D.wight L.
Yelp
Place in a Nutshell: Not attractive food in a divey setting, but very homey and comforting Filipino food with great flavor and textures. Even though this is a restaurant, these are dishes that I grew up eating at a table in someone's house with a mom, auntie/grandma cooking the dishes for a big family.
I've only got take-out here, but even if you decide to eat at one of 3 tiny tables in a cramped area, I'm thinking you're still gonna get your food in a take-out box. My first time here was during the winter months when it gets dark like around 6pm. I get a box to-go with 2 items plus rice (of course) and I eat a few bites before hopping into the commute. It was totally dark in the parking lot so I didn't really know what I was taking bites of. But believe-you-me, those bites took me back to a time when all my elders were still around and fed me old world food on the reg. Those days are long gone and many elders have either moved away or passed, so to taste something like this again was quite a revelation.
Things tried:
Kare Kare (4.5*) Not oxtails but a good amount of stewed boneless beef and tripe I think. Great flavor, better than most restaurants where I've tried. I would get this a la carte next time if I could so I could eat it for more than 1 meal. I came in once though and it wasn't on their steam table, so not sure if you can order some from the back.
Bistek (4.5*) This is usually slices of beef in a soy sauce/lemon sauce that screams to be with white rice. The day I went the Tita (auntie) who served me told me it was pork steak instead of beef that day. I've never had it as a pork dish but I wanted to try it out. Again great flavor, tasted more from a home than a restaurant, and in the Filipino culinary world that is a compliment. #Trust
Bicol Express (4.5*) I didn't grow up with this dish, but I love it now that I've found it as an adult. Tender pieces of pork with fatty bits swim in a coconut creamy sauce flavored with shimp paste and dried red chilis. Pretty hardcore but a mouth explosion of flavor. Theirs was a bit too spicy for me as it got me sweating like crazy, but damn did I keep going. I had to fully wash my face after each sitting and that was totally fine with me. Small price for pleasure. Lol
BBQ Pork (4*) So this is in their name so I had to try, even though I'm not fond of sweet and sticky bbq meats...from any culture! Now when I opened the foil I was a bit disappointed as it was totally slathered with a thick and gloopy sauce. I took a bite and it was surprisingly not crazy sweet as I was expecting. Definitely closer to sweet n sour sauce, probably made with ketchup and vinegar. I rinsed off the excess sauce when I got home before I reheated it, totally worked for me. The biggest prop for their version is that pork texture was spot on what I like. A bit of bite but still has a toothsome chew. Actually they nail the meat textures here in my book from anything stewed to anything grilled.
Dinaguan (4*) This is a hard core dish that I think only Filipinos and/or adventurous eaters can visit. It is a pork stew thickened with pork blood so the sauce becomes thickish and totally black. I've never liked the looks of this dish when I was a kid, but I always knew that my tongue often told a different story. When done right this is a complex stew with tangy and spicy notes with deep umami layers. This was a bit thick for me so I reheated some at home with a bit more water to loosen it up and some more sliced jalapenos to give it more kick. My dad rarely ate Filipino food from a restaurant, cuz he simply didn't trust them and put all his chips in home cooking. But I bet he would like this version.
Pork Sinigang (4.5*) Totally solid home version. Quite tangy the way it should be with both chunks of stewed pork and veggies like eggplant, long beans and bok choy I think. I wish there were more veggies but there were enough for most bites. OG dish done OG right with zero fuss.
I rarely if ever give a fiver to a point and pick steam-table place, but kinda relieved to see one exist. I've never tried any in the Daly City area but I wouldn't be surprised that some were there too, as that is a very Filipino town. But from Oakland to Fremont, I've found none that could rival the flavors from this hole-in-the-wall, and that right there my friends is the quintessential Yelp victory.