“To be honest, despite having a more critical eye
for aesthetics and branding, people from our generation are
not that much different from anyone else who eats.”
What does this mean for our local food scene? It means
that you have to strike a balance between authenticity
and uniqueness. If a restaurant is too authentic, it risks
offering us something that’s too identical to whatever
we can get (for probably a cheaper price) in another
country we could just visit when we’re on vacation. Of
course, there are still exceptions: Ogawa, Ji Fan Lah!,
La Spezia and Ye Dang all offer awesome experiences.
But to be truly unforgettable, you must be able to put
your own creative spin on the dishes.
The best example I can give is Ooma. While most
restaurant groups are bringing in well-known concepts
from Japan, Chef Bruce Ricketts boldly creates his own
cuisine using Japanese techniques and ingredients. His
food is not something you can easily find in Japan or
anywhere else in the country. That makes him one of
the few standout chefs whose name regular diners like
me know by heart.
Know that the higher you build yourself up, the
harder you fall. It’s common nowadays to see restaurants
marketing themselves in the Philippines as if they were
the biggest and the brightest in the countries they were
from. Some brandish Michelin stars, others go on telling
us how many branches they have worldwide. While
it’s true that these things will truly pique our curiosity
and lead us to walk through a restaurant’s doors, it
may also prompt a heated rant from people who were
disappointed.
What I’m trying to say is that a restaurant’s online
reputation among millennials is actually more powerful
than the number of accolades it has received from
an elite circle of critics worldwide. Millennials listen
to people who can relate to their experience: fellow
millennials. Food review sites like Zomato or Facebook
groups like the Masarap Ba? community have enabled
every millennial who has a stable Internet connection to
voice out their honest opinions about the food they’ve
eaten. And the worst thing to do to millennials is to
ignore their opinions. Listen to their feedback, analyze
what to act on and what to brush off, and then make the
necessary improvements.
All of these points lead me to conclude that when
it comes to our millennial eating habits, it’s easy to be
confused. It’s easy to believe that Instagram food charms
us and that critical acclaim sways us. To be honest, despite
having a more critical eye for aesthetics and branding,
people from our generation are not that much different
from anyone else who eats. In the end, we’re all just
looking for the basics: well-balanced flavo rs, a touch of
creativity, warm service and good value for our money.
To read more of Rina's articles on the Filipino food scene, visit her website at Manila Food Crawl
www.manilafoodcrawl.com or follow her on Instagram @manilafoodcrawl.
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