This nook along Tomas Morato tenders a menu of Filipino and Western dishes with slight kapampangan touches. Their interesting assortment of seafood will take you from a Risotto of rock lobsters for P285 to a Grilled Chilean Sea Bass Tropide for P445. And though they aren’t what you’d call cheap, they’ll cost less and they’ll probably taste just as good.

Clams Coco Grande

But before you can place your order, dining al fresco in this joint requires a lot of waving. The Red Crab’s waiters seem to pay more attention to the diners indoors, so after dining outside you can probably walk off without paying the bill. But once you get their attention they can be an amicable and joyous bunch, service is with always a "sir," and a smile. Save for a grouchy one who takes orders with a demeanor that’s a tad bit patronizing.

For starters, one can try the Baby Squid in Olive Oil and Garlic. This sizzling dish, which is baby squid and crumbled liver, sautéed in olive oil, garlic, basil, and onions, is a complement to that ice-cold bottle of beer. The dish’s soft squids go well with the grainy texture of the liver, as it is with their flavors. And for a rather stingy price of P145, the mass of squids on that sizzling platter is quite sensible.

Other good appetizers on the menu include their Tuna and Crabmeat Sisig, as well as the Old-Style Beef Salpicao, which is beef tenderloin sliced into cubes and also sautéed in olive oil and garlic.

The Red Crab has a selection of curious salad concoctions. The Red Crab Salad (P150,) which is a bed of lettuce, young corn, cucumber, olives, and showered with shredded crabmeat, is served with a sweetish citrus honey mustard dressing. Another is the Cebuano Chef’s Salad, a variety of greens tossed in a sweet spicy dressing, and topped with sesame seeds, danggit, and nori.

Their Cream of Monggo (P65) is a Filipino tradition nudged towards the West. A bowl of ginisang monggo topped with bits of tinapa and pieces of chicharon is blended with cream. The bites of saltiness from the flaked smoked fish provide a flavorful contrast to the creamy soup.

One of the best dishes in the restaurant is the Clams Coco Grande, which is a dish of clams, sautéed

Baby Squid in Olive Oil and Garlic

with onions and strips of coconut meat. A bowl of this dish sets you back a P165, but the savory hint of light coconut milk and fresh pacific clams is something you more than willingly pay for.

Their Black Marlin Pobresito (P235) however, which is pan-fried Royal Black Marlin crusted with garlic and served atop baby potatoes, is a bit of a letdown. The Black Marlin by itself is a bit on the salty side, and pairing it with a buttery and salty sauce is just raking on the palate.

Other interesting dishes in their line-up include their Crusted Salmon with Tinapa Butter, a garlic and nut-crusted Norwegian salmon steak covered on top with pepper and tinapa butter. Further dishes are: the Seared Lengua, which is ox tongue with shitake bathed in a cream and tomato aligue sauce; Grilled Salmon with Mushroom pilaf, Norwegian salmon in a marinade of oriental spices; the Beef Tapas Romano, slivers of beef tenderloin in a marinade of garlic, vinegar, and sugar; Grilled Tilapia Fillet doused with a sweet and sour cucumber sauce; Gambas Al Ajillo shrimps sautéed in wine; and U.S. Tenderloin done in the style of Bistek Tagalog.