Located on Main Street in Caron, Maynila provides both a Fast Food (turo turo) experience through premade food on a steam table, as well as a classic Filipino menu and large sit down area for dine-in.
We were in Carson on a late morning Wednesday, and our previous appointment recommended Maynila for lunch. Stopping in before 11, it was pretty empty but the steam tables were fully stocked so there must be a significant lunch crowd. The turo turo actually looked pretty good, but we had time so decided to sit-down and ask for a menu.
They have all the classics and then some, but it can be a gamble eating at a place for the first time. The prices are clearly marked, but the portion sizes are not. Pretty much everything on the menu is over $10, with most in the 20's. Thus, the combo plates at the turo turo are the best deal, starting from $7.95 (1 item veggie) to $11.95 for 2 item, and I imagine most folks would do that. It is only for lunch though, and they close it down around 5 pm (though they do offer everything left for half price between 5 and 6).
But we wanted freshly prepared food, so ordered from the menu. I love filipino prepared milkfish (bangus), and Maynila had the stuffed milkfish dish (vs the deep fried version which is a lot more common), so had to get that ($17.95). Our waitress warned us that it would take 45 minutes to make, which we were OK with since we knew it was being made fresh. The other dish was Pork Adobo ($17.50), which is also available at the turo turo. Rice is extra, and asked enough for 2 people ($5), which was at least 4 scoops.
Both dishes were delicious. The bangus was a very large whole fish, mostly boneless (somehow, the producers have figured out a way to remove a lot of the small bones that used to make eating Bangus a very slow affair). It was stuffed with an interesting mix of tomato and banana peppers, then baked until cooked. Unfortunately, it was undercooked (could have used another 10 minutes or so, but appreciate them trying to get us our food as fast as possible...thinking the fish was bigger than normal and thus the misjudgement), so ate the cooked pieces (more than half) and brought the rest home (reheated/cooked in an air fryer and it turned out good). I'm just amazed at the value of this meal. One CAN overcook bangus, so a side benefit of the partial undercookedness is that the cooked pieces were just perfect. It came with the typical vinegar sauce, which was a great addition. Oh, the belly fat of the fish was included, if you like that part (I don't). The Pork Adobo was solid, with plenty of vinegar and soy to give a punch of flavor. It was a generous portion size, and was made with skin on pork chunks (the same cut used for lechon)...so it was very very oily/greasy. One absolutely needs to eat it with a lot of white rice. Next time, I'll also order some achara to help cut the fattiness.
Our waitress came us a pitcher to serve water ourselves (which I always appreciate it), and brought out styrofoam take out containers for the large amount of food that was left over. We were too stuffed for dessert, but she gave us a small cup of complementary cup of ginataang, which was a nice thing to do.
With the large eating space, generous portions, and good prices, Maynila would be a good place to host a party/event with Filipino food. Or just stop by to see what they have left at half price before dinner. I know I will. read more