The Southeast Asia regions are gastronomic destinations for local food specialities found in the likes of Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. And let’s not forget about the Phillippines, where the Filipino cuisines are equally rich in their diversified tastes, textures and flavours. From the classic bread rolls of Pandesal to the marinated meat of Adobo and the sizzling meat Sisig, here is where you can taste Filipino foods in KL & Selangor in alphabetical order.
1) De Manila Cafe
Fancy a home-style Filipino cuisine? Here’s one for you at De Manila Cafe on the first floor of Taman Desa’s Faber Towers. The restaurant serves familiar dishes, namely the classic Pork Adobo — a savoury goodness of pork slices cooked in a mix of soy sauce and other ingredients like vinegar and garlic. They have other pork dishes from the popular stew of Pork Igago (pork tenderloin & pig’s innards) to the comforting creamy and spicy pork cubes of Bicol Express. Their menu is equally extensive — fish, beef, chicken, noodles and assorted a la carte dishes, just to name a few.
Address: Lot 113, Faber Towers, 1, Jalan Desa Bahagia, Taman Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur.
2) EatSAPinoy Restaurant & Cafe
Many Filipinos love to hang around the Kota Raya Complex with plenty of shops run by them including EatSAPinoy Restaurant & Cafe. This popular eatery covers traditional Filipino dishes from adobo dishes (pork belly, chicken & string beans) to the soup-based Tinola and Pancit noodle dishes. Also, cool down with one of their fruit shakes or try their refreshing shaved ice dessert of Mais Con Yelo, perfect for countering the hot and humid weather these days.
Address: Kompleks Kota Raya, 5, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, 50000 Kuala Lumpur.
3) KINAIYA (Balay Inasal)
The otherwise derelict Wisma Cosway is home to plenty of good food, one of which belongs to KINAIYA (formerly Balay Inasal) — a restaurant specialising in Filipino cuisine. If you love Filipino grilled chicken, try their Solo or Duo Inasal dish consisting of lemongrass grilled chicken, annato rice, atchara (Filipino pickled papaya), herbed mixed veggies and fruit salad. They also serve Filipino breakfast dishes known as Silog, offering hearty dishes like Bangsilog (fried boneless milkfish with garlic rice, fried egg, atchara & sliced tomato) and the sweet pineapple pork of Tosilog.
Address: Lot G26, G37 & G48, Wisma Cosway, Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur.
4) Laguna Filipino Bar & Restaurant
Here’s the popular Filipino restaurant located in the same row with Mungo Jerry in PJ’s Sekysen 19. Their menu extends from appetising starters of Embutido (deep-fried Filipino meatloaf) and Lumpiang Shanghai (minced pork spring rolls) to main specialities such as Kare Kare (tenderised meat of either pork or beef in peanut sauce with cincalok) and of course, Adobo. The latter offers the choice of pork, chicken or squid. Those who prefer seafood can look forward to dishes like Daing Na Bangus (deep-fried milkfish) and Kinilaw Na Tanigue (cubed raw tenggiri cooked in vinegar, onions, chillis & cucumber). They also diversify their menu to local and Western dishes but it was their authentic Filipino cuisine that matters the most.
Address: 14, Jalan 19/36, Seksysen 19, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
5) The Narra
Another popular Filipino restaurant in PJ is The Narra, operating in a resto-lounge concept with a pleasant and cosy decor. You will find a wide range of Filipino cuisine, beginning with the breakfast dish of Cornsilog — a combination of savoury corned beef with garlic rice, fried egg and sliced cucumbers. Or go for something simple like their fluffy bread rolls of Pandesal. If you are adventurous, there’s the fertilised bird egg embryo of Balut while those who love Baboy dishes can take a pick from choices like boneless roasted pork belly of Bellychon, the milky-spicy Bicol Express and homemade Filipino ground pork sausage of Longganiza.
You can stick to some of their bestselling foods like Sizzling Pork Sisig (sauteed chopped pig’s face with onion & garlic) and Chicken Isaw, grilled chicken intestines marinated with special sauce in sticks and served with vinegar. To cool down, freshen up your taste bud with fruit shakes or ice-cold beer such as Red Horse and San Miguel Pale Pilsen, both of which are popular in the Phillippines.
Address: G001 Dataran Millennium, Jalan 14/1, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
