Bistro Manila brings a taste of the Philippines, the ‘original fusion cuisine’ to the Queen City 

A new restaurant on Broad Street is bringing a cuisine not often found even in big cities.  

Bistro Manila, named for the capitol city of the Philippines, is the brainchild of Ronald and Maria Nutt. Maria is from the Philippines, so it was only natural to open a Filipino restaurant to fill the void left when Bayou Rouge closed at the same location last year. 

Maria Nutt called Filipino cuisine “the original fusion cuisine.” As an island nation near Southeast Asia, the Philippines has always seen trade from many regions of the globe. Influences from Asia, Europe, especially Spain, and the Middle East are found in the food.  

Ronald Nutt said that Bistro Manila is the only Filipino restaurant within a 100-mile radius. He said Filipino cuisine is catching on in many other places. “People like it,” Ronald said. “It’s a taste people are looking for. So we’re bringing authentic Filipino cuisine to Dallas County.” 

The menu will start small with just a few choices, However, Ronald said as he and Maria see what’s popular and as the business grows, they will add more items. Ronald explained that the food is not hot spicy, like Thai often is, but it is seasoned and flavorful.  

For the soft opening over the last weekend of January, the menu was the popular noodle dish Pansit Bihon Guisado, and Chicken Pork Adobo, a Spanish-influenced dish. And there was Lumpiang Shanghai, which is Chinese influenced and similar to a spring roll.  

More from this section

Astronauts try blasting off to moon after earlier problems

Attacked Russian tanker drifting toward Libya: Italian authorities

Russia resumes use of space launch site damaged in accident

Maria said her family loves to cook, and the dishes they will offer at Bistro Manila will be the type of dishes they would cook at home. Ronald added that even though they are not exactly serving health food, they are cooking with good health in mind. He said the choices will be healthier than your typical fast food, but it will be served quickly.  

Patrons in the restaurant raved about how good the food was. Two of those dining at Bistro Manila were former Tally Ho owners Bob and Donna Kelly, both of whom gave their seal of approval to the cuisine. 

Maria’s daughter and son-in-law, Pinch and Gilbert Golpeo, are part owners of Bistro Manila. They moved to Selma from California to be a part of the adventure.  

On his Facebook page, Ronald reported that the turnout for the weekend's soft opening was great. He said the hours for Bistro Manila will be Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for takeout and Friday evenings 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for dine in.  

“We’re going to be different, but we’re going to focus on a taste people will like,” Ronald Nutt said.