Foodies go for the Gold Spots Awards

MANILA, Philippines – You love them, you voted for them. Finally, after months of tallying the votes and being narrowed down by a team of food lovers and experts, Spot.ph and Nescafe Gold recently honored the best dining places in the metro through the Gold Spots Awards.

The intimate awarding ceremony was held at the Aubergine Restaurant at Fort Bonifacio Global City and was attended by the country’s leading restaurateurs and foodies. On hand to welcome the guests were the Spot.ph team led by its new editor in chief Myrza Sison.

Also in attendance was the Nescafe Gold team led by its marketing manager Logan O’Brien who commented that he was “blown away” by the food choices here in Manila. Nescafe Gold is Spot.ph’s partner in the Gold Spots Awards.

Cibo was the big winner during the event as Cibo Nuovo was voted Best Italian Restaurant and Cibo Dieci won Best Overall Service. Owner Margarita Fores along with business and product development manager Eldy Perez were on hand to receive the awards.

Discovery Suites’ Earl Ardines and Bobby Horrigan, meanwhile, received the Best Steakhouse award for 22 Prime, the steakhouse at Discovery Suites. Martinis general manager Paolo Quimson accepted the award for Best Cocktails, while Mickeys, represented by general manager Richie King and chef Migs Gianan, bagged the award for Best Delicatessen. The Best Club award went to Embassy Super Club. The award was accepted by Wilbert Valentino.

Best Chinese Restaurant winner Gloria Maris was represented by its executive assistant to the president Candy Uy; Best Dessert winner Miss Desserts by owner Elizabeth Lorenzo; Best Brunch awardee Museum Café by its marketing manager Belle Cagadas; Best Interiors winner Aubergine by executive chef Stefan Lagenhan; and Best Filipino Restaurant winner Aristocrat by its general manager Theresa Reyes.

Aubergine won for Best Interiors; Aristocrat for Best Filipino Restaurant; Gloria Maris for Best Chinese Restaurant; Mickey’s Delicatessen for Best Deli or Wine Bar; and Cibo for Best Overall Service.

Also in attendance were the of judges who helped narrow down the 226 restaurant-nominees into a top five or top for each of the 12 categories — Belgian Chocolatier Benoit Nicolay, Yummy Magazine editor Becky Kho, chef Aileen Anastacio, Yummy restaurant reviewer Danio Caw, and freelance writer and foodie Rowena Wendy Lei.

According to Spot.ph, the essence of Gold Spots is “to empower the community with a chance to determine which establishments meet one’s gold standard.  At its core, Gold Spots 2008 Awards is a people’s choice award that recognizes the discerning taste and sensibilities of Manileños when it comes to their dining experience.”