Restaurant in Manila, Philippines
Michelin-recognised. Book ahead, dress up.
Bruce Ricketts' Michelin Plate-recognised iai in BGC is the right booking for food-focused diners who want chef-driven cooking with serious credentials. Pricing is not publicly listed, so contact the restaurant directly before committing. Booking is currently easy, but the 2026 Michelin recognition is already shifting demand.
Pricing at iai is not publicly listed, which tells you something useful before you even book: this is not a casual drop-in. Chef Bruce Ricketts commands a following serious enough that iai earned a Michelin Plate in the 2026 guide, the first major international culinary recognition to reach Manila's dining scene in its current form. If you are a food-focused traveller or a local diner who tracks what is happening at the sharper end of the Philippine restaurant world, iai deserves a place in your research. If you want a reliable weeknight dinner with a printed menu and a fixed price point, look elsewhere.
iai sits on the ground floor of The Montane in BGC (Bonifacio Global City), the tightly planned Taguig district that now concentrates most of Manila's high-end dining in a walkable grid. The building and address signal a certain register: polished, contemporary, urban. The atmosphere is composed rather than loud. Expect a room that reads as focused and intentional rather than social and festive. This is a place you go to eat, not to be seen, which puts it in a different category from the rooftop-and-cocktail circuit that dominates much of BGC's restaurant press.
Bruce Ricketts is the name that anchors iai's reputation. He has built a track record across multiple Manila projects, and the Michelin Plate recognition in 2026 is an external validator that matters here because it is the kind of credential that is awarded by inspectors who visit anonymously and repeatedly. It is not a PR award. For an explorer-type diner, that distinction is worth factoring into the decision.
Because iai's menu is not publicly documented in Pearl's database, specific dish recommendations are not possible here. What is documented about restaurants operating at this level under a chef with Ricketts' profile is that menus tend to rotate with seasonal availability of local produce. The practical implication: if you are returning to Manila across different trips, iai is likely to offer a different menu each time, which makes it worth revisiting rather than treating as a single-visit experience. Check directly with the restaurant before your visit to understand the current format, whether that is a set menu, à la carte, or a tasting sequence, since the format will shape how long your evening runs and what the final spend looks like. For the most current menu information, the restaurant's front-of-house is your leading source.
Given the Michelin Plate status and the BGC location, a reasonable comparison point is Toyo Eatery in Manila, which operates at a similar level of intent around Filipino ingredients and seasonal sourcing. Helm in Makati is another reference point for chef-driven tasting formats in the metro. If iai is fully booked or not the right fit, those two are the closest alternatives in terms of seriousness of cooking.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which is useful information given that some of Manila's most-talked-about restaurants operate on reservation windows that rival Tokyo or New York. At iai, you are unlikely to need to plan weeks ahead, but given the Michelin recognition in 2026 that could change. Book a few days out to be safe, and confirm the current reservation method directly since no booking platform or phone number is listed in Pearl's database. The address is G/F The Montane, 8th Ave corner 35th St, Taguig, BGC. Getting there by car is direct within BGC; ride-hailing (Grab) is the practical choice if you are coming from Makati or further afield.
For a broader picture of where iai sits in Manila's dining ecosystem, see our full Manila restaurants guide. If you are building a longer trip around food, Linamnam in Parañaque and Antonio's Restaurant in Tagaytay are worth adding to the itinerary. For bars and hotels in the area, see our Manila bars guide and our Manila hotels guide.
Quick reference: Michelin Plate 2026 | Chef: Bruce Ricketts | BGC, Taguig | Booking: Easy | Price: not listed publicly, confirm directly.
No dress code is documented in Pearl's database. Given the BGC address, The Montane building, and the Michelin Plate recognition, smart casual is a safe default. This is not a jacket-required room by any indication, but arriving in beachwear or gym clothes would be out of register. When in doubt, dress the way you would for a serious dinner at a contemporary chef-driven restaurant.
BGC restaurants operating at this level often have counter seating or a small-format dining room that works well for solo diners, particularly at chef-driven venues where the cooking itself is the focus. Without confirmed seat configuration in Pearl's database, contact the restaurant directly to ask whether counter or bar seating is available. Solo dining at a Michelin Plate venue in Manila is a legitimate choice for a food-focused traveller — this is the kind of meal that rewards full attention.
Group suitability is not confirmed in Pearl's data. For parties of four or more, contact the restaurant in advance to ask about table configuration and whether the menu format suits groups. Chef-driven tasting formats sometimes have restrictions on group size that affect the experience. If a larger group dinner is the goal and iai cannot confirm availability, Blackbird Makati and Manam Comfort Filipino are more reliably group-friendly options in Manila.
Booking difficulty is currently rated Easy. That said, the 2026 Michelin Plate recognition is the kind of credential that shifts demand, so booking a week out rather than same-day is the smarter approach. High-profile chef-driven restaurants in Manila can fill up faster than their booking systems suggest, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings. Confirm the reservation method directly with the restaurant, as no online booking link is listed in Pearl's database.
Specific dishes are not available in Pearl's database. At a Michelin Plate restaurant under a chef with Bruce Ricketts' profile, the kitchen's own menu direction is usually the leading guide. If there is a set or tasting format, follow it rather than requesting substitutions — that is where the cooking is focused. Ask the front-of-house when you book what the current menu looks like and whether the format has changed recently. Seasonal rotation is common at this level, so what was served last month may not be what you encounter on your visit.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iai | Michelin Plate (2026); Chef: Bruce Ricketts document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() { var el = document.getElementById("Achievements_chefs"); if (el && el.parentNode) { el.parentNode.removeChild(el); } }); | Easy | — | |
| Manam Comfort Filipino | Filipino | Unknown | — | |
| Blackbird Makati | International | Unknown | — | |
| El Poco Cantina (Malate) | Unknown | — | ||
| Cabel | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between iai and alternatives.
A Michelin Plate restaurant in BGC's most polished dining corridor warrants at least business casual — think collared shirts and clean footwear rather than shorts and sneakers. The BGC crowd generally dresses well for dinner, and iai's format under Bruce Ricketts fits that register. When in doubt, overdress slightly; you won't feel out of place.
Solo diners tend to do well at chef-driven restaurants of this type, where the cooking is the focal point and counter or single seats are often prioritised. Holding a Michelin Plate, iai is the kind of table where eating alone is a reasonable, even preferred, way to focus on the food. Call ahead to confirm single-seat availability.
The ground-floor setting at The Montane in BGC suggests a considered, relatively intimate space rather than a large-group venue. For groups of four or more, contact iai directly to check seating options — chef-driven Michelin-recognised restaurants at this level often have limited capacity for larger parties and may require advance coordination.
Pearl rates iai's booking difficulty as Easy, which is a useful signal: you are unlikely to need weeks of lead time the way you would at Manila's hardest-to-book tables. That said, Michelin Plate recognition in 2026 will draw attention, so booking a week or more ahead for weekend dinners is sensible. Weekday slots are likely more accessible.
Bruce Ricketts is the reason to be here — his approach is the throughline regardless of what's on the menu at any given time. Because iai's current menu is not publicly documented, the practical move is to trust the chef's format rather than arriving with a specific dish in mind. Ask when you book whether there's a set menu or tasting format, as that will shape how you plan the meal.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
