wantusawa

P50.00 for a freshly-shucked oyster, flown in from Aklan the very same day. I’m talking about super plump and juicy and oceanic-tasting oysters, the kind that you just suck out of the half shell, no need at all for a squeeze of citrus or a drop of hot sauce. Although those condiments are available, or perhaps, you prefer your bivalves baked with a Japanese Miso crust? That’s great too, but me, I love the savage pleasures of a raw mollusk. Chef Christine Zarandin and her Sous, Ken Blardony, both veterans of the Raffles Hotel kitchens, are a dynamic twoperson tag-team that moves in an athletic blur, a tandem in perfect sync, prepping and cooking and expediting Wantusawa’s strong core menu.

The Grilled Prawn Laksa is a bestseller, deeply flavored and intoxicatingly aromatic coconut broth over a generous heap of al dente egg noodles: it’s arguably the best post-drinking recovery bowl in all of the Poblacion. And then there’s the braised short rib, made tender and tasty via a Coca Cola and Dark Miso marinade, topped with a soft-boiled egg, and served with the dramatic black grains known as Forbidden Rice. Tawilis from Taal, as crispy and as addicting as chicharon, is an irresistible pairing with an ice cold Pale Pilsen. There’s sake served straight up and Gin & Tonics for the cocktail set. It’s a tight operation, but everything a serious oyster lover needs is

present and accounted for. Just one reminder: come early, and be there when Wantusawa opens at 7pm; the seats by the oyster bar get taken fast. Really fast.