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MANILA -- Ask for a recommendation for the best fried chicken in Metro Manila and sooner or later, someone will mention the Buttermilk Fried Chicken of Kettle. Fireside, a spin-off concept of the original restaurant, dishes out its own brand of American comfort food and drinks.

Located at Central Square in Bonifacio Global City, Fireside occupies a rather large casual dining space. It’s a comfortable place for lunch or dinner, coffee while having an afternoon meeting, or just drinks by the bar before a night out around BGC. There is a closed-off function room on one side for more private gatherings.

When the restaurant first opened in 2016, it was initially called Fireside by Kettle to acknowledge its roots. These days, the “by Kettle” has been dropped as Fireside is establishing its own identity through a totally different menu and by serving a different market.

“For Fireside, we focus more on grilled meats from our wood-fired grill. Our main products are the grilled pork chops and the steaks. But funny thing is, the chicken fingers are still our best seller,” said Chiloy Santos, the young chef of Fireside.

“We also focus on our beverage -- the wines, cocktails, beers. We want it also to become a hot place to have drinks after dinner,” he added.

In line with this, Fireside has launched a “Wines around the World” promotion. For P799, guests can drink their fill from a carefully curated selection of 11 easy-to-drink fruit-forward wines from seven countries.

A handy wine passport is filled up as drinkers sample wines from different countries. Once you complete it, you get a special gift from Fireside. For now, the promo will run until April.

For now, Central Square is the only location where you can get a taste of Fireside’s food. However, Santos said they are scouting for other places to set up other branches in the near future.

Here's what to expect at Fireside.

This fully loaded salad of mushroom, chicken, mango slices, arugula, and quinoa salad with balsamic dressing is surprisingly filling and very healthy.

Fireside’s trademark Red Hot Chili Chicken Fingers inherit the buttermilk golden brown and delicious crunchiness which the original Kettle fried chicken is known for. This one is dressed in red-hot buffalo sauce with a side of chili honey on top of cornbread doughnuts. If you like your tongue burning with spice, this is a must-try.

Speaking of golden brown and delicious, Fireside’s Chicken Fried Steak, deep-fried in buttermilk coating, is a specialty comfort food from the American South.

From the wood-fired grill comes this juicy plate of grilled pork belly basted with lime and chili garlic with tomato slush and a generous portion of herb rice.

If you prefer chicken over pork, then this whole butterflied grilled chicken is recommended with Fireside’s own lime and chili garlic rub.

Slices of jalapeno and a drizzle of chili sauce should be a warning that Fireside’s version of sisig packs a lot of heat.

A squeeze or two of lemon cuts through the indulgently rich crab fat and shrimp pasta. Santos hides the heat with the addition of chili garlic aligue cream in the sauce.

Fireside’s version of pizza has a hearty crunchy crust and is available with a variety of toppings. This one comes with slices of smoked cheese sausage and three types of mushrooms.

For something lighter but no less flavorful, Fireside has the Chicken BLT. This version uses bacon slab instead of strips making this sandwich surprisingly substantial.

If you’re really hungry, check out the massive Boneless US Prime Ribeye topped with onion stringers. The steak comes in a whopping 700gm or a smaller 350gm serving.

Fireside’s dessert menu offers several choices, including this moist chocolate caramel cake. The cake itself is not that sweet but the caramel in between layers nicely balances this out.

The homemade smores is a crowd favorite. Torched marshmallows, homemade graham crackers and a jar of chocolate is a worthy ending to Fireside’s food.

Fireside is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street. Restaurant Hours are from 11am to 11pm every day.