The Most Inventive Filipino Restaurant in Manila?

Toyo, in Filipino, means “soy sauce”. But I didn’t realize the reference until we ate here.

Toyo Eatery sounded like a strange name to me, something I wouldn’t normally associate with a fine dining establishment. I didn’t know what to make of it at first. Was is it a Japanese restaurant? Toyo sounded Japanese.

Only when we finally ate here to celebrate our wedding anniversary did I come to understand what Toyo Eatery was all about – inventive contemporary Filipino food the likes of which I had never seen before in Manila.

It blew me away.

As described, Toyo Eatery is a contemporary Filipino restaurant tucked away in a corner of Chino Roces Avenue in Makati. It’s helmed by Chef Jordy Navarra, who had previously trained at The Fat Duck in the UK and Bo Innovation in Hong Kong before opening Toyo Eatery in March 2016.

Nationalistic in his cooking approach, Chef Navarra is known for his playful and inventive takes on classic Filipino dishes like lugaw (rice porridge),…