MANILA – The hugely popular American seafood restaurant chain Red Lobster is finally open in Manila.

And just like its other branches, the country’s first Red Lobster offers what it is best known for: Maine lobsters.

Located at the ground floor of S Maison at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City, the restaurant has its own tank displaying the live lobsters. According to Red Lobster’s director for Asia operations Catherine Souders, they work with a local supplier that ships the live lobsters from North America.

“We’re actually partnering with a local supplier who’s already importing North American lobsters into the Philippines. So we’ve leveraged their existing supply chain to bring live lobsters reliably and consistently. The supplier we’re working with is a Filipino company and so we’re able to not only able to ensure that we have really a great supply chain, but we are also supporting other local businesses at the same time,” she said during the media preview.

Aside from lobsters, the Manila branch also offers Alaskan snow crab legs from Alaska as well as grouper, sword fish, shrimps, barramundi, cod, and more.

Red Lobster was founded in 1968 in Lakeland, Florida as a family-owned restaurant and now has more than 745 restaurants in 11 countries.

Restaurant operator The Bistro Group is responsible for bringing the brand to the Philippines after years of negotiation.

“As an organization that has global reach, we know who the key players are in every market. We have seen Bistro over the last few years, and the time was eventually right for Red Lobster to enter the Philippines. We looked at who operates restaurants in the market, and we were just so impressed with the level of execution that Bistro has. They have an incredible portfolio and we visited Manila to really look at how they operate the other restaurants, and we are really impressed with their operations,” Souders said.

The Manila branch has an extensive menu with dishes replicated from the original American selection. Souders recommended the Cheddar Bay Biscuits, a pastry item that has a cult following in the US.

Another is the Seafood Feast Platter which features the best seafood the restaurant can offer—steamed Maine lobster tail, steamed Alaskan snow crab legs, and shrimp scampi served with a side of fries, wild rice, vegetables, and butter.

“I would say we have a really good range of fresh fish in the restaurant. We’re in an island nation where fresh fish is widely available, and we want our fresh fish program to reflect the species you are familiar with and people crave. We just prepare them in ways that are really reflective of Red Lobster, marrying the east and the west together in one plate,” Souders shared.

Other must-try menu items include the Seaside Nachos (nacho chips topped with cheese sauce, shrimps, crab sticks, bonito flakes, nori, and chives), Langostino Tail Pizza (langostino tail, fresh tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and Parmesan), Bar Harbor Seafood Bake (spaghetti in garlic butter sauce with mussels, scallops, squid, and shrimps), Blackened Barramundi (with snow peas, roasted potatoes, and beurre blanc sauce), and Cod New Orleans (blackened cod and shrimps in Cajun butter sauce, served with pico de gallo and mashed potato).

The restaurant also offers various hand-crafted drinks like Triple Berry Iced Tea, Strawberry Banana Iced Tea, and Passion Fruit Lemonade. They likewise serve cocktails, wine, and other alcoholic drinks.

“Yes, we’re very excited to be here. We flew in about a week ago with a training team from the United States, and then I came from Shanghai to support the opening. We’re really excited to bring Red Lobster to Manila,” Souders said.