Email mishaps rise anew for 2027 Michelin Guide PH honorees
MANILA, Philippines — A new roster of Philippine restaurants are recepients of Michelin Guide honors for 2027, some of them retaining recognition with funny anecdotes attached to them.
One of the hilariously memorable moments from the launch of the guidebook in the country last year involved Richard Ken "Tots" Ramirez, owner of casual Mexican food establishment El Poco Cantina in Manila.
El Poco Cantina was included in the inaugural list of Michelin-Selected Philippine restaurants; however, Ramirez was unable to attend the awarding ceremony as he thought he was being scammed.
Ramirez posted on his restaurant's page that he received an email about El Poco Cantina being Michelin-Selected but thought it was a phishing scam and blocked the email address.
The honor turned out to be true, which the owner celebrated and still managed to poke fun at his misunderstanding.
El Poco Cantina retained its Michelin-Selected award for 2027, and this time Ramirez was present.
"Di na 'to scam!! Fiinally, naka-attend na siya," the restaurant said on Facebook with a blurry photo of Ramirez holding up the updated honor with added text that read "Email received!"
Email mishaps remained present; however, this year as co-owners of Asian fusion restaurant and steakhouse Butcher Boy nearly missed the ceremony due to literal technical difficulties.
Butcher Boy was Michelin-Selected last year and earlier this week was listed as a Bib Gourmand, meaning it was recognized for serving quality food at a friendly price.
Bernice Angeles, wife of Noveleta, Cavite Vice Mayor Dino Reyes Chua, who is a listed owner of Butcher Boy, posted a photo of her and Chua holding up a new award on the red carpet, though Angeles was notably underdressed compared to their culinary colleagues.
She explained that she was on her way to the supermarket the evening of the ceremony after she and Chua were unable to access their email account.
The couple learned they had received another Michelin recognition through the news, hence their late arrival to the ceremony, where luckily Chua was in a suit.
A total of 127 Philippine establishments received Michelin Guide honors for 2027: 10 Michelin-starred, 31 Bib Gourmand, and 86 Michelin-Selected.
The 10 Michelin-starred restaurants included nine restaurant recipients from last year, including sole two-star earner Helm as well as newcomer Flow, both located in Makati.
RELATED: LIST: 9 restaurants retain Michelin Stars for 2027, joined by one-star newcomer Flow
