Flickr Shot by GirlyChimp
I’ve only eaten at a Filipino restaurant in L.A. once. And it was only one time because, of course, the food paled in comparison to my mom’s home cooking. But then when I think about it, I don’t know of any Filipino restaurants in the area. And I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Filipinotown in L.A. until I googled it. (FYI, it’s located west of downtown and bordered by Hoover Street, the 101 Freeway, Glendale Boulevard and Beverly Boulevard.)
So I was really excited to see that Pleasure Palate is doing an event at a downtown Filipino restaurant called Asian Noodles. Pleasure Palate is always throwing events such as this to help expand food fans’ horizons.
From the looks of the menu, PP will also be expanding my horizons as there are a couple of items that I’m not familiar with. (Hmm, I guess Mom was holding back.) At least there’s no dinuguan–blood stew. Ack!
So if you’re sick of Thai and over Vietnamese, this would be the event to check out. Kain na! (Let’s eat.)
For $25, including tax and gratuity, you will get the following:
Lumpia Shanghai: fried egg roll with ground pork, carrots & water chestnuts
Sinigang Soup with Shrimp: a sour soup with shrimp and vegetables
Pansit Palabok: noodle dish with shrimp, eggs, finely crushed pork rinds
Stuffed Eggplant Omelet: egg-battered deep-fried whole eggplants stuffed with ground pork and raisins
Kare-Kare: a stew of ox tail with vegetables cooked in peanut sauce
Chicken Adobo: chicken cooked in vinegar and soy sauce
Lechon Kawali: pan-fried roast pork
Pinakbet: vegetable and pork dish cooked with shrimp paste
Beef Tapa: cured beef in garlic and vinegar and fried with onions
Fried Bananas with Ice Cream
I’m looking forward to the lumpia, pansit and chicken adobo, but am kinda sad they didn’t pick a different Filipino dessert other than fried bananas with ice cream. Especially since there are so many tastier options.
EVENT: Wednesday, May 24 at 7:30pm
Asian Noodles
643 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, California
Info: abby@pleasurepalate.com
IMPORTANT NOTE FROM PLEASURE PALATE: You cannot just show up for this dinner. Payment needs to be collected and a head count has to be finalized prior to May 22.
I haven’t had much Filipino food so I can’t say with authority what is “good,” but there’s a small Filipino place in West LA called Kabahayan. I wrote a review on it here.
Thanks for the Filipino food primer, I learned something new!
If there were ever a reason to give up vegetarianism (besides Roscoe’s), it’d be chicken adobo. That’s some damn fine comfort food. I’ve tried it with eggplant and it just isn’t the same…
Kathryn, I know the place you’re talking about but I guess they changed the name. I think it used to be called Bahay Natin or something. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the heads-up.
Jennifer, come back to the dark side. ;)
Hey Caroline. Thanks for all the great tips you always give on this site:)
I am half-filipino. I dont know why that’s revelant, but I think that Max’s in Glendale (across the street from the Macy’s @ the Galleria) has to be the best in Filipino dining. What’s funy, to me, is that the Max’s here is far better than any of the Max’s of Manila actually in Manila. The fried chicken and banana ketchup sauce is UNBELIEVABLE.
Alex, Thanks for the tip. Maybe I’ll be adventurous and check out Glendale and Max’s this weekend.
What sucks is that they only have valet parking. Make sure to park in the Galleria’s Macy’s parking lot, just to not get ripped off, or whatever.
It can get a bit pricey, so bring a couple of people to make sure that you dont pay a lot just to be able to try all of the delicious treats you want.
Don’t forget the halo halo:)
Hey my mom is filipina as well, and I swear Caroline, you make me want to fly out to California and try this cuisine ASAP! My mom doesn’t cook anymore, but I wish she did so I can get just a sampling of her culture. Im jealous you have this so close to you :(
Gridskipper: “Caroline on Crack alerts us to the upcoming Filipino sampler dinner at downtown LA’s Asian Noodles. For $25 inclusive, you get a 10-item dinner tour of Filipino favorites, wrapping up with fried bananas and ice cream.”
I am soooo excited for tonight.
I look forward to:
Julfran
Adobo
Sinagang
Pancit
Halo Halo
Lechon
…and, believe it or not, bago’ong (sp?)
That’s the thing, they don’t have halo halo for tonight. I love that stuff! We have to find out where they make it! As for bagoong, yer on your own there, my friend. Eek!
Has anybody tried Salo Salo Grill in Glendale? They are the best… with more selections, place is so classy, prices are very reasonable, portions are humongous, I was there last week and I am a fan of Filipino food, nothing like this one.
Glendale? Bah! Why are all the Filipino restaurants so far away? OK, done whining.
Is there a “Goldilocks” in S. Cal? We have ‘em here in N. Cal and Jollibee as well. Goldi has the best spaghetti serve w/ a warm fresh bun. You guys should try “Chicharon Bulaklak”. Ofcourse its not for the faint of heart. If you consider yourself an adventurous eater, try Bopis and Chich. Bul., I swear to you, you will love it. Just make sure you check your blood pressure within a week.
Yes, there are multiple Goldilock’s in Southern California. There is one in Eagle Rock, Cerritos, Panorama City, and West Covina. And yes, there are multiple Jollibee’s: Carson, Cerritos, LA (Beverly/Vermont), Eagle Rock, West Covina, and they’re building one in Panorama City.
Caroline, where in LA do you live?
In West L.A. so if anyone knows of any good Filipino food around that area, do tell!
Salo Salo? tried the cerritos one and that restaurant needs lots of air freshener, we could not stand the smell… so we did not enjoy the food.