For the second year in a row, thanks to my former colleague and friend JC I got my hands on the Philippines’ BEST Restaurants 2009 by Philippine Tatler. This is my third book of the series’ annual succession from 2007 and 2008.

From my own dining experience, I’ve learned to take other people’s reviews with a grain of salt (sometimes, a whole bunch of it), and Tatler’s guide is no exception. Being a compilation of personal write-ups made by a group of non-professional food critics, it is evident that the book’s restaurant ratings are not calibrated very well with each other.

As with last year, there are still a couple of eyebrow-raisers with the reviews. For one, Little Asia is certainly not in the same zip code as Cebu’s Olio when it comes to food quality, yet they are both given a rating of 8/10 (too incredibly high for the former, too unjustly paltry for the latter). And while I think Zuni (which got a 9/10 food rating) is not so bad, no way should it lose to Jessie Sincioco’s Le Soufflé and Makati Shangri-la’s Red (both getting only an 8/10).

Still, the guide features a number of new entries have caught my attention. Among others: Renaissance Hotel Makati’s Jasmine, The Establishment at Fort Bonifacio, Taka Japanese Restaurant at Makati, and Shangri-la Boracay’s restos: Vintana, Sirena, and Solana. I also took note of a number of culinary must-visits in Baguio.

One thing is for sure — more foodie adventures for me ahead!