10 Best Things We Ate in October

(SPOT.ph) If you didn’t already know, here at SPOT.ph, we love food. You need it to live, but we find that there are some dishes that go well past the virtue of necessity. While others content themselves with a deep-fryer and the usual salt and pepper, there are some who make—or at least try to make—an art out of it, with delicious displays and layers of flavors. We believe those that go above and beyond their duty deserve necessary recognition. So here are our top picks among the dishes we ate throughout October.

IMAGE Jilson Tiu

Highlands Bistro’s Seared Tuna With Black Sesame Coating

It’s no surprise that Highlands Bistro serves excellent steak; they were once Highlands Prime Steakhouse after all. But Chef John Kingston is all set to prove he’s ready to branch out and his Seared Tuna With Black Sesame Coating is a step in the right direction. The tuna is seared to be tender, the black sesame adds a crust that provides the perfect contrast, and the salad, dressed with a hint of balsamic, is so tasty you’ll fool yourself into thinking you’re going to start eating more salads. Hey, if they’re all as great as Highland Bistro’s, you just might.

Highlands Bistro is at G/F Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Pasig City.

IMAGE Hans Fausto

Rackshack’s Crack Fried Chicken

If you’ve eaten at RACKS—though with more or less 10 years under their belt, who hasn’t?—you know for a fact that their ribs are fall-off-the-bone and lip-smacking delicious. You can expect the same from their hip new concept, Rackshack. But their fried chicken does manage to steal some of the attention away from the ribs, proof of just how good they are. The mouthwatering smell is enough to turn heads, and lets you know that all the pieces are all seasoned to perfection. The first bite won’t disappoint, too, with chicken skin that gives off a resounding crunch. It’s not called “crack” for nothing—you’ll inhale a bucket in mere minutes.

Rackshack is at 5/F SM Aura Premier, Bonifacio Global City.

IMAGE Jericho San Miguel

Café Enye’s Moroccan-Style Curry Paella

Café Enye may look like your typical Spanish restaurant, but they’re anything but. Chef Claudia Schulze takes inspiration from the countries Spain either conquered or traded with, to add a different flair to classic Spanish dishes. Their new branch in BGC is the perfect excuse to revisit their “colonial-Spanish cuisine,” like their version of paella, which is flavored with a blend of curry, turmeric, and cinnamon. The result is a headier, almost intoxicating, dish, with juicy chicken chunks to keep the flavorful paella from getting too overwhelming for your taste buds.

Café Enye is at Mezzanine Floor, Citi Plaza, 34th Street, Bonifacio Global City.

IMAGE Hans Fausto

Trigo’s Buffalo Chicken Panini

Trigo is a bakery first and foremost, so you know that any sandwich they have at their café menu is going to be exceptional just from the bread alone. Baker and owner Iñaki Araneta takes the classic grilled cheese sandwich a step further with his Buffalo Chicken Panini. Slices of bread are stuffed with creamy mozzarella and juicy chicken chunks slathered with a tangy buffalo sauce. But the real kicker is the melted mozzarella that coats the entire sandwich, giving it a nice slightly toasted crust. Satisfyingly filling and tasty, it’s what every sandwich should strive to be.

Trigo is at 9629 Kamagong Street, San Antonio Village, Makati City.

IMAGE Majoy Siason

Kko Kko Home’s Chicken Cheese Fondue

With the newest Kko Kko branch also serving as Grace Lee and her mom, Song Soon Il’s, test kitchen, you can expect specials and exclusive menu items. No one can blame you though, if you decide to just keep coming back for Kko Kko’s signature Chicken Cheese Fondue. An order will get you a tray laden with onion rings, French fries, and chicken chops tossed in an addicting sweet-spicy glaze. But the real star of this dish is the bread bowl filled with gloriously gooey melted mozzarella. We know we don’t need to tell you to dunk your chicken pops right into the cheese, letting it coat the already-tasty glaze with its rich creaminess. This is just one more proof that cheese can level up anything.

Kko Kko Home is at 67 West Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City.

IMAGE Jericho San Miguel

Polilya’s B-B-Bolognese

Ian Paradies of Engkanto Brewery has finally given his craft beer a home at Polilya. With neon-themed décor, and superb beer and beer-based cocktails, you’d be ready to forgive them if the bar chow turns out to be average at best. But Polilya defies expectations. If you’ve never had pasta while at a cocktail bar, let the B-B-Bolognese be your first. This pasta dish has the deadly mix of bacon and beer in its tomato-based sauce, which is poured over buttery al-dente noodles. Pair this with any of the Engkanto tap beers and you have a winning night-out combo .

Polilya is at 5658 Don Pedro Street, Poblacion, Makati City.

IMAGE Jericho San Miguel

Lucky Chick’s Sriracha Butter

With their move to a new location at Ayala Malls The 30th also came new fried chicken flavors from Lucky Chick. You can get the Sriracha Butter, zesty, spicy, and buttery like the best Buffalo wings, as a meal with rice and other sides, but if you’re in the mood for something to-go, have it as a sandwich. The flavorsome fried chicken gets an upgrade from Lucky Chick’s amazing brioche buns, which have a crisp crust and a pillow-soft center. With a refreshing slice of cucumber to balance out the piquant flavors, Sriracha Butter could become your new go-to sandwich.

Lucky Chick is at 3/F Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City.

IMAGE Majoy Siason

The Bottle Shop’s Lechon Torta

Nothing else goes better with an ice-cold bottle of beer than glistening slices of lechon, so it’s no surprise that when The Bottle Shop revamped their food menu, they also added their own version of the roasted pig. In line with the Mexican theme of the rest of the new dishes, the Lechon Torta has slices of flavorful lechon belly on top of Parmesan bolillo (a type of Mexican white bread), which is then topped with garlic-lemongrass chimichurri. It’s indulgent, almost excessive, and probably bad for you—but with a sandwich this tasty, you can’t be bothered to care.

The Bottle Shop is at Net One Center, 26th Street corner 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City.

IMAGE Majoy Siason

Phat Buddha’s Char Siu Roll

Vietnamese food usually equates to freshness, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be packed with bold flavors, too. Phat Buddha’s Char Siu Roll is a great showcase—chef and owner Dale Liwanag takes the traditional Vietnamese fresh spring roll and stuffs it with pork belly braised in Hoisin sauce, for a more lip-smacking sweet-savory filling that contrasts well with the refreshing flavor of the cucumber and spring onions, with sesame seeds added for crunch.

Phat Buddha is at 42 Katipunan Avenue, White Plains, Quezon City.

IMAGE Ian Santos

Kiss The Tiramisu’s Original Tiramisu

Kiss The Tiramisu, which continues to draw in long queues in their home base, Seoul, is now in Makati City with their specialty tiramisu soft serve. Their Original Tiramisu goes beyond simply flavoring vanilla soft serve with coffee. Soft serve, mocha and chocolate cookie crumbles, coffee sauce, and dark chocolate shavings are layered in a reusable plastic goblet for an indulgent dessert that tastes just like tiramisu but in a new form. But what makes this sundae extra special is the layer of mascarpone cheese, making the soft serve richer and smoother, and adding a subtle hint of saltiness that elevates the rest of the sweet elements.

Kiss The Tiramisu is at Three Central, Valero Street, Makati City.