Purple Yam

Purple Yam, in Ditmas Park, takes the Philippines as its culinary starting point on a sail around the Pacific. There are traditional stops, like the crunchy ukoy (shrimp and vegetable fritters), as well as exotic ones, like the Korean-inflected kimchi and scallion pancakes. Though the sotanghon --- glass noodles with vegetables and curry broth --- felt a little underspiced for our tastes, the fried pork belly with pickled papaya, known as lechon kawali, made up for it, tasting like the offspring of fried chicken and bacon.