Finally….Filipino food on the West Island !   We just discovered a recently opened Filipino restaurant on Dollard des Ormeaux, that we just need to share with everyone.  We loved with the décor, the fantastic service, and the delicious food.

 

The restaurant is located in a small strip mall in Dollard des Ormeaux, and just a few steps down from a  great Portuguese restaurant, Les 3 Maria (featured in our website).  When you first step inside, you’re surprised by the beautiful décor -- modern with classic accessories.  The dining area is nicely lit by 2 big chandeliers, and tables are paced comfortably apart.  On the night we visited, there were families having traditional meals, a few couples, and small groups sharing some popular dishes.

 

We were welcomed and introduced to the menu by our attentive server, Alysha.  There are daily specials as well, and everything, including the desserts, is made in-house.  They also do catering,       and you can place your orders online through their website.  

 

We started with an appetizer of Pakpak ni Bech, or chicken wings.  It’s a nice little starter as you wait for your larger meal.   The serving offers 4 pieces :  2 drumsticks and 2 wings.   Depending on your appetite and your hunger at the time, you can order as many servings as you’d like.  They were served sizzling hot out of the fryer, and were so juicy and flavorful.   They were accompanied by a sweet tangy dipping sauce, which we suspect to be the famous banana ketchup.  

 

As a treat from the chef, we were each served a bowl of rich beef broth.   It was just a clear broth with some julienned napa cabbage in it, but it was amazing !   The broth was so rich with taste, and had many complex flavors.  We tasted notes of coconut and ginger.   It was such a welcome treat, especially on the cold night that we visited.    A menu option that features this rich broth is the Bulalo (a beef shank soup with vegetables).  It must be wonderful on a cold winter day.

 

We had cravings for a silog meal, so we ordered two of their silog platters :  Longsilog and Becksilog.   Silog is a combination of 2 words : one meaning garlic fried rice and the other meaning egg.  Their silog platters all consist of a choice of meat(s), a fried egg, garlic fried rice, and a small green salad.  The platters were ample, and were truly enjoyable.    

 

With both of the platters we ordered, we got the wonderful longanisa pork sausage, and were astonished to discover that the sausages were homemade.  With the Longsilog platter, 5 of the finger length savory pork sausages were served along with the rice , egg, and salad.   The Becksilog platter features 3 kinds of meat :  sweet marinated pork, pan fried beef strips, and the longanisa sausages.   The sausages were absolutely delicious :  not overly sweet like the commercially sold sausages, had a great semi-ground texture, and had no casing.  

 

The rice was equally delicious :  delicate, not greasy, and with a mild infusion of garlic.   The fried egg arrives on top of your hot garlic fried rice.  You can break the yolk so that it runs down into your rice and gently cooks it.  It adds a texture to the rice that’s sublime.  If you’ve never tried silog platters, you’ve got to try them.  The best part is that these platters are available all day long - you don’t have to wait till lunch or brunch.

 

To end your dining experience, there’s a variety of homemade desserts to choose from, ranging from cassava cake to ube ice cream.   We had arrived pretty late in the evening, so many of the daily-prepared desserts had sold out, but the choices which remained were nonetheless unique and delicious.    We had the Ube Ice Cream, which was bright purple and really creamy.   It was perfect, not overly sweet, and had a hint of the purple yam’s taste.  The Buko Pandan was a bowl of pandan-infused gelatin cubes served with tender shreds of coconut  in a sweetened creamy liquid.  Both were absolutely delicious.  We can’t wait to return to try their other desserts on the menu, like Sapin Sapin (a glutinous rice cake with coconut milk), or the cassava cake.

 

The staff were all so friendly.   When we ordered another order of fried rice and egg, the chef himself brought it over.  By the end of the night, we vowed to return again soon, and to bring others.

 

The menu has popular Filipino dishes, as well as some lesser known dishes which sound delicious enough to deserve a sampling.   We look forward to trying their Adobo Chicken and their noodle dishes.  Adobe chicken is a famous Filipino comfort food made with chicken thighs simmered in a rich sauce of soy sauce, garlic, a bit of vinegar, peppercorns, and bay leaves.  It is absolutely mas masarap !!!