Tag Archives: Filipino food

$60 Filipino brunch feast @ Lamesa

Now, we’re no strangers to Filipino food on Triple B, whether it’s the Filipino brunch buffet at Kanto or grabbing some kamayan all over this city. So when I heard about Lamesa, this funky little joint on St. Clair West, serving up a $60 discovery brunch for two, I was like, sounds like a nice, light meal for me! And lemme just say, you can definitely get your money’s worth here…

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We’re talkin’ chicken ‘n waffles, Filipino style! Chicken is boneless, but nice ‘n juicy, and then you’ve got the purple ube waffle, which really kicks it up a notch!!!

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Dude, this Filipino bacon is what makes it! Nice ‘n thick, with just a little hint of sweetness. I’d eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner!!!!!!!

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This Filipino french toast is stuffed with a purple yam jam. Dude, they put that shit in everything!!!!!!!

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Now, you can eat a fried egg with that Filipino bacon, but it also goes nice with some garlic rice…

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And you gotta try the garlic rice with some monkfish, deep-fried and crispy, with just a little sweetness.

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This smoked sausage is sensational — I could crush a whole chain of these, bro!!!!

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And then for dessert, you’ve got these plantain rolls, which are basically deep-fried bananas… and bananas is good!!!!

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Washed it all down with a glass of tropical house punch. You’ve got calamansi, mango, guava, lychee, ginger beer… oh, and rum. Can’t forget the rum, son!!!!

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Now, you might be able to feed a small family of four with this brunch platter… but you KNOW it’s just a light snack in Flavourtown, bro!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$25 AYCE Filipino Fiesta Brunch @ Kanto

Now, I’m always up for AYCE, and this is body by buffet, so when I heard that Kanto by Tita Flips, this funky Filipino joint in The Junction, was serving up an AYCE Filipino buffet on Sundays, I shut the back door and bought a 25-dollar ticket. You KNOW I’m gonna get my money’s worth, bro!!!!!

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Now, you won’t find a prime rib carving station at this buffet, but they do have lechon, a roast suckling pig, freshly carved and ready to go. Man, I musta grabbed at least 10 pieces of this here piggy piggy…

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Another famous Filipino pork dish is sisig, with bits of pork belly and jowl mixed with chicken liver, chili peppers, and a poached egg on top. Dude, this dish is magically delicious!!!!

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We may not be at Jollibee…but they’re still serving up some boneless fried chicken, which is nice ‘n crunchy, and tender on the inside. I think I had at least five pieces of this…

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While you can’t get some waffles with that chicken, you can have a made-to-order ube pancake, which is nice and fluffy, with just a bit of purple sweet potato punch.

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And if you like it sweet, give this chocolate porridge a try. Actually, I think this might taste good on top of those ube pancakes…

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And, since it was Easter Sunday, they passed around these little mini ube cupcakes with a chocolate Easter egg on top. Nice little finishing touch…

Of course, this is just barely scratching the surface of all the various soups, stews and sausages we scarfed down yesterday. And did I mention they have a sweet tea station? For 25 bucks, you really can’t go wrong, bro!!!!!

Snap your fingers, snap your glazed pork neck!!!

Back when I was in Vegas, I chowed down on some tasty Filipino lechon among a whole plateful of Asian pork products at the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace. So, now that I’m back in Toronto, I heard there was this funky Filipino fusion joint called Mineral serving up glazed pork neck, among other things…so I had to go check it out, bro!!!

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First, we’re starting off with another Filipino comfort food classic; ensaymadas, a warm cheese bun, with a side of soppressata. Can’t go wrong with meat, bread and melted cheese bro — when you put a couple piece of that soppressata on top, that right there is the ticket!!!

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Speaking of things that you eat with your hands, the glazed pork neck comes with lettuce wraps, alongside toppings like pineapple and pickled papaya, so it’s just like a funky finger sandwich in Flavourtown:

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Now, I wouldn’t have know that pork neck tastes similar to pork belly, but it’s got that same fatty unctuousness… plus you can’t go wrong with a little donkey sauce on top, son!!!!

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But you KNOW that we’ve still got room for dessert, even after eating all that pork back there, bro! This ube leche flan is the only dessert on the menu, and while it’s not something I wouldda ordered otherwise, I gotta say, this is one of my top five purple yam desserts ever!!!!

(OK, so I probably haven’t had five purple yam desserts before, but hey, it was still pretty tasty…)

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TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: Filipino fried chicken from Jollibee

When Jollibee first opened in Scarborough and Mississauaga, I heard people waited in line for, like, three hours, bro. But since the downtown Toronto location opened just a couple weeks ago, right in the middle of Second Lockdown, I could just walk right in and order right away…

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While they do have some other stuff on the menu, this place is known for fried chicken, so we gotta start there. I got a three-piece meal with fries, and one of the pieces was spicy, just to try it. Nice, crunchy breading while the chicken was hot ‘n juicy. The spicy piece had a bit of a kick, with all the seasoning salt on the skin, so I had to take a few sips of their signature pineapple juice…

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Hey, it’s probably healthier than soda pop, right?

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Now, they didn’t have the Amazing Aloha Yumburger, topped with pineapple and bacon, at this location, so I had to settle for a regular Yumburger with Cheese. And it was pretty basic — beef, cheese, and a whole lotta mayo. The patty tasted like a Salisbury steak, so I’m guessing that if you order the burger steak with gravy, it’s probably the same thing. I shouldda known not to order a burger at a fried chicken joint, anyways…

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Of course, you KNOW I’ve still got room for dessert, bro, and that means it’s peach mango pie time. This soft, breaded treat was still warm after I scarfed down everything else, and the super-sweet filling was super tasty! Man, I’d eat this over McDonald’s any day!!!

Kamayan IV: A New Feast

So we’re back with a new edition of Kamayan, the Filipino feast you eat with your hands! And this time we’re hanging out at Boodle Fight, this funky little joint on the Danforth. Unlike a few of the Filipino joints we’ve been to, this place actually has a liquor licence, so we’re starting off with a San Miguel, the official beer of the Philippines:

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And now, let’s dive right in. This place offers two kinds of kamayan feasts — meat AND seafood, but you KNOW I can’t eat just one, bro, so we went with a bit of both:

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Pork skewer on a stick? Don’t mind if I do!!!

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It’s all about that deep-fried pork belly, bro!!!!

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One thing that sets this place apart from other kamayans is the BBQ chicken leg. Just grip it and rip it, son!!!!!!!

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Now, they actually skin their squid…but it was more tender than the last boodle fight I went to!

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Of course, it wouldn’t be kamayan without a roly-poly fish head… Say hello to ma lil’ friend!!!!

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When we were at Bagnet Bros, I was a bit bummed out that their plantain spring roll was a dish served cold. But here, they’re kicking it up a notch with a warm banana spring roll, with a side of ice cream… This dish is bananas, and bananas is good!!!!

Kamayan III: Kamayan with a Vengeance

Now, it’s been a couple years since I last had Kamayan, the Filipino feast you eat with your hands. But when I heard about this new funky joint called Bagnet Bros, I knew I had to come check it out! This place is serving up stuff like milkfish, tilapia, mussels, shrimp and crispy pork belly, all for just 16 bucks. They’ve even got both kinds of calamari — grilled AND fried!!!

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Now, the pork skewers were outrageous, the milkfish was creamy and delicious, and the peel ‘n eat shrimp were the most fun you can have with plastic gloves on…but what makes it is the bagnet:

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Dude, this deep-fried crispy pork belly is sooo outta bounds, bro! It’s kinda like a chicharron, but with the meat still attached! Man, I could pound these all day…but then I might not have room for dessert.

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They call this a turon, and they tu-ron-ron, son! Picture a sweet ‘n sticky spring roll, stuffed with deep-fried platanos — this dish is bananas, and bananas is good! The 16-dollar dinner comes with your choice of ice cream or turon, but for just a dollar more, you can have both…

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No way Jose, that’s ube!!!

Kamayan II: Electric Boodle Fight

So, about a year ago, we went for Kamayan at this funky little joint called Platito Filipino. In case you didn’t know, Kamayan is a massive Filipino feast–no cutlery allowed, bro! Now, that place funked it up with fried chicken, tacos, and beef stew, but I heard there’s this other joint in the ghetto that’s doing a more authentic take on the Filipino tradition, so you KNOW I had to check it out. This is Tinuno:

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Now, there’s just so much going on here that I don’t even know where to start! You’ve got three different kinds of grilled fish, along with grilled squid, pork belly and BBQ pork skewers. Then there’s the grilled okra, and some mango slices on the side. But wait, there’s more…

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Can you say peel ‘n eat shrimp, son? These slippery crustaceans are a lotta work, but they’re totally worth the effort. And did I mention the mussels from Brussels? Dude, there is so much food here that I don’t even have room for the orange slices for dessert!

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Do you even know Kamayan, bro?

Now, I dunno much about the Philippines—although I hear their president’s a badass—but I do know I like to eat, and there’s this funky new Filipino joint that just opened on Baldwin Street, where I stopped by last night for a special feast. Now, when you go to Kamayan, you leave all the cutlery at home. They lay down the banana leaves on the table, pile up the grub, and then it’s all hands on deck straight down my piehole!

And at Platito, that means build-your-own sigsig tacos, adobo fried chicken, and thick, meaty beef stew. Check it out now, the funk’s oh brother:

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Now, that wasn’t all they had on the table. There was also a buncha veggies left over, so I made a “wish taco” – which is when you have all kinds of vegetables, and you wish you had some meat! Probably one of the top five vegan dishes I’ve ever had…I think I’m up to five vegan dishes by now.

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And you know I still had room for dessert, son! So that means purple yam waffle with ice cream and coconut. I could probably slam seven of these…if I hadn’t loaded up on wish tacos, bro!

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