Buwan ng Kalutong Pilipino
In 2018, the month of April became The Philippines' national food month. This month is dedicated to the generational traditions and practices that surround agriculture and food. The government’s intention was for families to have time to celebrate their culinary heritage during this special time each year. Additionally, people hope it will uplift the islands' food tourism as well as Filipino-American restaurants.
In honor of National Food Month, I wanted to share my relationship with Filipino cuisine and what this celebration looks like for me. Over this past month, I visited my favorite Filipino restaurant in San Fransisco, as well as a new restaurant in Los Angeles. I also re-made some of my favorite traditional and current recipes. Every Filipino could celebrate this month differently as food and agriculture play different roles in every family. As someone whose grandparents come from practically opposite sides of the islands, the dishes that we cook in our family vary in style. “Filipino style food” looks different across regions and that is why I love trying new restaurants and recipes to celebrate the month of April. This is a way for me to learn about new Filipino cuisines and what they may have been influenced by.
My favorite restaurant right now happens to be Senor Sisig, in the Bay Area, whose food is a great example of this. Their “street food” style centers around pork and vinegar flavors. They are infamous for their burritos and tacos, while they also have rice or nacho bowls. I would describe their flavors as Mexican-Filipino fusion. My favorite menu items are tosilog and the “senor” sisig burrito. If you are looking for something more reflective of Filipino cuisine then order the tosilog burrito, as it is filled with adobo rice, tomatoes, and of course, a fried egg. If you plan to dine here, do not forget to ask for a side of their pepper and chili vinegar dipping sauce.
Next, I found myself at Sari Sari Store in Los Angeles’ Grand Central Market. While this restaurant also happens to center around “Filipino street food” its menu looks very different from Senor Sisig. Their dishes are mostly rice bowls and smaller snacks or sweets. When we went, we ordered four rice bowls and lumpia. These rice bowls were the BBQ pork belly, adobo fried rice, lechon kawali, and lechon Manok. All the meat was cooked to perfection and was the ultimate blend of salt and sweetness. My mom loved how every rice bowl had a crispy fried egg with a runny yolk on top. The rice bowls encapsulate a lot of the same flavors that my family and I use, so they were a 10/10. However, my first bite of my lumpia surprised me. The meat was cooked and seasoned in a way that I had never tried before. The meat was soft and flavored heavily with ginger and scallions. Although I did like this, it was unlike any lumpia I had made or bought before. What tied this meal all together was their signature vinegar sauce that seemed to contain fish sauce, black pepper, ginger, garlic, and chilis. The vibe of the restaurant was extremely nostalgic as the bar was adorned with many of The Philippines’ most iconic flavors. The shelves of the bar were lined with, sriracha, fish sauce, Jufran, and condensed milk. The bar also circled the little kitchen in the middle where you could see all your food being made. I definitely recommend trying one of these restaurants before the month is over. If you don’t live near these restaurants or you are looking for something new, do some research on Filipino-owned restaurants and vendors in your area. If you do not feel like leaving the house at all watch out for our next article that will contain my favorite modified and traditional recipes that are easy to make at home.
