I've been to Mr Pinoy at least 5 times already and have been pleased every time. The Philippines has over 7000 islands so the flavours differ depending on the region. The owners are from Pampanga, which is renowned to be one of the foodie regions of the country. It's a land locked region that had a significant Spanish influence, so expect a lot of meats (pork, chicken and beef). Flavors tend to be savory, sometimes sweet and often rich. This is not diet food! If you want it spicy, ask for a side sauce to add to it - they'll happily oblige - but the food will not come spicy. It's just not part of the cuisine, the spice is added after.
Particularly good at Mr Pinoy are:
1. Longanisa - sweet and savory sausage that is usually served with eggs and rice
2. Tocino - sweet and savory pork belly also served with eggs and rice. They also have a chicken version that I didn't try yet.
3. Bulalo - beef shank soup
4. Liempo - grilled pork belly
5. Crisy Pata - deep fried pork knuckle
6. Menudo - Stew with garlic, onions, diced pork, diced potatoes, soy sauce, vinegar, tomato sauce and some other ingredients
To those familiar with Filipino cuisine, give them a call a head of time so you can find out what they're cooking for the day, or they can prepare what you like or get the grill fired up for fresh liempo.
You can eat in or take out.
Their toko is also well stocked and with much better prices than some of the larger Asian markets. PLUS - they have the hot & spicy vegetarian chicharron that I fell in love with the last trip to the Philippines. read more