MANILA, Philippines?If you think Clawdaddy Crabhouse and American Grill is just a place that serves crabs, you?re making a big mistake.

Although yeah, the crabs are pretty good. And they?re cooked in a lot of different ways?sauteed with onions, pepper, celery, bacon, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce; simmered in white wine, ginger and butter; steamed in beer.

Seafood stop

People go to ClawDaddy for their fill of seafood (mussels, shrimps, prawns, fresh oysters cooked with bacon, artichokes, leeks and cream sauce, chargrilled oysters, baked oysters with shrimps, creamy mushrooms and parmesan cheese, even Bloody Mary Oysters) but there is more to this restaurant than just shellfish. The city?s carnivores will be glad to know that the place serves great steaks and their barbecue choices are a big treat. The ribs are tender and flavorful and the servings are huge?big enough to be shared by three or four people.

Order the Smoked Salmon Salad with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette (Mesclun greens and baby augula, caramelized walnuts, smoked salmon strips and passion fruit vinaigrette), Grilled Chipotle Apache Chicken (chargrilled half chicken, marinated in garlic-annatto oil, chipotle, mashed sweet potatoes and corn tortilla), Clammy Linguini (linguini with Manila clams, garlic white wine, lemon and clam broth), ClawDaddy?s Pepper Crusted Steak (aged beef with fresh cracked peppercorns, chargrilled to perfection), Crab and Lobster boil (a seafood feast of crab, Pacific lobster, fresh water prawns, shrimps, New Zealand mussels, clams, sausage, corn on a cob, baby potatoes simmered in ClawDaddy?s seafood broth), ClawDaddy?s King Barbecue Caboodle (full slab of t-back pork ribs, beef ribs, Texas smoke links, chicken barbecue and three sidings).

ClawDaddy?s best-sellers include the All-Shrimp Shack, Baby Back Ribs, Crab Maritess and Shrimp Popcorn and Cajun Calamari. Other must-tries include Famous Pete?s Buffalo Wings, the Creamy Caesar Salad, ClawDaddy?s Pepper Crusted Steak, Szechuan Crab, Mississippi Mud Cake.

It might be a good idea to swing by with mom tomorrow?because despite the name, this place isn?t just for daddy.

Visit ClawDaddy at the 6th Level of the Shangri-la Plaza Mall Edsa cor. Shaw Blvd. Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila. Call 636-5679.