The Filipino Food Thread
 

Since moving to sunny, southern Nevada ten years ago; one of my greatest pleasures has been meeting and befriending Filipinos. I work in the healthcare industry, which especially in Las Vegas, is chock full of Filipinos. I found myself dining with my Filipino co-workers, at first, at Thai restaurants.

Eventually, they wooed me into the many Filipino restaurants and I was hooked. At lunch, we generally hit one the many, many restaurants on Maryland Parkway. The food has always been delicious, the portions huge and prices rock-bottom. The only non-fast food restaurant I've tried is Salo-Salo. Quite often, I'm the only non-Filipino dining. I'm especially fond of adobo chicken, but I truly can't remember-don't know the names of most of the foods I've eaten.

Recently, Seafood City opened on Maryland Parkway. Inside the grocery are two new Filipino restaurants: Chow King and Jollibees. On opening day, it took one hour to order and receive our lunch. It seemed that every Filipino, in town, was there.

My Tokyo friend says he knows of only one Filipino restaurant, in Tokyo. Can this be true? Are there Filipino restaurants where you live?

I'm taking you to Elena's in Waipahu, next time you visit, for some ono Filipino grindz! Can't get enough of her lumpia.

Salamat!!!

Not many Filipino restaurants in Chicago, I have dined at a few which I wrote up threads for, I'll have to try and find them.

From the book The Food Lover's Atlas of the World which I received a few years ago while participating in the FT Secret Santa, it states the following for the Phillipines:

Signature dishes:
Lumpia - Filipino version of egg roll
Adobo - dish usually containing chicken, beef or pork, marinated and cooked in seasoned palm vinegar. Some consider adobo the national dish
Asado - meat simmered in soy sauce with onion, tomato, peppercorns, bayleaves
Tamals - banana leaf or corn husk packages filled with rice, coconut milk, ground peanuts, meat, achiote
Lechon - crispy skinned roast suckling pig sometimes served with a sauce made from the liver

Like other Southeast Asians, use of dried fish and fermented fish sauces and pastes to flavor dishes. Rice based cuisine but noodles are important. South Pacific influences here such as yams, taro. Of course Spanish influences such as chorizo, jicama and chocolate.

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No so Jolly about Jollibee's.
 

I ate at Jollibee's in the Philippines a few months ago. I guess you crave what you're familiar with. I had a friend who grew up there, and raved about them, but they were run of the mill hamburger place in my opinion.

I see that balut has not yet made an appearance. And. no, I have never tried it.

For me, one of the draws to Hawai'i is its population of two of my favorite peoples: Japanese and Filipinos. Toss in a New Yorker with a good understanding of what's important, in life, and you've got a great set of islands!^ ...with some ono grindz!^ I have tried balut, and didn't find particularly disgusting or particularly inviting. Lechon is a Filipino food I eat quite often, probably because I can remember the name and it reminds me of Bavaria.

I tried the balut after a few drinks in Boracay. It wasn't that bad but I don't have any interest in having it again. Same goes for the snails.

Some of my favorite Filipino foods:

Adobo - Tasty dish with Spanish roots.
Menuedo - No, not the band.
Taho - Don't know if its a food or a drink but is sure is tasty. I love hearing the vendors scream "TAHOOOOOOO!"
Fried fish - Tilapia or Milkfish are my favorites
Grilled Tuna - Not exclusive to Phils but the best I've had was at a tuna place in Las Pinas.
Lechon - Yummy pork!

I could think of a lot more but those are the first ones that come to mind. I've always been brave when it comes to trying foods from vendors and buying in the wet markets. Many of the nearby restaurants offer "paluto" service, where they will cook your selections for a fee. I love to buy fresh seafood and have it cooked almost on the spot. ^

I'm not a big fan of Jollibee either. In my experience, the food is bland. I think most people consider the chicken better than the burgers. Even at that I'd recommend going to Max's or Kenny Roger's for chicken.

Delivery is the coolest thing about restaurants in Philippines. Almost EVERYONE delivers. You can see these little mopeds zipping through traffic all the time.

Oh, please! Don't even get me started on Kenny Rogers. I think there is a good reason why they are out of the US market (at least in all the states I go to.). Horrible, low quality food.

Max's chicken was okay, but nothing I'd go out of my way for.

I agree, Kenny Roger's sucked in the US market. However, I find it fairly tasty in Phils. The Mall of Asia location is pretty good, as well as the one located in SM Las Pinas.

Max's can be hit or miss. The one in Paranaque has been very good from my experience. I've been to others (like the along Baywalk on Roxas Blvd.) that were just avg. at best.

JT's Manukan is very good. It's grilled, not fried.

Where would you recommend going for chicken in Phils?

Jollibee was the original fast food chain here and this is the only country where another fast food burger joint beats McDonalds in sales. I guess you have to understand the Filipino palate. Everything has to be sickly sweet, sweet, mildly sweet, or have a hint of sweetness. This includes burgers and fried chicken. The Jollibee way of cooking these foods suits the Filipino taste this way.

Just don't try their fried chicken! :(

My choice is any outdoor lechon or BBQ stand. You really can't go wrong.

Growing up in Los Angeles, I only tasted the Filipino cooking of my family and relatives.

When I traveled to the Philippines in February, I found out how sweet the Filipinos like their food. My cousin liked to take us to the Mall of Asia in Manila and all of the various restaurants there all had a sweet take to all their dishes! Not that it was bad, but something different and I learned to appreciate it after out time there.

I did enjoy the Jollibee's fried chicken, we had it in Naga, Bicol. Our favorite place to go was Geewan. Yum!

Yeah, I've noticed that. Even the fries are sweet at some places. I've watched Filipinos cook and have seen tons of sugar added to some of the dishes. I actually like most of the foods because the sweetness doesn't bother me so much. I'm bothered more by dishes with a lot of garlic or ginger.

I've tried the Jollibee fried chicken with ketchup. I like it better that way even thought the ketchup has a hint of sweetness, too.

One of my fondest memories of my two years in the Philippines is the balut guy walking the neighborhood in East Bahak-Bahak early in the morning singing "Balut! Balut!". I've had them more than once, but I'm glad I can say I've already done that....

Pancit Bihon with some lumpia on the side, washed down with a cold San Miguel (the kind with the white paint on the bottle, not the paper label)...heavenly! ^

London
 

I used to work near this place for a while:

"Josephine's Restaurant" 4 Charlotte Street, W1T 2LP

I remember eating something that was translated as 'milk fish' and enjoyed it very much. Next time you come to London we should go there!

I can't say I've ever eaten in a filipino restaurant.

But when I lived in Hawaii, I worked for the Navy Exchange, which like the health care field in S. Nevada, is chock full of filipinos. That was where I came to the realization that white people just don't know how to potluck. ;)

I like adobo, but pork guisantes............mmmmmmmm!!

This is imperative!!!! I was at a market yesterday in PHX (Chandler to be exact) and almost bought the paper label one.....a big mistake. On rare occasions Trader Joe's (in S. California at least) has the original ("white paint on the bottle") which is when I stock up.

Let me guess: Karaoke machines made their way to the potlucks!^

I always stock up on beer when I'm in Phillipines. The painted bottle is the San Mig Pale Pilsen. It's the beer of choice for many in the Phils. It's also popular in Hong Kong and can be found throughout SE Asia. In addition to San Mig I like Red Horse. It's a bit strong but ok after you get past the first few gulps. Goes great with Happy Peanuts or Besuto Prawn Crackers!!! ^

Beer na Beer is ok. I've only had it in the can. It's more of a local product. Don't think I've ever seen it outside of Phils.

Anyone familiar with Ding Dong Mixed Nuts? Thats one of my favorite snack foods from Phils.

Now you are talking! ;)

http://redhorsebeer.com/images/beer-bottles-330ml.gif


Yes they are just ordinary roasted peanuts with some dried peas and corn mixed in. Sold at your local sari-sari store here.

Yes, the sari-saris, I love those little stores. Some of my Filipino friends have a nice little sari-sari. They own an apartment building and remodeled a tiny unit in the entrance area to become a store. They sell all the typical stuff like rice, drinks, and little packs of serving sized stuff.

I love it when customers come calling and say "Pa bili po." :)

This, and your reference to Ding Dongs are hilarious :D

Last year, when the fares to MNL were crazy cheap I spent a weekend in Makati and came back with my hand carry full of Ding Dongs for my Aunt :D

I have never really been on a Filipino restaurant either here in the US although I have been to Goldilocks in downtown Vancouver B.C. Anyways, I was walking along Chestnut in downtown Philadelphia last month and remember seeing a restaurant called Cebu. It was closed at that time and was wondering if anybody has tried the place.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who brings back bags full of Ding Dongs and Happy Nuts. On my last trip, I filled a 61 linear inch bag with Ding Dongs, Happy Peanuts, Dried Mangoes, San Mig and Tanduay Rum. Even after giving some of the nuts as "pasalubong" I still have quite a few for myself.

The Taho, well, what can I say. The stuff is tasty! I've actually gotten to know a Taho vendor during my trips to Manila. He comes from a family comprised of 7 brothers, all of whom sell taho. (no kidding!) They mainly work in the villages around Paranaque. The guy I know has had the same route for 20 years or more and has says hes never missed a day making his rounds. From what I understand, its a big deal for one vendor to go onto another's territory. I think it's cool they have their turfs and stuff, just hope a "taho war" never breaks out.....

I went to Jollibee's for the first time last month in SFO. My asian friends took me there and I just couldn't believe that's a filipino joint. The chicken was pretty good but I tend to like their "palabok" dish more :)

Dried Filipino mangoes...

One of the very most delicious snack foods on the planet.

Drooool...

(A good Filipino brand bag of dried mangoes will make the kind you get at supermarkets and health food stores taste like a bunch of dried twigs and autumn leaves)

Just remembered - we found a HUGE 1kg bag in the village of Haliburton, Ontario at Christmas (we've only seen small packets in London) and caned them. They lasted 3 days tops.

No doubt about that. They are cheap, too. IMHO, I think the dried ones are even better than fresh Philippines mangoes.

When I was in high school, I tried to impress my Filipino boyfriend with my l33t cooking skillz and made lumpia (including the wrappers) from scratch. He commented that he was hoping I'd cooked something else as he could get Filipino food at home all the time.

Men :D

Aye Naku Gutom Ako!
 

All this talk of Filipino food is making me hungry! Dried mangoes, hopia, ensaymada, pan-de-sal, chicharon ... I'm starving!!!! :D I'm surprised no one has mentioned wanting dinuguan!!! Other than getting it homecooked, there's no good Filipino place here in Houston. Wish they'd bring back the Goldilocks back to town!!!

I know one southern Nevadan who would be very appreciative of homemade Bicol Express!

Roosevelt Ave area in Flushing, NY has some good Filipino restaurants.

I loved the food at Perlas ng Silangan. http://www.perlasnewyork.com/default.htm

I would love info on Filipino restaurants in St Paul.

My buddies got me hooked on Lechon and Halo Halo at Pinoy Pinay in Cerritos, CA. I think they have one in LAS too.

It's quite easy to get hooked on lechon. It might not be the healthiest food in the world but it's one of the tastiest, IMHO. :)

For sometime I was hooked on Red Horse and Sizzling Sisig.

Can someone confirm if Bagoong is some type of anchovy?

I think it depends on the type of bagoong. I'll look in my fridge tonight and confirm/deny.

I see.....

milk fish = bangus in tagalog

a very mild whitefish often eaten for breakfast

bagoong = fermented dried shrimp paste


Would anyone have SF area filipino food recommendations? I only know of a great ihaw ihaw place in Daly City called, appropriately enough, Fil-Am Cuisine. Probably the best pork liempo I've had outside of Phils...

My old-school favorite (for pork sinigang and the silog dishes) is Sinugba on Gellert Blvd. in Daly City.

Also, there have been a group of restaurants popping up lately on the Peninsula that have a modern flair to them. What I mean by that is the upscale decor and menu are not unlike what one would encounter in someplace like Greenbelt Mall in Makati. The result is good quality food that attempts to reach out to the non-Filipino clientele (a good thing).

A few that I've tried include:
- Patio Filipino - http://patiofilipino.com (my personal favorite of the batch)
- Tribu Grill - http://tribugrill.com
- Kuya's - http://www.kuyas-ac.com
- Bistro Luneta - http://www.bistroluneta.com

Unfortunately, I'd be hard-pressed to recommend a good one in the South Bay. Most of them are the buffet/steam table type that aren't that good (Goldilocks inlcuded).

Austin places
 

I found the restaurants in AUS interesting:

Mang Dedoy's - on Anderson Mill in North Austin in a small strip mall. I called ahead to find out their hours for dinner. What they did that evening was take phone orders, and it would be ready by the time I arrived to sit down at eat. I tell you, eating a freshly cooked bangus and chicken adobo was a treat on this biz trip ;)

Gammad - on Parmer and MoPac, across the street from Fry's Electronics. This place was truly a mom-pop place, the store front being the front of their house, the kids doing their homework at one of the tables. It was the usual steam trays, though they also cook stuff on request.

Jegimajo, http://www.jegimajo.net - on E. Oltorf in South Austin. Steam-tray style place with a mini-grocery store. Haven't eaten here; but it's the closest place to the office to get pearl teas and shakes. Different tropical flavors like ube, pandan, langka, or avocado. The drinks themselves are a little sweet for my taste, so I've taken to asking for more crushed ice.