MANILA, Philippines — Film director Erik Matti called on popular restaurant Toyo Eatery to "stop the gimmicks" after recently dining in the Makati restaurant.
Matti gave his review and a few suggestions on an Instagram post, which instantly went viral. He started with a disclaimer that he does not usually review restaurants, but he made an exception for Toyo Eatery since it was listed among the best in the country.
Toyo Eatery was among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2023 by the 50 Best Brand, owned and managed by William Reed, based in the United Kingdom.
Matti said that when he dined in Toyo a few days since his post, it was his most recent one after 2018. He even commended two of its dishes, its signature unique salad that features 18 vegetables called Bahay Kubo, and its barbecue.
For their latest visit, they tried Toyo Eatery's eight-course tasting menu or a degustacion that, they were told, would have three or more dishes per course.
Matti said the dishes were "very technical in execution" but they did not impress him, citing that the flavors did not match with how the dishes were much vaunted for.
"This restaurant feels a bit too giddy. Too gimmicky. Like they want to do too many things hoping to impress its diners with the value for money of the quantity of dishes served," Matti said, while noting how the dinner was "so long."
"That's fine if the food lives up to it. But I feel that all the showmanship and the lead up to tasting the food was a let down when I tasted the food. Maybe there we were too many dishes in one course? I dunno. Maybe less is more? Don't get me wrong. The dishes weren't inedible. They were ok. Not very good. Not great," he added.
Matti wondered about where the dishes went wrong for him. At one point he thought perhaps the dishes were "too cerebral." He also shared that maybe it was in their execution that the dishes did not seem to impress him.
The director proceeded to talk about a particular dish, the vegetable broth, which he said tasted like soil. At this point, he likened it to his directing job, where he shared that perhaps the dish could have gone through some "editing," by adding or subtracting portions of the vegetables so it would have a new taste.
He also noted the vibe of the restaurant, admiring its "young, casual" vibe. Matti saw how the restaurant was gunning for a chill vibe.
"But sadly, that's how it also reflected on their dishes. A lot of young ideas not fully formed. Felt like there were a lot of riffing on the kitchen probably too democratic giving each cook a chance to get their ideas on the dish. But it was obvious that there wasn't a singular voice that wrangles the over-all dining experience," the director noted.
Keep it short
He said the restaurant's concept on paper sounds interesting, but the "gimmickry and marketing slant" are not enough if the food does not live up to them.
He also emphasized the important role of chefs, that when they fail to execute their dishes, their dishes are just "gimmick without a soul."
Matti reiterated that he does not bash restaurants, but stressed that he wants an "honest to goodness restaurant."
"Something that doesn't deceive me into thinking more than what they actually are. I get irked with that pretentiousness. Again, less is more. Less with the gimmick and more trial and error," Matti wrote.
He suggested for Toyo Eatery to keep the introduction for each dish shorter so that diners will be able to enjoy them when they are still hot. For him, he wants to eat, and not be given a lesson in agriculture and livestock. He argued that the food can speak for itself.
In his postscript, Matti shared how he strongly felt about Toyo Eatery's ice cream offering.
"Please stop calling the ice cream leche flan ice cream if it's just literally a salted caramel ice cream. Stop with the gimmicks," Matti wrote.
Philstar.com reached out to Toyo Eatery and its head chef and owner Chef Jordy Navarra regarding this issue. They have yet to reply to our messages.
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