The dish: Grilled Spanish octopus in house marinade, with coriander aioli, roast pepper and chorizo sauce, sea beans and red Hawaiian sea salt (B660).

 

The place: New England-style seafood king Crab and Claw’s Siam Paragon keeps the focus on sustainable produce. Chef Colin Stevens has also introduced a few sumptuous new dishes, including rare wild Alaskan white king salmon (B780) served with confit cherry tomatoes and squid ink hollandaise. Come for lunch to enjoy other signatures like oysters Rockefeller (B420), uni-ara fettuccine (B450), spicy lobster linguine (B950) and, of course, the yummy lobster roll (B950 with one complimentary side dish). 

 

 

The dish: Wood charcoal-grilled octopus tentacle served with potatoes cooked under ash, taggiasche olives and green beans (B690).

 

The place: This grand old villa reborn as a cocktails and Italian grill restaurant boasts some of Europe's most prized meats, including Galician beef and prosciutto and pork neck from the Ca' Lumaco Estate (between Modena and Bologna). On top of this, fresh seafood is also on the menu, cooked on big wood-fired ovens and then grilled to accompany pasta or risotto. Overall, there's a lightness of touch here that makes this much more than just an ordinary steak house.

 

 

The dish: Grilled octopus tentacle with homemade pork stew, granja beans, lardo and mint oil (B460).

 

The place: Despite the consultation of Eduard Bosch, a former chef de cuisine at one of the most prestigious modern kitchens El Bulli in Spain, Islero does something far more traditional. Head chef Pedro Serrano dishes out authentic Spanish food like Iberico ham croquettes (B480), baked fish fillet with potatoes and almonds (B680) and the highlight Josper-grilled, Segovian-style suckling pig (B3,900 for a half pig). That said, there are still some items that nod to El Bulli's modernism, like olive spheres (B80) and deconstructed Spanish omelet (B380) served in the form of cream and espuma in a martini glass. For dessert, try tocinillo de cielo (egg yolk flan, B230), which bursts in your mouth with intense yolk flavor. The Cava wine bar takes over one side of the restaurant, serving tapas with a range of Spanish wine (starting at B260).

 

 

The dish: Xtapodi me fava (B395), grilled octopus with mashed yellow split peas, caramelized onions and capers.

 

The place: Run by Greek owners, and helmed by a Greek chef, Avra promises the authentic Mediterranean flavors. From its Santorini-evoking blue-and-white color scheme, it’s not hard to guess this is the place for some dips and pita bread. Chef Konstantinos Sarrimavrogenis serves the likes of crispy fried appetizers like tigani feta (feta cheese wrapped in crispy rolls, served with honey, sesame and orange, B235) and dolmadakia (grape leaves stuffed with rice and herbs, B225). The pita bread (B50) is some of the softest in town, and comes with delicious best friends tzatziki (yogurt dip), melitzanosalata (eggplant dip), fava (split peas dip) and taramas (cod roe dip), at B135-195 each. Or opt fot a dip plate at B250 for three dips of your choice. Mains span moussaka (layered minced beef with eggplant, potato and zucchini, B390)and gyros kotopoulo (grilled chicken kebab with onion and tomato, B290).

 

 

The dish: Olive oil confit octopus seared "a la plancha," served with peanut chili sauce, XO compressed lettuce hearts, cilantro, and orange zest (B600).

 

The place: Fresh, simple, well-executed, original yet devoid of gimmicks, there's a reason why the food at Bunker has been more hotly anticipated than any other restaurant this year. Some of the menu's 16 dishes verge on tapas portions, but the flavors are anything but small:  the wagyu beef tartar is spiked with daikon radish and radish sprouts; the cured foie gras torchon paired with candied cashew and chili mango; the smoky plate of fatty wagyu short rib falls from the bone in perfectly glazed, inch-thick slices. The space's craggy concrete lines are also something of a novelty, softened by turquoise banquettes and octogonal globes of light. 

 

 

The dish: Spanish octopus sous-vide then char-grilled, served with sauteed chorizo and fennel (B490).

 

The place: This rustic and wholesome restaurant looks like a vin-tage farmhouse and has an atmosphere akin to a re-laxed family gathering. The menu is all-about seasonal, Mediterranean-inspired dishes in big portions ideally suited for sharing, such as the Ocean Goodness (grilled whole Maine lobster, mussels, clams, scallops and oys-ters) and 1.2 kg grilled cote de boeuf served with zucchini gratin and homemade gravy.