Filipina Soul

Two restaurants in Philadelphia offer different takes on Philippine cuisine.

The first one, Manila Bay Bar and Grill (above), billed as the first and only fully authentic Filipino restaurant in the Delaware Valley region. Take a look at their website and you’ll find the familiar lumpiang shanghai, tokwa’t baboy, pork sinigan, kare-kare and a lot more. They offer karaoke (of course!), and facilities for meetings and private parties. You can read reviews here.

The second restaurant is Cebu (above), a new restaurant and club that “marries Filipino cuisine with Spanish influences and a tony night scene”. The executive chef, Guillermo Veloso (shown, partners with Willie Encarnacion to create the fusion dishes. Their menu includes lechon kawali, inihaw, and sinigang, as well as krispy kare (oxtail in peanut glaze with a cool mango sauce) and paella.

Veloso believes that this lesser-known cuisine from South Asia is ripe for American palates. With its emphasis on fish, garlic, tomatoes and rice, Filipino food echoes Mediterranean flavors. And, historically, the Philippines have been influenced by China, Spain, Mexico and the United States, so fusion comes naturally.

Read reviews of Cebu here.

Here’s where you’ll find these two restaurants:

Manila Bay Bar and Grill
6724 Castor Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19149
215-722-7877

Cebu
123 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-629-1100

Note: This post is part of our series called Filipino Eats - Worldwide, where we attempt to source out great restaurants all over the world. If you know of any, send us an email at maricar-at-b5media-dot-com.

via Philly.com

Tags: Philippine cuisine, Filipino cuisine, Filipino restaurants, Filipino food