Pinoy Resto Hailed in Asian Top 20 Guide

Whether it’s for a romantic dinner date with your loved one or for your wedding reception, choosing the best restaurant is a key factor to making your special day perfect. So, why not hold it in one of the best restaurants in Asia? Luckily, you don’t need to book a flight or reserve a hotel for this. One of them is located here in the Philippines, specifically in Tagaytay City.

Antonio’s Fine Dining was ranked as the 10th best restaurant in Asia out of 320 restaurants selected across 16 countries by the Miele Guide, an independent regional restaurant guide. On the other hand, Iggy’s, a restaurant in Singapore, was hailed as the best in the region.

The Guide described Antonio’s menu as “spoon-worthy as its ambience is swoon-worthy”. It further states that the restaurant “has consistently been considered among the top five restaurants in the Philippines and a favorite for proposals and intimate weddings”. This dining haven is located at Barangay Neogan, Tagaytay City, about two kilometers from the main road.

Managed by Antonio ‘Tonyboy’ Escalante, this 5-year old bistro offers a wide range of salads and grilled dishes, together with its signature dalandan juice. One of the most reviewed dishes here is the Antonio’s Trio. It is a sampler of Tenderloin Medallion with Gratin of Assorted Mushrooms on Lyonnaise Potato, Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Truffle Clam Sauce, and Lamb Cutlets with Cardamon Buerre Blanc with Gnocchi.

Other Filipino restaurants that were included in the Miele Guide ranking are Sonya’s Garden and Kanin Club in Tagaytay; Le Soufflé in Rockwell; Abe, Aubergine, and Bistro Filipino in Bonifacio Global City; Casa Armas at The Podium; Heat and Shang Palace at the Edsa-Shangri-la, Manila; Elbert’s Steak Room and Apartment 1B in Makati; Prince Albert at the InterContinental Manila ; Old Swiss Inn in Makati; Sugi, People’s Palace, Museum Cafe, Via Mare , Italiannis, Pepato, Sentro 1771, and Chateau 1771 in Greenbelt; The Fireplace and Li Li at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila; Lolo Dad’s Café in Manila; La Cocina de Tita Moning near Malacañang; and El Cirkulo and Tsukiji in Pasay.

Did You Know? The Miele Guide is a collaborative effort of Miele, a German manufacturer of premium domestic appliances and machines for commercial applications, and Ate Media, Singapore-based media consultancy and publishing company. The German company has helped published several Asian cookbooks such as Foodlore and Flavours: Inside the Southeast Asian Kitchen, a cookbook commissioned by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and published by Filipino company Artpost Asia. Miele’s long passion for fine dining and support for the food and wine industry, especially in Asia, paved the way for the creation of the Miele Guide

The Miele Guide ranking began in the early months of 2008. 84 Asian restaurant critics were invited to create the initial list of Asia’s best restaurants. Online voting began in May and ended on July 31. Voters were also given a chance to add more restaurants to the list. After that, a selected jury composed of food and wine professionals gave their own votes. The fourth phase involved the in-house team of Miele Guide and its contributing editors to anonymously dine at the possible winning restaurants and verify the votes gathered online and from the critics.

The country’s shortlist panel for the 2008/2009 edition of the Miele Guide were Ernest Reynoso Gala, chef-instructor at Sylvia Reynoso Gala Culinary Art Studio and contributor for Philstar.com; Jeffrey Valisno, senior reporter for Business World; Ana Marie ‘Nana’ Ozaeta, F & B World Magazine Editor; and Margaux Salcedo, food writer for Philippine Daily Inquirer (who also served as one of the contributing editors for the 2008/2009 edition).

Please visit Kasal.com Wedding Resources directory for the complete contact list of restaurants.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kasal.com thanks the following sources for this article:

Salcedo, Margaux. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Filipino restos voted among Asia’s best (Posted November 12, 2008) Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20081112-171812/Filipino-restos-voted-among-Asias-best

GMANews.tv RP restaurant ranks 10th in Asia's 'top 20' (Posted November 4, 2008) Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/131149/RP-restaurant-ranks-10th-in-Asias-top-20

Miele Guide, The. Asia’s Top 20. Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://www.mieleguide.com/asias-top-20

Salcedo, Margauz. Margauxlicious. Filipino Restaurants That Made The Miele Guidem (Posted November 5, 2008) Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://www.margauxlicious.com/2008/11/filipino-restaurants-that-made-miele.html

Diaz, Anton. Our Awesome Planet. Nothing beats an Antonio's Dinner @ Tagaytay! (Posted February 8, 2006) Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2006/02/nothing_beats_a.html

Lone Rider, The. Food Odyssey: Antonio’s Fine Dining. (Posted June 26, 2005) Retrieved November 12, 2008 from
http://www.thelonerider.com/2005/jun/antonio/antonio.shtml