cook: filipino food

I was badly craving Filipino food and messaged my fellow Filipina, Cecilia that we needed to trek to Daly City and eat at a Filipino restaurant. I was thinking Max's or Patio Pilipino for my fix of kare kare and halo halo. Cecilia said Kuya's in San Bruno. Yes! I accidentally stepped into Isla next door, which looked good, but that'll be another dine. Kuya's is much smaller and literally more mom and pop. We ordered the Paksiw Na Boneless Bangus or boneless milkfish marinated in vinegar and ginger and then fried. To my surprise, my favorite of all the dishes we ordered.       

I also craved Pancit Palabok or rice noodles tossed in shrimp sauce and topped with shrimp, hardboiled egg and scallions. Kind of flavorless to my palate, and thank goodness for the lemon wedges. I'll be making as an epilogue, Pancit Luglug to my liking with the addition of bits of ground pork and fried garlic--maybe I can find calamansi to squeeze at Seafood City.

Cecilia ordered Crispy Binagoongan or wok roasted pork cooked with eggplant and shrimp paste. Again to my surprise, one of my favorites at our lunch. Yes, I totally want to cook this dish though it will stink up my kitchen and I'll need to borrow an air fryer.

I also ordered Tortang Talong and Giniling, an omelet with both eggplant and pork. Hmm another poor choice on my part. It was good, but I'd had better at another Filipino restaurant.

We'd also ordered Pork Sisig, but it was not authentic, and I'd wished we had ordered instead the Calamari Sisig. Oh well. We also had ordered  Kalabasa Sitaw Sa Gata, sauteed kabocha and long beans in coconut milk, pork and shrimp--that was tasty! I'd return to Kuya's, and next time, I want to order the Pinakbet, mixed vegetables with shrimp paste, pork and shrimp; Hoy Gising, spicy minced pork with chopped longbeans; Adobong Pusit, fresh squid cooked in garlic as well as the fried fish. But maybe I can convince Cecilia and Chia to instead go next door to try the Buko Pandan.