Isla Pilipina-- I still don't get Filipino food

A while back I posted at some other dang food board, or sent out on the list-serve, or something a post about a Filipino restaurant called Kawali at Kaldero. In it I said that Filipino food still mystified me-- it didn't offer a clear definition of what its key flavors, techniques, anything were, the way Thai or Indian, say, do.

That got me a royal reaming from RST, who is Filipino-American not to mention Opinionated-American. He has a good point, that it's dumb to expect cuisines of other cultures to package themselves neatly for my lazy white American ass. But, I just had Filipino again, and all I can say is-- I still don't have a clear definition of what its key flavors, techniques, anything are, the way I do for Thai or Indian.

The restaurant was actually spotted by Shannon Clark on Lawrence, in a strip mall not far from the Penguin, where Korean, Greek, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Argentinean and now, evidently, Filipino nestle side by side. (So many mysterious, promising places-- I saw a shop called Batikbayul, a perfect name for a store from somewhere deep in the former Soviet Union. I wonder what it might have?) It's called Isla Pilipina, and like Kawali (which it's not that far from), it offered an absurdly cheap lunchtime buffet of stews and white rice.



I chatted up the owner, trying to find out what the stews were. He pretty much pushed me toward the chicken curry and the pancit noodles, as the most American friendly, and some chicken soup, but I pushed him a little on a grayish mess in one pan and he finally gave me some gratis-- a fish and jackfruit stew in coconut milk.

So how was it? Like native food, not polished cuisine. The curry was okay, entirely edible but far less interesting than Indian or Thai curries. The pancit noodles were probably the best thing, a strong almost smoky taste like buckwheat or barley flour, though that could have just been that they were fried or something. The chicken soup was homemade chicken soup, nice but nothing unusual. The jackfruit thing was the most interesting, not quite good, didn't come together in the beautiful way that Thai dishes do, but coconut milk, strongish fish and a slightly sweetish starchy fruit-- interesting.

All told, though, I still can't help but feel that this is food that no one else besides Filipinos is missing badly. The flavor choices seem limited, and the combinations seem less than completely inspired as a result. I expect to get slammed for saying that again, but... I'm still waiting for the Filipino dish that shows me how misguided I am.

Isla Pilipina
2501 W. Lawrence
773-271-2988

My few experiences with filipino food have also been entirely forgettable, but I also was no fan of cuban food until a wonderful trip to Tampa last fall. I suspect most filipino places are merely aiming to serve a simple taste of home, not great food. We just have not found the good ones, and I have not really looked that hard.

d

Which really begs the question - within reason, where does one have to go to have great filipino food?

(Hey Dickson, did you notice that little edit button? Next time if you have an extra thought after posting, you can just go back and add it to the post. Not that there's any reason you can't also post twice in a row, but I just point that out cuz it's a new feature.)

Maybe there's a great Filipino place, but I feel the same way-- it's homey food, and the ingredients they have to play with just didn't win the flavor jackpot the way the Thais got lemongrass and basil and fish sauce or the Indians got curry and so on. Hopefully RST will start posting and tell me what a clod I am and how wonderful this or that is, but like you, I just haven't run across it myself yet.

(Hey Dickson, did you notice that little edit button? Next time if you have an extra thought after posting, you can just go back and add it to the post. Not that there's any reason you can't also post twice in a row, but I just point that out cuz it's a new feature.)

yes, and thanks for the pointer anyway. always happy to get educated.

we should ask RST to set us up with a great filipino meal, don't you think? not sure the best way to approach him, since he seems to be in a retreat right now.

Batikbayul (sp?) is a Filipino store, I believe, if it's the place on Lawrence that I'm thinking of. (North side of the street, near the Penquin)

Anyone looking for a more "refined" version of Filipino and finds themselves in the western suburbs might enjoy Cebu or Jockey in Downer's. Cebu is a nice place, with a bit fancier food, but still solidly Filipino. I like it. Jockey is the Hong Kong restaurant on Cass near several Indian spots. (Good congee and other "off the menu" items.) They have a good kitchen and a fairly extensive Filipino menu. There are many Filipino Americans in the area who eat at these spots.

Jeff, you are good and so kind to mention places in the hood, here. I forgot about Cebu, though I had wanted to try it. Sounds like a likely lunch outing.

JeffB wrote:Batikbayul (sp?) is a Filipino store, I believe, if it's the place on Lawrence that I'm thinking of. (North side of the street, near the Penquin)

I think that's Balikbayan - i got some rice there once...

Mike G wrote:It's called Isla Pilipina

Mr. G,

Previously known as Mike's Fried Chicken, which ReneG picked, at random, from the yellow pages. Mike's featured the special fried chicken, which is a whole marinated chicken deep fried and served with white rice and bottled, but tasty, chili sauce for chicken.

Isla P still has, at least the last time I was there, whole marinated, and absolutely delicious, fried chicken, but they also, as you noted, have a steam table, which includes fried chicken pieces. The steam table chicken pieces are not what I am talking about.

The Mike's/special whole fried chicken takes 20+ minutes to make and you must order a whole chicken. Well worth the wait.


Isla also has Filipino style deep fried pork hock and delicious looking Halo Halo drinks.


By the way Mr. G, your pictures are very enjoyable.

Enjoy,
Gary

I came across this thread while searching for something else. I felt the need to reply, being of filipino decent.

G Wiv:

I guess the way I would describe filipino food would be a cross between spanish and mandarin chinese cooking. Philippines has both a Spanish and Chinese/Malay history that it found it's way to be represented in our native foods.

The "Trinity," if you will, of filipino cooking includes: soy sauce, fresh garlic, and fresh onions.

Our foods are not spicy with heat like that of Thai or Indian...
Our foods are not focused so much on presentation like that of Japanese...
Our foods are not like any other...

Some of our well known native dishes (which seem to be American friendly) are:

- Pork/Chicken Adobo (similar to the latin style, hence our spanish influences)

- Pancit (the rice noodles you had, flavored with water, soy sauce, garlic, onions, black pepper and an array of veggies and meats like chicken, beef or pork)

- Lumpia (our version of a fried eggroll, commonly filled with carrots, chick peas, bean sprouts, ground beef, green beans)

- Lechon (yep...roasted pig, just like our latin cousins)

- Chop Soy (our version of Chinese Chop Suey)

- Menudo (a mix of various meats & veggies simmed in soy sauce and tomato sauce)

- Sinigang (a sweet & sour stew made with beef or pork, flavored with tamarind)

The list goes on and on....and even with this small sampling of various native dishes, one can see how it combines both spanish and chinese dishes.

As for really good places to savor filipino cuisine, I can suggest Filipiana Restaurant in Niles, off Golf Road. Sadly, there have been a few restaurants scattered here and there but the quality hasn't been very good or they just couldn't keep the doors open.

Here are some other filipino places within the city, however some may no longer be in business...

- Filipiniana Restaurant (847) 298-9332 9060 W Golf Rd Niles, IL 60714
- Barrio Fiesta - 3316 N. Central Ave., Chicago, IL 60635, (312) 282-0885
- Bistro Oriental W. Irving Park Rd. -
- Pampanga Restaurant (773) 763-1781 6407 N Caldwell Ave (Near intersection of N Algonquin Ave and N Caldwell Ave)
- Little Quiapo - 4423 N. Clark St. and Montrose just north of the cemetery
- The Fishpond - opposite Little Quiapo near Clark and Montrose.
- Hon Kee Restaurant in Argyle St. - this is not a Filipino restaurant but serves food that caters to the Filipino palate
- Rambutan - on Belmont and at Milwaukee.
- Sun Wah BBQ in Argyle - serves lechon
- Ma Mon Luk, and Merlyn's on Irving Park Rd. just north of Southport
- Le Saigon de Manila 8211 W. Golf Road. Niles, IL Phone. (847) 663-8323

mandarin chinese cooking

It is my understanding the majority of the Chinese who populate the Philippines is from Fuzhou, whose cuisine is not Mandarin. It doesn't mean your wrong about the Mandarin, but it seems strange if most of the Chinese are coming from the seaport of Fuzhou. Chinese from Fuzhou are also the principle population in Taiwan as well.

Regards,

great point Cathy - I didn't know the specifics of what region of China most Chinese/Filipinos were from!... Main point was that the Chinese had a great influence on filipino cuisine, whether it be mandarin, taiwan, or wherever in China...

Thanks for sharing that tidbit of trivia!

I grew up in Pampanga Philippines where women are known for great cooks. I have tasted great dishes and desserts from my grandmothers and aunts. Of course I must include my mother who's not from the same region. Filipino food is influenced by the neighboring countries and cultures and also Spain. Therefore in the Philippines, you'll find a variety of tastes. Many cooks will apply their imagination and technique to create dishes using special ingredients that may not be economical to most of the population. In the restaurants, you can find chefs for banquets and specialty cooking, which differ from typical home cooking.

Over here, most of the restaurant operators tend to prepare family style meal. Also, many are not professional cooks. As I know, some the the chinese restaurants do hire professional cooks from Hong Kong or Chinatowns from New York or San Francisco.

So far, I have not found a favorite one here. If anyone has a good suggestion, I am ready for a taste testing.

I'm far from an expert on Filipino food, but what stands out for me are the uses of ingredients and flavors in ways completely different from their Western uses, particularly in desserts: Sweetened avocado ... beans on sundaes ... ice cream studded with chunks of yellow cheese ... those candies made from sugared egg yolk....

Then there are dishes that imply nothing ever left to go to waste: balut, dinuguan, etc., and strongly flavored, seafood-based condiments.

Plus, of course, lots of seafood and tropical fruits, indicative of an island cuisine.

Yet another filipina to respond to this post! Yup we're the type of culture that if you ask questions we'll give you more than enough info to divulge into. Maybe this little excerpt might help:

Source: http://asiarecipe.com/phifood.html
Philippine Culture
What is Filipino Food?

By Doreen Fernandez

(Excerpted from The Food of the Philippines: Authentic Recipes from the Pearl of the Orient. Text and recipes by Reynaldo G. Alejandro. Introductory articles by Doreen G. Fernandez, Corazon S. Alvina, and Millie Reyes.)

The Philippines country culture starts in a tropical climate divided into rainy and dry seasons and an archipelago with 7,000 islands.These isles contain the Cordillera mountains; Luzon’s central plains; Palawan’s coral reefs; seas touching the world’s longest discontinuous coastline; and a multitude of lakes, rivers, springs, and brooks.

The population—120 different ethnic groups and the mainstream communities of Tagalog/Ilocano/Pampango/Pangasinan and Visayan lowlanders—worked within a gentle but lush environment. In it they shaped their own lifeways: building houses, weaving cloth, telling and writing stories, ornamenting and decorating, preparing food.

The Chinese who came to trade sometimes stayed on. Perhaps they cooked the noodles of home; certainly they used local condiments; surely they taught their Filipino wives their dishes, and thus Filipino-Chinese food came to be. The names identify them: pansit (Hokkien for something quickly cooked) are noodles; lumpia are vegetables rolled in edible wrappers; siopao are steamed, filled buns; siomai are dumplings.

All, of course, came to be indigenized—Filipinized by the ingredients and by local tastes...

As a Navy Brat that spent three years in the Philippines, I can't say enough of how amazing the cuisine is. The markets, the produce, seafood...just thinking about it gets me psyched! I can't wait to try some of the above restaurants.

ChefGEB

I'm pretty sure that Rambutan and Little Quiapo have closed.

Cebu out in Downer's Grove is well worth a visit.

Regards,

Although it is not a restaurant, another option when considering a sampling of Filipino cuisine is Unimart on Dempster just west of Caldwell in Niles. It is a grocery store with a hot buffet in back. You can get most anything there including lechon, fried dried fish (my favorite), lumpia and pancit.

Mr. T. wrote:Although it is not a restaurant, another option when considering a sampling of Filipino cuisine is Unimart on Dempster just west of Caldwell in Niles. It is a grocery store with a hot buffet in back. You can get most anything there including lechon, fried dried fish (my favorite), lumpia and pancit.

There is another Unimart/Baker's Delight in the city. It's on Clark, just south of Ridge.

I've sampled the prepared foods once. I got the lechon, pancit, adobo (I think?), and a couple of the sausages. The lechon was great & I love any kind of fatty pork. I wasn't crazy about the sauce that's served with it. It had a really weird/interesting/unexpected taste. I couldn't place the flavors. I think I was expecting very specific flavor & I was taken by surprise. I did wish the pork was a little saltier though, but that's just me.

The pancit was satisfying. Very comfort-foody. I think that this version may have suffered a bit though from sitting around a bit. It kind of reminded me of chap chae, great when it's freshly made but just ok when sitting around or reheated, even though it's often served that way.

The adobo looked great but I think I was expecting a little more aggresiveness on the seasoning here. Still very good, though.

The sausages were my favorite of all the things I got. They were served in a slighlty sweet sauce & tey were perfect with a pile of steamed rice.

I've been back a few times to pick up ingredients - they have raw pork belly - as they have a good selection for a small space. There were more prepared items I wanted to try as well.

The sauce is made from pork liver. It's an acquired taste. Yet another Uni Mart with a big "deli" is on 75th near I355 in the Western 'burbs.

foodie1 wrote:Some of our well known native dishes.

- Lumpia (our version of a fried eggroll, commonly filled with carrots, chick peas, bean sprouts, ground beef, green beans)

- Lechon (yep...roasted pig, just like our latin cousins)
(snip)
Here are some other filipino places within the city, however some may no longer be in business...

- Hon Kee Restaurant in Argyle St.
- Sun Wah BBQ in Argyle - serves lechon

i find this illogical. how can you list Hon Kee/Sun Wah as 'filipino places' within the city when there's ZERO indication from the menu/food/cuisine etc. that suggests the places are Filipino? Sun Wah doesn't serve 'lechon', they serve Chinese roasted pig. I see lotsa filipinos eating at Tank and pho777, do they become 'Filipino' restaurants as well?

it just so happens thru cultural transfusion (or whatever one wants to call it, see above 10 reply), the same thing is eaten by both cultures/countries with, and i assume, the chinese being originators. ditto to lumpia... how's that any d'frent than a 'chinese' fried egg roll served say.. at Seven Treasures? how is it "native filipino"?

i consider the steam fish w/ mayo pretty darn authentically filipino... then again, it made me gag both times while I was in Manila so...

am i the only person confused?

JeffB wrote:The sauce is made from pork liver. It's an acquired taste. Yet another Uni Mart with a big "deli" is on 75th near I355 in the Western 'burbs.

Pork liver? Never would've guessed!

LAZ wrote:I'm pretty sure that Rambutan and Little Quiapo have closed.

I can confirm that Rambutan is closed, as I was recently given the opportunity to take a two-part class in Filipino cooking (last Tuesday and tomorrow) taught by the former chef.

It's an amazing bit concomitance, of the sort this board so often provides, that this thread is revived betwixt my sessions.

Not that I've particularly enjoyed it, but FWIW I have had chicharon and strictly Filipino liver sauce at Sun Wah. At one time at least the menu specified the Filipino items. In the 'burbs some of the Chinese places have an additional secret Filipino menu. The Hong Kong place Jockey in Downer's is an example.

Maybe the only truly Filipino things at Sun Wah are botles of liver sauce bagoong from the UniMart, but they do seem to offer certain things as Filipino items. (Or they did last year.)

When I lived in Ravenswood, I used to get a carryout dish from a Chinese restaurant near the Montrose El called pancit guisado. It was loaded with rice noodles, curry, seafood and veggies and out of this world! I am half-Japanese and we like our noodles and rice. I grew up next door to Filipinos. This has been very interesting reading.

i find this illogical. how can you list Hon Kee/Sun Wah as 'filipino places' within the city when there's ZERO indication from the menu/food/cuisine etc. that suggests the places are Filipino? Sun Wah doesn't serve 'lechon', they serve Chinese roasted pig. I see lotsa filipinos eating at Tank and pho777, do they become 'Filipino' restaurants as well?

Hey not to be harping on anyone but I don't think foodie1 was saying that these places were filipino, but that they catered to the filipino palate which she notes in the sentence. As for Sun Wah, basically roast pork in any culture or nationality is lechon to us.. may not be authentic but thats the connotation (sp?) behind it.

- Hon Kee Restaurant in Argyle St. - this is not a Filipino restaurant but serves food that caters to the Filipino palate
- Sun Wah BBQ in Argyle - serves lechon

Don't forget that "everyone" - and I'm not trying to be aggressive with that term, had some some sort of rule or influence over our country and thus resulting in a food culture that is inspired by these other places. A melting pot maybe? If you were to asked a filipino to break down their roots... there would be no such thing as 100% filipino. Some would be mixed with chinese, malaysian, spanish, american, and maybe even indian. Foodie1 wasn't saying these other places were filipino, but filipinos can identify with them.

This is no help for people looking for food in Chicago, but i had to laugh when I saw a similar point being made about Honolulu: http://starbulletin.com/2005/10/23/features/eater.html Looks like a nice restaurant being profiled.

Little Quiapo certainly looked open this afternon. OPEN sign in window on, lights on and people inside.

ekreider wrote:Little Quiapo certainly looked open this afternon. OPEN sign in window on, lights on and people inside.

Ah. I had gone past one day and they looked shut, and then I couldn't find them in the city's license database, so I thought they were closed. I just tried searching again, this time by address, and find that the city lists it as Enelita Garcia.

Little Quiapo
773/271-5441
4423 N. Clark St.
Chicago

Here's a list of all the Uni-Marts. The one in Woodridge is huge, with an big fresh fish department, lots of baked goods and extensive toro-toro buffet with a few seats for dining in. I enjoyed the pork skewers and, to the surprise of my Filipino friend, the dinuguan (pork-blood stew).

Uni-Mart
847/663-8388, 7315 W. Dempster St., Niles IL 60714
847/755-1052, 1038 W. Golf Road, Hoffman Estates IL 60194
773/561-8667, 5845 N. Clark St., Chicago IL 60660
630/910-6386, Woodridge Plaza, 2457 W. 75th St., Woodridge IL 60517
www.unimartonestop.com