Fishpond is almost like the bar in "Cheers." If the show had been set in Manila, and Sam Malone served pinkabet instead of pilsner as the regulars chatted in Tagalog, the comparison would be nearly perfect.

Filipino-born owner Albert Roman established this tucked-away haunt as a casual gathering place where members of the Filipino community mingle with their Uptown neighbors over tea and chicken tinola.

Regulars and carry-out patrons lounge in a bare, crimson dining room, with pairs of lipstick-colored tables and chairs interrupting the otherwise empty space. There's little privacy and even less scenery until you pass the giant, lacquered marlin over the buffet, its spear pointing to a rear banquet room that houses the bar and television and hosts after-dinner karaoke.

The extensive menu of traditional Filipino offerings has a wide range of breakfast, lunch and dinner options for meat and fish lovers; herbivores will have to search a little harder for vegetarian fare like the tortang talong eggplant omelette. Several dishes, like the pork delicacy dinuguan, lack detailed descriptions, but a quick briefing from Fishpond's friendly and knowledgeable servers will help you make your choice.

For a more independent experience, Fishpond has a twice-weekly dinner buffet and a brunch buffet on weekends, allowing you to pick from the most popular dinner and dessert items. For $9.95, you can try fourteen different dishes, from the robust, broiled milkfish to the creamy sauteed beans and squash cooked in coconut milk. The meats are dry on their own, giving you an easy excuse to load on another spoonful of adobo or kare-kare peanut sauce. On non-buffet days, the crisp, buttery, Filipino-style chicken is enough for two people, and at $5.95 leaves even the most budget-minded diner enough left over for the caramel-tinged leche flan or a mango cocktail.

Centerstage Reviewer: Kim Bellware