Bayan Ko owners Lawrence Letrero (pictured) and Raquel Quadreny have always smartly melded Filipino and Cuban flavors for an original take on both cuisines, but when they began offering a $95 five-course tasting menu, they showed how seamlessly these two cuisines can work together at a higher level. You’ll start with a soul-soothing bowl of black rice arroz caldo, accented with lobster and a quail egg, before moving onto adobong pugita, a gorgeous crispy tentacle of octopus with potatoes and black garlic emulsion we’d eat anytime, anywhere. Letrero has a real knack for sauces, from that savory emulsion to the creole sauce on the fabulous lechon and tamale. Quadreny keeps the front of house humming, and this new approach keeps neighborhood diners packing in, too.