The lechon kawali fries here are gonna kill you. These pork belly french fries, a warm and gourmet version of pork rinds (set atop a bracingly fresh salad of herbs, lettuce and celery and sided by the perfect vinegar dipping sauce), will literally make your face explode with flavor. And if you were foolish enough to eat just these for, say, ten meals in a row, likely the fat in them would make your arteries explode, too. But heck, youre on vacation, and how likely is it that youll ever make it to the Philippines? These fries will show you what youre missing. The rest of the menuwhich includes shrimp cracker-like garlic chips, lumpia (a type of spring roll), shaved ice desserts and a number of noodle and fried rice dishesis almost as good. Alas, the place really does look like a shack, which means the space is cramped, and the seating limited to a few high stools, so pop by to get food for a picnic or grab a chair for a quick meal.

- Pauline Frommer