The clash of local ingredients with the palates of conquering Spaniards left Filipino food with an unambiguous emphasis on meat, in all its forms. From kare kare (peanut paste and oxtail soup) and pata (crispy pig's feet) to dinuguan (pork blood stew), the 24-hour menu at the esteemed Aristocrat (432 San Andres Street at Roxas Blvd, Malate, +6325247671) may be a bit too local for some. At Kamayan (532 Padre Faura Street, Ermita, +6325251166; 47 Pasay Road, Makati, +6328151463) they encourage you to roll up your sleeves and tuck into their traditional food the old-fashioned way - with your hands.

Of course, Manila's restaurants don't turn their backs on the South China Sea entirely. At the Seafood Market and Restaurant (1190 J Bocobo Street, Ermita, Manila, +6325245761) you can balance out your meat intake with heaping portions of fresh (or fermented) talangka crab, sour fish soup, and sea cucumber stewed with pork and dried shrimp.

To satisfy the demands of the local sweet tooth, most places offer at least two or three options for dessert, usually thick, always sweet and more often than not, flecked with grated coconut. Ginataan (a starchy jackfruit casserole), palitaw (chewy coconut drops) and leche flan (Spanish milk pudding) are no match for Manila’s most famous pudding, halo halo - a mountain of shaved ice, condensed milk, fresh and preserved fruit and sweet beans. Then, a scoop of ice cream is all it needs to push you over the edge.

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