The rainy season in Manila can be quite dramatic and traumatic when it hits. One slogs through horrid floods with various unmentionable detritus floating amidst light-devouring oil slicks and trapped vehicles. Tightly packed like sardines, zombie-like commuters have their noses buried in their phones or have their heads at an odd angle, mercifully comatose from the fatigue of the day’s labors. They’re arguably the luckier ones, compared to the poor souls that have yet to find themselves a ride.

However, on this particularly stormy day, I found myself on the Seaside Boulevard stretch facing SM Mall of Asia, where the usual cloudburst takes on a more ominously Biblical tone. Thunderclouds roiled like a witch’s cauldron of rage and fury, above equally endless choppy-dusky waters, which threatened to come charging forward as a merciless tsunami. Soon, torrent after torrent of rain fell.

Fortunately, I had already managed to take refuge in the guise of a cheerful haven of seared steaks and juicy burgers over at Meat Plus, at the ground floor of SM MoA, just on the opposite side of the bay. The interior seemed smart and simple – glass walls where I could take in the sight of the swirling, scary seas in relative safety made up the façade of the place, which was done predominantly in yellow and blue. A handful of lightly-finished wooden tables and chairs stood outside for more pleasant weather, thankfully covered by a broad concrete awning. You’d swear Meat Plus was a fast food joint with its order counter done in navy blue tiles and more of that fine wood finish resembling white oak. Above the counter hung menu billboards with photos of dishes while waiters dressed as service crew in grey collared t-shirts and Big Bird-yellow caps took orders. Beside them were two display chillers, one with cakes and pies and another with the words “Choose Your Own Steak” written above it. In the latter were hamburger patties stacked like frozen flapjacks beside huge slabs of tenderloin, rib eye and New York cut steaks – a carnivore’s veritable treasure chest.

The whole idea of the place is about no-frills dining, for the simplicity of Meat Plus’ look and feel also reflects on its food’s presentation. However, decades of culinary experimentation, skill and refinement lands in full force squarely on your taste buds the moment you take a bite, as I was about to discover. I began my repast with Potato Skins, an item so popular that Chiloy Santos, Meat Plus’ head chef and part-owner, has himself a surplus of naked spuds that he must find more ways to sell.

“Some people tell us they can’t believe how cheap the dish is,” he says, grinning while shaking his head in disbelief. “When we run out, some people don’t even bother coming back – the potato skins are all they’re after.” Chef Chiloy serves his Potato Skins with a pair of dips, garlic ranch and cheddar cheese. Most restaurants prepare their potato skins as hollowed out cups with all the potato flesh scooped out, but these were fritters, their skin recognizably of the locally grown potato variety. These chewy morsels are truly and hopelessly addicting.