LIST: Filipino restaurants honored with the Michelin Bib Gourmand award
It's no secret that Filipino cuisine has dazzled the taste buds of many around the world. Pinoy dishes are beloved due to their rich and diverse flavors as well as indigenous cooking styles, so much so that some local dishes are frequently recognized by culinary award bodies.
While the Philippines has yet to have more than one restaurant that has received the prestigious Michelin star, there are many Filipino food spots that have been recognized with the Michelin Bib Gourmand.
This award is given to restaurants that serve high-quality food at reasonable prices. According to their website, the price limit for Bib Gourmand consideration depends on the cost of living of the country, but the inspectors are "searching for the same high quality, wherever they happen to be in the world."
All Bib restaurants also have a "simpler style of cooking, which is recognizable and easy-to-eat," and will "leave you with a sense of satisfaction, at having eaten so well at such a reasonable price."
Here are some Filipino restaurants that have been deemed worthy of the Michelin Bib Gourmand award:
Boonie's
Boonie's is touted as one of the best Filipino restaurants in Chicago thanks to its homey menu filled with dishes that are all too familiar to the average Pinoy, such as lumpiang shanghai ($6 or P349), sizzling sisig ($18 or P1,050), liempo ($16 or P930), kare-kare ($70 or P4,070), and more.
Michelin recommended their crispy pork belly hash, describing it as an "impressive starter that could very well double as an entrée."
"Pork, in fact, is all over this small menu, arriving as crispy belly or marinated with herbs and spices or presented as sausage. Tender filets of steelhead trout swimming in a burnt tomato and tamarind broth offer a delicate reprieve from the meat," they said.
For dessert, the restaurant's roasted banana turon ($7 or P410) is a highlight, as it is "as close as you’ll ever get to a handheld crème brûlée."
Boonie's is located at 4337 N. Western Ave., Chicago, USA.
Donia
Donia is a modern Filipino restaurant that aims to put a twist on Filipino flavors through seasonal ingredients and culinary techniques.
The restaurant highlights innovative takes on Filipino classics, blending traditional Filipino flavors with British produce. Some menu items that have been the talk of the town include prawn and pork dumplings with white crab ($15 or P870), lamb shoulder caldereta pie ($35 or P2,040), lechon with liver peppercorn sauce ($27 or P1,570), and chicken inasal with a vibrant annatto sauce ($28 or P1,630).
Michelin described Donia as a hugely likable restaurant that’ll "have you googling flights to Manila before you know it."
"Crisp adobo mushroom croquetas ($7.5 or P440) are a must, as are the succulent chicken inasal and the lechon served with a lovely liver and peppercorn sauce ($27 or P1,570)," they added.
Donia is located at 2.14 Top Floor Kingly Court, Carnaby St., Soho, London, United Kingdom.
Estrellita
Estrellita prides itself as a place designed with a "welcoming and cozy atmosphere" that combines "both traditional Filipino architectural design elements with a Hollywood Regency Flare." This is to provide a light and trendy atmosphere that encourages customers to just kick back and relax.
You can enjoy a variety of Filipino dishes that have been reimagined with new cooking styles, such as pork adobo ($17.50 or P1,020), pork sinigang ($19 or P1,100), whole chicken inasal ($34 or P1,980), chicken BBQ ($8 or P470), and more.
"It's a tiny space, but Owners Hope Webb and Walter Cortado have fashioned a likable space with a modern bent at Estrellita. Equally small but mighty is the kitchen, which turns out Filipino classics and meat-forward dishes," Michelin praised.
"It's walk-in only, so pull up a chair to enjoy roasted pork belly lechon cooked Cebu-style, with crispy skin and rolled with lemongrass, green onion, and garlic. Vegetable and beef versions of lumpia are available; the beef delivers three crispy lumpia filled with Angus beef sautéed with green beans, bean sprouts, celery and onions for a dish that is both unexpected and tender," they recommended.
Estrellita is located at 580 Woodward Ave. SE, Atlanta, USA.
FOB Kitchen
FOB Kitchen dedicates itself to celebrating Filipino food and culture as well as the "strength of pamilya—the family that extends beyond."
Their menu is an array of complex, flavorful dishes that uphold classic styles while still incorporating modern twists, all with the goal of upholding "diversity and the heritage that makes Filipino food so special."
Some of the items to delight your taste buds include tofu and shroom adobo ($18 or P1,050), daing na bangus ($26 or P1,510), sinigang baboy ($25 or P1,450), tortang talong ($13 or P760), pancit sotanghon ($15 or P870), and more.
"The space may be diminutive but it is ingeniously designed—with whimsical wallpaper and a relaxed, island vibe," Michelin said of the restaurant.
"The menu is loaded with keepers, but keep your options open for tantalizing specials, like sweet and sour sinigang with pork, eggplant and daikon; or Janice’s Ribs, slow-roasted with coffee, coconut beer and banana ketchup. Suman, a steamed rice cake in a banana leaf, is then served with coconut crumble, coconut sauce and mango for a none-too-sweet treat," they added.
FOB Kitchen is located at 5179 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, USA.
Kasama
If you're craving to try a Michelin-star restaurant where the menu still hits close to home, look no further than Kasama, which has the distinction of being the only Filipino restaurant that has earned a one-star from Michelin to date.
Owned by chef-couple Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, Kasama reimagines Filipino classics through a fine dining lens and gives them a contemporary twist. Kwon is in charge of the baking operations as well as its Instagrammable offerings while Flores is in charge of the Pinoy classics.
For their food specialties, they serve lumpiang shanghai ($10 or P580), chicken adobo ($18 or P1,050), mushroom adobo ($18 or P1,050), pork belly adobo ($18.50 or P1,080), and more.
"Homey traditional preparations are reimagined in elegant, inventive dishes, as in an “adobo” of mussels and wild mushrooms that strikes a perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and savory," Michelin highlighted.
"During the day, the space offers a less lofty experience, operating as a bakery with a selection of simpler dishes and top-notch pastries," it added.
Kasama is located at 1001 N. Winchester Ave., Chicago, USA.
