One of the things my boyfriend and I enjoy doing together is trying new restaurants—just like practically every couple out there. So if you’re looking for a new place to try with your significant other on Valentine’s Day, and you also both happen to love seafood, then the perfect spot for you is Bait’s Seafood Kitchen in Makati. But, true to my promise on Facebook, I will share dinner spots that are as perfect for couples as they are for singles looking to enjoy a great meal on V-Day or any day at all, so please, read on. I’ll make sure you will not regret it—and neither will you regret trying Bait’s, I promise.

Bait’s is the latest concept from Erwan Heussaff’s restaurant group Mothership F&B Enterprise, which is behind other concepts like Pink Panda (my favorite!), Niner Ichi Nana, Hungry Hound, Crisp on 28th, and Hatch 22. It’s a market-driven seafood restaurant headed by one of New York’s finest chefs, Fil-Am Chef Joseph Margate, who came up with the dishes featuring the “catch of the day” and using as many local ingredients as he can. He said the menu will change every so often, depending on what’s available for the season.

I’ve never been to the actual restaurant itself, located on the Ground Floor of Signa Designer Residences, Valero corner Rufino St., Makati, but I was among the bloggers invited to a preview of their menu at The Red Light—Mothership’s concept kitchen and bar (and office) across El Chupacabra on Felipe St., Makati, where Erwan sometimes shoots videos for his blog, The Fat Kid Inside (when the “On Air” sign outside flashes red, you know he’s taping)—before they even opened. I have yet to see the actual portioning (and pricing), so note that all the photos here are of sampling sizes.

The first thing we were served was the fresh-tasting Boquerones with Sky Flakes on the side. These white anchovies were cured in salt and sugar and stored in olive oil with a little vinegar for two days. The light-tasting fish went so well with the crackers. I can absolutely imagine myself enjoying this with white wine, although I did have them with some cocktails created by The Red Light’s bartender, which I described in detail in the photo gallery below.

Next, we sampled their Tuna Tartare in Lemon Oil with Pickled Mustard Seeds. The very fresh tuna was definitely the star of this light-tasting, tangy dish.

The third dish I tried affirmed my rekindled appreciation for fish, which I used to shy away from for fear of tinik, haha: Definitely no fish bones on the Red Snapper Crudo with Green Tomato Water, Sambal, and Katsuobushi, allowing me to enjoy the satisfying heat from the spicy sambal and the savory flavor of the dried bonito slivers.

For the fourth dish, we moved on to squid grilled on a metal plate and cooked just right, not rubbery. The Squid a la Plancha with Sofrito and Chicharron had an interesting interplay of flavors—sweet, savory, and acidic sofrito with satisfyingly salty pork rinds. It’s a play on texture too—smooth, soft, and chewy squid with crunchy chicharon. This is one of my favorite dishes among the lot!

I gladly welcomed the warmth provided by the Mussel Chowder with Apples, Potatoes, and Chives, especially since the preview was held on an exceptionally cold night (and I had the flu). The fresh taste of the creamy, smooth, and familiar soup (with a twist) helped soothe my colds and sore throat. The broth’s flavor enhanced the deliciously fresh taste of the mussels that remained the focal point, and I enjoyed the nice saltiness to the chowder.

Even their salad had a nice twist, combining octopus and pork belly, with Salsa Verde. Yes, folks, this is how you make a meat-lover like me eat veggies: by adding two chunks of crispy, sinful, and flavorful pork belly. I know Bait’s is a seafood restaurant, but they certainly know how to do their pork belly really well, and in this case, it’s the star in my opinion. That crispy skin that tops it just sealed the deal for me, haha. Sarap talaga! I’m honestly not such an adventurous eater, but I willingly tried the octopus and I actually enjoyed it—it tastes better than the few octopus dishes I’ve tried and has a softer texture than squid. It had a nice char to it, too. The salsa verde dressing is light, but it tastes delicious.

We also tried their pasta dish: Fresh Pasta, Bottarga, Broccoli, with Bread Crumbs. The pasta itself was cooked just right (al dente, of course), with the bread crumbs providing texture and the salted fish roe and broccoli giving it its satisfyingly salty flavor and light spice.

We later moved on to heavier dishes, like the Grilled Tuna with Salsa Criolla and Fried Yucca. The tuna had a light flavor—lightly salted and seasoned with olive oil—highlighting its freshness. The fried yucca (a.k.a. kamoteng kahoy) has a light buttery taste. I think they will serve swordfish in the restaurant, but for the preview of this dish, Chef Joseph used tuna.

If you love tilapia, then you should certainly try their Tilapia with Turmeric, Cauliflower Couscous, and Nuoc Cham. This does not taste like your usual tilapia dish: It has a strong Asian—specifically Vietnamese—flavor from the sauce. It had a nice spice and aroma about it from the turmeric. I like the sort of acidity you get the instant it hits your tongue, followed by the bold spices.

However, my hands-down top favorite dish among the lot is the Grilled Prawns on White Beans and Parsley served with Chicken Skin. I absolutely love how well Chef Joseph cooked the prawns: so deliciously seasoned without masking the fresh seafood taste. Most of the skin was conveniently taken off, but what remained is easy to remove, too—you know it was not overcooked. I don’t usually like beans, but they complemented the prawns so well, the combo really worked. The chicken skin is as flavorful and sinfully good as you expect it to be. With the prawns and the chicken skin together, they have a certified winning dish!

And last, but definitely not the least, we tried their Torched Mackerel with Red Lentils and Crispy Pig’s Ears. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the fish more than the pig’s ears as it was cooked to perfection with a savory flavor. That is not to say I did not enjoy the richly flavored pig’s ears, because I did, too! The mackerel was just a pleasant surprise to me—the fish winning over the pork—that’s all!

We washed down all these delicious seafood dishes with a selection of cocktails from Red Light that I hope will be available in Bait’s because I did enjoy a couple of them. Click the photos below for a closer look at the cocktails, their mix, and my review.

Bait’s Seafood Kitchen is located at the Ground Floor of Signa Designer Residences, Valero corner Rufino St., Makati. It’s open from 11AM to 3PM and 5PM to 11PM, Monday to Sunday.