients, right?

And I just wanted to mention, there were a few other supplementary awards. The Young Chef Award was given to Don Patrick Baldozano, who at the time the awards were given was only 27. He's from Linamnam. That special award was for his creative use of Filipino ingredients through fermentation and aging, which I was so happy to see because we love our bagoong and our vinegars and all of that stuff, right?

Yes, we do.

The Service Award to Erin Recto of HAPAG for Blending Global Experience with Warm Guest Centered Filipino Hospitality, and this might be my favorite, Exceptional Cocktails Award to Benjamin Leal of Umanota for Inventive and Globally Inspired Cocktails that Bring Fresh Energy and Local Flavor. Can't wait to try that one. And as impressive as these are, right, we don't need to be giving these restaurants more press. But I think what really excited us about this is that there were some Carinderias that were awarded the Bib Gourmand. That was exciting.

It is very exciting. One of them, because there are many, one of them is the very much loved Morning Sun Eatery in Quezon City. You know, as we said, the Bib Gourmand is a distinction given to restaurants that serve exceptional food at reasonable prices and specializes in authentic Ilocano comfort food. And their highlights include Kilawin, sweet pork skewers and Pinakbet. Right after they were honored with this distinction, there were lines outside the establishment, which I'm very happy for them.

You know the other one that's in Diliman called Palm Grill? I was also happy to see they had recognized a restaurant in Diliman, which is far from the typical center that we would expect. And then in Cebu, they also highlighted a Carindiria called Esmen for its traditional linirang, which is the fish stew.

Hey, Carmina, I just wanted to point out the history again of Carinderia. There's not much out there about written history, but the Carinderia is believed to have been introduced by Indian soldiers who came to Manila with the British Army during the 1762 to 1764 British occupation of the Philippines. After the occupation, many of the soldiers settled in towns like Cainta and Taitai, married Filipinas, and opened eateries serving curry-influenced dishes. And these establishments were called Care Inderya, which eventually evolved into Carinderia.

What?

Yeah, apparently.

So, I found something on Instagram. I mean, of course, we can't say all of the things we find on Instagram are a fact, but one of the posters said that at Spain's National Library, they viewed an album. It's called the Gervasio Gironella Album of 1847.

And it was illustrated by a Filipino artist named Jose Honorato Lozano. And inside were watercolor scenes that documented life in the Philippines under Spanish rule. And among them were some of the earliest visual records of Filipino food.

One of these illustrations was titled Chino Pansitero, Chanchaulero Chin Chao Vendors Carinderia. And it was described as street vendors selling noodles, grass jelly and rice meals. These illustrations were the earliest evidence of the cross-cultural exchange between the Chinese migrants who introduced noodles to us and sweets, and us adapting them with our native ingredients and the concept of the carinderia serving as this central hub for sharing labor and forming community.

The research shows that these carinderia dishes likely contained the first recorded description of a carinderia menu like some Indian dishes like curry. This one featured kare, which is a stew made with beef hocks, internal organs of the bull and the cow, and cabbages and fritada, which is bull meat. So I guess it would have been happening in different regions of the Philippines in different ways, but that again just shows the diversity.

The fact that we truly are a melting pot. I always say we're the original fusion food inventors.

I really think so. That's why it's nothing that's standing out as like, oh, this is distinctly Filipino because it doesn't exist. It just is, and it's difficult to explain. And if you don't know the history, you might think that we're just adapting people's cuisines, but it actually is reflective of our deep and diverse trading history. 

So Patch, earlier I mentioned about controversies, mostly netizens and other people in the Philippines questioning the methodology and whether or not really the Michelin inspectors were the right people to judge cuisine. But the Michelin Guide itself has had its share.

One of the big criticisms that folks have about it on a global level is the pressure that it creates on the restaurants and the chefs. Yes, one of the positive impacts is increase in volume and, of course, profits, right, when they become known. But with it, also increased pressure to maintain the star system. Because these stars can be taken away. And there are perceived consequences for taking away those stars. But some people did some informal studies that showed that, surprisingly, there are very little negative effects, actually, when people get taken away stars or when people give back their stars.

I didn't even know that some chefs chose to give back their stars. If I were a chef, I would question why I'm still doing this craft, right? If I'm just doing it to keep my stars, I can understand.

And people have lost their lives, honestly, because of this.

Livelihood industries are affected by this guide.

One of the other interesting aspects that I found out about the chefs who gave back their stars, some of these chefs not only gave them back, but also told Michelin never ever to mention their restaurants again. But Michelin doesn't always honor the chef's wishes. So in spite of the fact that they want to sever themselves from Michelin, Michelin sometimes just doesn't comply and they don't always respect the chef's wishes.

So these chefs sometimes just are surprised to see their restaurant back in the conversation.

And also, I just had a thought, right? How has reviewing a restaurant evolved since Michelin Guide? Like right now, we have these influencers in social media who literally have so much influence on whether a restaurant is visited, liked, disliked. That has so much more impact, especially with a certain age group. Even more, I would say, than the guide itself nowadays. So, I guess the relevancy of this guide is also being questioned by certain people because of that.

Speaking of controversy, so you know how we mentioned that the Philippines actually entered into a partnership to bring the Michelin Guide to the country? And in fact, there's a cost and funding related to this, which I was never really even aware of. Apparently, the Department of Tourism of the Philippines did spend money, which if you think about it, on the surface level, it sounds kind of shady, right?

I guess as long as they weren't paying them for their reviews, that in itself cost a little bit of a stir.

But I mean, it's no different than any other country. It's not like it's only the Philippines that did that. It's actually every country that they've been in.

And I guess there's the question of, what about the other countries who are not paying for the guide to come? I mean, there's no representation.

Right.

I'd be curious how this guide affects the tourism in the Philippines because apparently, recently, there's been a downturn.

Well, and the other thing too, I guess that's notable is, was this really the right place to spend money, I guess? Given all of the challenges that are currently happening, why was this a priority?

Because we're talking about the industry, right? The tourism industry. Are they better off spending money on making structural changes? You know, even travel itself, airports, payment systems, all of those things that need a lot of development. Would the funding have better served those first? Which, you know, I'm not an expert, so I don't really know. But I'm hoping, since this money has already been spent, that it does help.

I really do hope so, too. There were so many interesting articles that came out about the two different opinions about the guide. And one of the Filipino commentators suggested that there's nothing wrong with being proud of the Michelin coming and recognizing all of these restaurants.

But we also shouldn't be thinking of this as an endpoint. And that we should treat this as the beginning of important conversations. For all of the criticisms, we can celebrate it.

But we also can't stop thinking about how we build more recognition that's centered more in our local values and expertise. And ensuring that any benefits that these restaurants get really flow downstream to farmers, street vendors, and really not just these expensive restaurants. That's why the whole Carinderia aspect I was so happy to see.

And also protecting our chefs' mental health by not making the Michelin kind of the be-all and end-all for support that we provide these folks. And then, okay, now we have this, right? How are we going to use this now strategically, like you said, for the tourism and investments that we're making? And of course, because we have this colonial PTSD, that was one of the things that was a criticism is, are we buying into this whole euro-centric bias of what a good restaurant means? But I guess just being aware of that is already a good thing. So making sure that we do not buy into that and really still assert our identity is an important aspect of this.

And we're linking actually in our show notes, not just some of the articles, but two podcast episodes that I found. One is the Overseas and Podcast. They had really interesting thoughts and feelings because one of them, or actually I think both of them are former chefs and one of them was actually a former chef of two Michelin-starred restaurants. So it was just super interesting to hear his perspectives about actually working in these types of establishments all over the world. And then the other one is the Halo-Halo Show. They're not chefs. Halo-Halo, I think, is a long-running podcast in the Philippines too. Their discussion about this was a reflection of, I guess, the bigger conversation about this when it was happening in the Philippines. So we're shouting out to our fellow podcasters.

So Patch, even though it was torture, because I was hungry the whole time I was researching about this, we finally covered it. We've been talking about covering this for a while, and I'm glad that we got the opportunity to talk about it at length on the episode.

I think we can both agree that Filipino cuisine deserves this spot in the culinary world, and having the Michelin Guide, regardless of the controversies, it's definitely a good thing for our chefs and everyone working in the culinary world.

Yeah, maybe in the next episode, we can talk about the ones that are awarded a star here in the US. 

Yes, that's exciting too. And maybe we need to visit them. We can make a proper review.

Yes, we'll form our own star system.

Yes, we will.

That's our episode. We hope you join us on our next trip. O siya, siya. 

Ingat. 

Thanks for listening to FilTrip with Carmina and Patch. Subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever all podcasts are downloaded.

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