A Filipino restaurant in Washington, DC, is one of the America’s 10 Best New Restaurants in Bon Appetit’s annual round-up.

Bad Saint, co-owned by Genevieve Villamora and Nick Pimentel, ranked second in the popular food magazine’s Hot Ten list published this month. Bon Appetit’s restaurant editor Andrew Knowlton and senior editor Julia Kramer have been in charge of producing the list for several years now.

Knowlton sampled the ukoy (shrimp fritter) at Bad Saint that was served as “a cantaloupe-size bright orange tangle of fried shredded sweet potato and shrimp.” Using only his hands, he then dipped the ukoy into a sauce of cane vinegar and chilies.

“It was as addictive as a Bloomin’ Onion but 50 times more delicious,” Knowlton wrote. He was referring to the appetizer consisting of a large onion cut to resemble a flower that is dipped in batter and deep-fried.

The 24-seat restaurant doesn’t accept reservations but the wait is worth it.

Filipino-American chef Tom Cunanan’s repertoire includes Adobong Dilaw flavored with turmeric and charred coconut, steamed littleneck clams with Chinese sausage, pork sinigang and the ukoy.

“Our ukoy is really a feat of engineering more than cooking,” Villamora told Bon Appetit. The recipe requires “teasing” the mix back together because “the fritter will blow apart” once it hits the hot oil.

For the sinigang, Cunanan doesn’t limit himself to string beans and taro, augmenting the sour stew with fresh vegetables from the market.

Knowlton loved the food at Bad Saint so much that he canceled the second dinner he had scheduled that night, saying, “I don’t do that.”