“After the recognition, the sales tripled. That’s how big Michelin’s impact is to us.”

Such has been the “Michelin experience” of Chef Jackson Chua of The Underbelly, a ramen house in Makati City that became “the Philippines’ only Michelin Bib Gourmand ramen restaurant” after Michelin Guide honored it as among the 25 Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants in the country last year.

International hotel and restaurant ratings authority Michelin Guide recognized 19 restaurants in Manila and environs and six in Cebu as Michelin Bib Gourmand — “applauded for offering good food at moderate prices.”

“From family-run eateries to modern bistros, the Bib Gourmand list reflects the diversity and depth of everyday dining in the Philippines, where value, flavor and soul go hand-in-hand,” Michelin says of the criteria for selecting the Bib Gourmand honorees, in a handout given to DAILY TRIBUNE.

“The Michelin recognition has been very helpful,” Chua enthused, “But at the same time, the pressure is also so high.”

Chua and his fellow The Underbelly chef, Noel Mauricio, recently collaborated with Christine Roque and Jo Arciaga, chefs of Half Saints, for “Saint Billy: The Underbelly x Half Saints Crossover,” a fusion of the two restaurants’ specialties, available at the restaurants’ local branches until 11 June.

According to Chua, the collaboration is not an effort to keep up with the pressures of having a Michelin acclaim.

“This is what we normally do at The Underbelly, regardless of the Michelin recognition. We like to go around, meet people and get creative with food,” he declared.

After Half Saints, The Underbelly and Noodle Lab will have a pop-up of their collaboration “Itamessy” (a play on the Japanese term for Italian-Japanese fusion) in The Grid in Power Plant Mall, Makati City, followed by collaborations with two more restaurants.

“The Underbelly is a very playful concept. So me and Noel, we are given a medium to express our creativity,” he said. “So actually, every dish at The Underbelly has no limits. So anything that we can take out that’s masarap (delicious).”