As compared to the smaller stalls in Lucky Plaza - which, I understand do serve authentic Filipino cuisine - this classy restaurant offered a buffet or ala carte option. It boosted good service and an elegant, quiet ambience that was suitable for families, dates or friends. I had brought a Filipino couple there for a thank-you lunch; they were my friends-turned-clients when I was in the financial services industry. Once seated, we were poring over the menus and I asked them to feel free to recommend some nice dishes since I have never tried Filipino food before.
The first dish that we had was the Pork Adobo - a dish of tender, marinated pork that was braised in a tangy, flavorful sauce. It was soft and literally melted in the mouth. I loved it at first bite and helped myself to a huge piece even though I usually refrain from fatty meats. Actually, it did taste somewhat like Chinese braised pork, truth be told; except perhaps a little more salty? I enjoyed this dish tremendously nonetheless. The Adabo dish is also known as Adobong Baboy, and comes in Chicken or Beef too, for those who are not fans of pork.
The next delicacy we selected was the Bicol Express - another delicious dish in which the pork is stewed in coconut milk, shrimp paste and lots of chilli / peppers. I did not find it spicy even though it was supposed to be one of their spiciest dishes - probably because I love spicy food and even dared eat chilli padi on its own before. The texture of the pork here is not as tender, but coupled with the gravy it was stewed in, my tongue was bursting with flavors - sweetness of coconut milk, saltiness of the shrimp paste and spiciness of the chilli / peppers. I had to admit that the Bicol Express was another awesome recommendation by my Filipino friends.
We were served the Kare-kare next. It is an oxtail stewed in a peanut sauce along with string beans and eggplants etc. I had thought it would taste like our Chinese curry because of the name and how this dish looked. It tasted rather different - a wonderful concoction between sweet and savory flavors. The oxtail was tender and succulent and well-complemented by the thick gravy. I was thankful for the vegetables found in this dish as I had realized that the rest of our lunch all contained meat only. This dish may also be known as Kaldereta.
Unfortunately I do not know the name of this dish (the receipts have long since been discarded too). I kept having the impression this was Lumpia Shanghai, because I recall one of the dishes contained a name with "Shanghai" in it. However, when I conducted a Google search on "Lumpia Shanghai" I got images and descriptions of spring rolls, which look nothing like this dish in my photo herein. This is definitely a beef dish. I have been trying to search for its name but in vain. I do not even remember its taste by now, unfortunately. Could it be Mechado or Sinigang by any chance? Or another Kaldereta dish?
Anyway, we finished the meal with complement of rice. I think the rice was rather essential because the dishes were all very flavorful; it would have been deemed a tad salty if not for the rice to balance the taste. It was a very satisfying meal overall. The total bill for three of us came us to less than SGD$100.00. There was even a sizable chunk leftover for my friends-cum-clients to pack home (anyway they had informed me that Filipinos liked to "tabao", meaning, pack home, at the beginning of the meal when we were placing our orders).
I went back there one more time for dinner, bringing my then-boyfriend to try this delicious discovery of Filipino food. He had enjoyed it too. A pity that this restaurant has to close down...
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