Following the arrival of the Michelin Guide in the Philippines in October 2025, the chefs and owners of Manila’s top restaurants gathered for the latest episode of the Rolling Stone Philippines Roundtable, where they discussed what it means to bring Filipino food to the world through the guide.
In its inaugural edition, the Philippines Michelin Guide recognized 108 Filipino dining establishments, with distinctions such as the Michelin Green Star, the Bib Gourmand, and the highly coveted Michelin Star. With it, Manila restaurants such as Helm, Kodawari, Hapag, and Celera, among others, were put on par with London’s Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and California’s The French Laundry.
Josh Boutwood, the owner and chef leading the country’s only two-star restaurant Helm, says the Michelin Guide isn’t about trying to impress foreign critics. “It benchmarks us against other countries throughout the world that have the Michelin Guide in their territories, which then makes us, as an industry and as a country, at a level that is equal to or better than somewhere else,” he says.
For chefs Nicco Santos and Quenee Vilar, co-owners of one-star restaurant Celera, there was intense pressure to do well, as the restaurant had just opened and was in the process of figuring out their operations when the Department of Tourism announced that the Michelin Guide was coming. Vilar says that their partnership helped alleviate the stress. “The other one can focus on the kitchen, while I’m focused on turning everything into place, the whole service,” she says.
During the roundtable discussion, Kodawari partner and food writer Toni Potenciano gave a rundown of Michelin’s deliberation process. “We got an email around July from Michelin, saying, ‘Okay, you can expect that somebody might come to the restaurant,’ they don’t say when,” she says. “And then, ‘Can you please answer this questionnaire and upload photos here?’ And then when you answer that whole survey, it’s like 10 million disclaimers: ‘This does not mean you’re included in the guide.’”
Erin Recto, a partner at one-star restaurant Hapag, also shared that getting a distinction from the Michelin Guide didn’t just impact those in the kitchen, but also the restaurant’s front-of-house team. “I shared a moment with two front-of-house leaders, and they said, ‘May ambag na rin tayo.” That really struck me,” Recto says. “Now, front-of-house has that confidence. It’s like a reminder of why we do what we do every day.”
The latest episode of the Rolling Stone Philippines Roundtable is available to watch now on YouTube.
