The little authentic Filipino kitchen was begun with a family and chef pairing their knowledge and passion for providing both authentic and healthy Filipino food to the community. The first year of business was filled with the creation of a menu, the chef deciding to move from this business, the family's mother quitting her job as a nurse to take the place of the cook in the kitchen, and then gradually perfecting a small menu. This has been a labor of love for the entire family. One of the sons, Matthew, now is the primary server in the restaurant and he exudes passion and knowledge of each dish that is served, willingly providing a thorough explanation of any proposed question.
Pancit
This dish can be served in several different bases, the rice noodles being what I selected and also as the most traditional. A mild vinegar and salt was the flavor on the noodles, almost too gentle for me to detect. Matthew explained that many restaurants cook this heavily in soy sauce, but they allow their patrons to add soy to taste, keeping it healthier in the form that it is served to the table. It is garnished with lemon wedges to squeeze on it as well. The light sauce allowed for the cooked vegetables to be tasted to add that flavor. This was too plain in taste for my palate, overall unremarkable for me, but I thoroughly appreciated that it was healthy and could be seasoned to taste.
Bangus
Fish was flavored in vinegar and lightly fried to allow a crispness to it that was then dipped into a vinegar served on the side to add posture back to it. Garlic was also provided as a fried garnish along with garlic rice. The fish was a meaty texture rather than being a soft white fish. I enjoyed the variation of flavors played between the vinegar and garlic. Also, the crispiness of the fish was decidedly necessary since the other textures on the plate were all smooth without other contrasting textures.
BiloBilo
This dessert is a warm sweet soup. They do not always serve it during the hottest months of the year, but I was lucky enough to try it when I was there. It was pleasantly and gently sweet, and was certainly a comforting dish with a lot of texture due to the pearls of tapioca floating in the coconut milk, but with the interesting mix of jackfruit, sweet potatoes, and bananas. A lovely finish to the meal without feeling sickly rich, as desserts can be at times.
What a memorable experience due to the nature of being family run with meals served from the heart. My favorite thing was that it felt like I was being welcomed into the family, just getting a little table in a large room instead of right in the kitchen as the dishes were being made by Matthew's mother.
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