Antonio’s makes it to list of Asia’s 50 best restaurants

Mayura bone marrow PHOTO BY JAKE VERSOZA

SINGAPORE—We were ignored for the first two years.

No Philippine restaurant made it to the list such that it was almost embarrassing to attend the awarding ceremony in Singapore of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Finally, this year, we have something to look forward to.

Three sources confirmed that Antonio’s of Chef Tonyboy Escalante would be the first Philippine restaurant to make it to the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.

His rank will be known on the awards night on March 9, but it doesn’t matter what number he gets. The important thing is that the Philippines is finally on the list!

Congratulations to Chef Tonyboy Escalante and the Antonio’s team!

Multi-awarded chef

Antonio’s was consistently on the list of the Miele Guide’s Top Ten Best Restaurants in Asia from 2008 to 2012.

The Miele Guide, though now out of print, was the first independent guide to Asia’s Best Restaurants founded by Singapore’s Aun Koh and Su Lyn Tan of Ate Media.

Last year, Escalante was also given the World Gourmet Summit’s Manitowoc Restaurateur of the Year Award in Singapore, beating Philip Davenport of Ku De Ta in Bali, Chris Salans of Mozaic in Bali, Alvin Leung of Bo Innovation in Hong Kong and Takashi Kimura of Cilantro in Kuala Lumpur.

The World Gourmet Summit is an annual gastronomic summit in Singapore considered one of the six best gourmet events in the world.

Continuous growth

The great thing about Escalante is that he doesn’t rest on his laurels.

Many of us have been patrons of Antonio’s since the dawn of the new millennium.

Chef Tonyboy Escalante of Antonio’s ply his trade for a discerning audience of chefs and critics in Singapore. PHOTOS BY MARGAUX SALCEDO

It was already enchanting back then, with its garden setting and French-continental menu. (Escalante previously worked at the Mandarin Oriental.) But he has developed the property and it has only become more magical.

Last year, he created a gorgeous lanai lounge. It is a garden setting with a huge rubber tree and an acacia tree in the middle, with a Balinese-looking bar housing his enviable collection of whiskeys and other liquor.

It can be your first stop for an aperitif before dinner or your last stop for a digestif before heading home.

Also just last year, he added the Mayura Station Wagyu Tomahawk to his menu, which has been a great hit. This is a huge piece of steak—a minimum cut of 1,300 grams per order and is best appreciated with friends (an order is good for 3 to 4).

Mayura beef is full-blood Wagyu imported by Mayura Station in South Australia from the Takeda Farm in Japan, which has a reputation for diligently breeding Japanese Black Wagyu that are heavily grain-fed at an age of 6 to 8 months to later prepare them for slaughter.

And since Tagaytay is known for its bulalo, Antonio’s has introduced its own fine dining version: Mayura bone marrow. Antonio’s serves this simply roasted, then topped with parsley salad, onions and on the side, marmalade.

It’s deadly … but also heavenly!

Fresh from the garden

Antonio’s is usually appreciated for its ambiance, but a major contributor to its success is the farm that Tonyboy’s wife, Agnes, takes care of.

Back in the day (in the late 1980s and 1990s), it was hard to find special greens like arugula in Manila.

Antonio’s farm was one of the first to grow and supply these and it still supplies hotels and other restaurants in Manila to this day.

This is also the reason why the salads at Antonio’s make you come alive—they are as fresh as fresh can get!

Another favorite of mine at Antonio’s is its mojito, and no, it’s not just because of the alcohol content, hah! It’s because it uses mint leaves fresh from its organic farm next door—and this makes a world of a difference.

Sneak peek

In a couple of months, Escalante is set to launch his latest project: a new restaurant called Balai Dako (big house) at the space of the old Leslie’s.

It’s a three-story project with space for events on the ground floor, a dining section called Comedor on the second floor, and a bar at the 3rd floor called Terraza.

This new venture of Escalante promises a breathtaking, close-up view of Taal Volcano.

Who knows, this just might be another award-winning restaurant!

Asia’s 50 Best

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards is part of the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards.

Antonio’s interiors

The group decided to reach out to regions so it launched the Asia’s 50 Best in 2012. (There is also a Latin America’s 50 Best).

Special awards have already been announced.

Tetsuya Wakuda, initially known for “bringing a slice of Japan to Australia” at his renowned Tetsuya restaurant (No. 5 in the world in 2007), also opened Waku Ghin in Singapore in 2010.

At Waku Ghin, according to Asia’s 50 Best, “Wakuda continues to demonstrate the evolution of Asian cuisine with his modern, versatile European-Japanese cooking. It is perhaps largely thanks to him that high-end Japanese food is now so embraced and celebrated across the world.”

He will be receiving the Asia’s 50 Best Diner’s Club Lifetime Achievement Award.

Meanwhile, Vicky Lau of Hong Kong’s Tate Dining Room will receive her award as Veuve Clicquot’s Best Female Chef in Asia.

The awards night for Asia’s Best Restaurants 2015 is scheduled for tomorrow, March 9, Monday, at Capella in Singapore. Last year, there was a bit of an upset—or rejoicing (depending on whose side you’re in) as Bangkok’s Nahm of Chef David Thompson beat Tokyo’s Narisawa of Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa, ranked No. 1 at the very first Asia’s 50 Best.

Let’s see if Narisawa regains its post this year. I’ll be tweeting the names of the winners as the results come out!

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