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Philippine Tatler BEST Restaurants 2008

6 August 2008 14 Comments

Thanks to JC, I finally got my hands on this elusive book: Philippine Tatler BEST Restaurants 2008 edition. I also have the 2007 edition (related earlier blog post here), which I have handy at my weekend bag for quick reference.

There are a couple of new resto listings worth noting here — including some of those I have reviewed in the past months: Florabel, Myron’s Place, Duo, Zao, Abe, Zuni, and CYMA. Repeat entries from last year like Gaudi, Nuvo, Tea of Spring, Bizu, and Spiral are also featured, as well as classics like Le Soufflé, HEAT, Summer Palace, Circles, Lolo Dad’s, Antonio’s, Li Li, and Ilustrado that I’ve dined on but did not publish a review of.

I have yet to try a lot more interesting listed restos, and I intend to revive my foodie adventures shortly.

Among those in the book that I’d like to visit soon are:
- Chelsea Market Café (Serendra – American/Italian) – Food: 8/10, Wine: 6/10, Service: 6/10

- Aubergine (The Fort – Modern Continental/French) – Food: 10/10, Wine: 9/10, Service: 10/10

- Thai at Silk (Serendra – Thai) – Food: 9/10, Wine: 7/10, Service: 7/10

- Le Bellevue (Manila Diamond Hotel – Euro Continental/French) – Food: 10/10, Wine: 10/10, Service: 10/10

- Kai (Greenbelt 5 – Modern Japanese) – Food: 8/10, Wine: 8/10, Service: 8/10

There are a couple of eyebrow-raisers in the way the ratings in this book are put together, e.g., I don’t think Lolo Dad’s and Dencio’s Tagaytay have the same food quality (though they both scored 9/10); and Zuni’s service is definitely not the same as that of Abe’s.

I was also expecting some new restos that this book had overlooked to feature, like In-Yo Fusion Cuisine and Highlands China Palace, which I feel deserve the citations more than the likes of California Pizza Kitchen and Little Asia.

In any case, I can’t deny the fact that an endorsement from Tatler still matters a lot, whether or not it’s only perception.

Tara let’s go food tripping!

14 Comments »

  • posted on 6 August 2008
    Karen said:

    Ooooohh.. thanks for sharing this! I forwarded the link to my boyfriend. I hope he gets the idea! Hehehe :D

    [Reply]

  • posted on 6 August 2008
    Spotbelly said:

    Chelsea! Masarap. Kain tayo dun!!!

    [Reply]

  • posted on 7 August 2008
    Emy said:

    We dined at Thai at Silk last 2006 pa…sarap din and need to make reservation. Must try is the Thai iced tea (>30mins to prepare so make sure you order it before the meal) and chicken pandan.

    [Reply]

  • posted on 12 August 2008
    rod said:

    wow…i tried to look for this book at powerbook and i found nothing..huhu…

    [Reply]

  • posted on 12 August 2008
    rod said:

    i just want to ask..how much po ung buk?tnx…..

    [Reply]

  • posted on 18 August 2008
    PinoyFoodie said:

    I used to be a restaurant reviewer for Tatler…I hate to disillusion fans of this “elusive and exclusive” book, but the restaurants that are listed “Best” are those that a) advertised; b) provided thousands worth of gift certificate which are then given out to the editor’s friends; c) give the editor free meals all the time. There is no set parameters for what is best – the editors sit there and just picks the one they like! Even if the restaurant sucks, the reviewers are required to provide a positive review. Why is it hard to get hold of? To maximise profit for the publisher – charge the advertisers a high rate, and print only a handful of copies in the guise of keeping it “exclusive”.

    [Reply]

  • posted on 25 August 2008
    sinch said:

    Whoa controversial! Thanks for the insider tip. I’ve always wondered why the ratings weren’t calibrated… not to mention there are a couple of grammatical errors pa hehe.

    [Reply]

  • posted on 25 August 2008
    sinch said:

    P400.. I saw it at Fully Booked High Street earlier today

    [Reply]

  • posted on 2 December 2008
    beryl faith capaque said:

    Hi!

    I am Beryl Faith Capaque, researcher for THE BEAT in QTV11. Hosted by Miriam Quiambao and Ivan Mayrina, we feature just about anything on technology, fashion, events, and more. The show airs every Monday at 10-11pm.

    We regularly have a segment called “Tara Let’s Eat” where our field correspondent, Tonipet Gaba, visits different restaurants and tastes five of their best-selling entrees. Our story for Dec. 15 airing is “Food Bloggers’ Choice”. For this segment, we will be bringing a food blogger to his/her choice of restaurant, which we wish to shoot on Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. I have come across your site quite a number of times while doing my past researches on the topic. I am just wondering if you could possibly do the feature with us. This will be around 12nn or 6pm, whatever is most convenient for you.

    Please contact me if you are interested. Thank you so much!

    Best regards

    Beryl Faith A. Capaque
    982-77787 loc 3028
    9269639
    09158485133

    [Reply]

  • posted on 2 December 2008
    beryl faith capaque said:

    Hi!

    I am Beryl Faith Capaque, researcher for THE BEAT in QTV11. Hosted by Miriam Quiambao and Ivan Mayrina, we feature just about anything in terms of technology, fashion, events, and more. The show airs every Monday at 10-11pm.

    We regularly have a segment called “Tara Let’s Eat” where our field correspondent, Tonipet Gaba, visits different restaurants and tastes five of their best-selling entrees. Our story for Dec. 15 airing is “Food Bloggers’ Choice”. For this segment, we will be bringing a food blogger to his/her choice of restaurant, which we wish to shoot on Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. I have come across your site quite a number of times during my past researches. I am just wondering if you could possibly do the feature with us. This will be around 12nn or 6pm, whatever is most convenient for you.

    Please contact me if you are interested. Thank you so much!

    Best regards

    Beryl Faith A. Capaque
    982-77787 loc 3028
    9269639
    09158485133

    [Reply]

  • posted on 2 December 2008
    beryl faith capaque said:

    Hi!

    I am Beryl Faith Capaque, researcher for THE BEAT in QTV11. Hosted by Miriam Quiambao and Ivan Mayrina, we feature just about anything on technology, fashion, events, and more. The show airs every Monday at 10-11pm.

    We regularly have a segment called “Tara Let’s Eat” where our field correspondent, Tonipet Gaba, visits different restaurants and tastes five of their best-selling entrees. Our story for Dec. 15 airing is “Food Bloggers’ Choice”. For this segment, we will be bringing a food blogger to his/her choice of restaurant, which we wish to shoot on Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. I have come across your site during my past researches. I am just wondering if you could possibly do the feature with us. This will be around 12nn or 6pm, whatever is most convenient for you.

    Please contact me if you are interested. Thank you so much!

    Best regards

    Beryl Faith A. Capaque
    982-77787 loc 3028
    9269639
    09158485133

    [Reply]

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