Pinoy Gourmet — Restaurant in Missouri City

Located in a new strip mall in Missouri City. I believe more Asian businesses will be opening within the building. The family decided to try out Filipino food as this will be the first except the fast food joint that serves fried chicken ;)

When we walked in it was empty except there was one table occupied as we were early (it was after 1130am on Sat). The staff greeted us and told us to have a seat and look over the menu and once ready to order at the counter. Here was what ordered:

Pork lumpia - fried thin egg rolls served with sweet chili sauce; these came out piping hot. Not bad but wished there were more filling.

Beef pare - this was the family favorite; beef stew with star anise. The stew was savory and rich in beef flavor served over garlicky rice.

Fried chicken - the chicken was overfried to the point it was dry. The sweet side sauce did not help too much for us to manage to swallow the chicken

Pork sisig - this was an interesting dish as it was minced pork belly mixed with onions and peppers served on an iron cast skillet. The pork was more gelatinous in texture but the flavor was good

Lechon (fried pork belly)  - I had to laugh at the name of this dish because it reminded me a pokemon named Lechonk so I was eating lechonk (lol). Again this was fried to the point it was dry and served with the same sweet sauce as the fried chicken

Fish sisig - dish was the least favorite. It was  minced fish served with onions and peppers and placed on top of fried fish skin. The fried fish skin was better to eat than the minced fish.

Overall the staff was friendly and the food was served fresh and hot. They brought us more rice for our table. Since this was our first time eating Filipino food, we may not have ordered the most popular dishes but we were adventurous and willing to try it. We will come back to try other items...

Visited this place because I am always interested in this ype of food.

I have to say the interior surprised me it was modern looking, that is compared to other local Filipino establishments that are kind of plain even homey of that is the right word to describe that. This place has a water dispenser though. Haha. All Pinoy restaurants seem to have that.

I ordered the pancit malabon ($10) and fish ball skewers ($3). Prices are fair: you do get what you pay for. I do have to agree the flavours are kind of light and could use a bit more salt, but the condiments are right by the counter. Use them.

The pancit malabon has thick cornstarch noodles that were done well. Sauce is very good with a the distinctive taste of fermented shrimp paste. Again it was a portion that was satisfying and will fill you up. In addition it comes with two small lumpia rolls. Could use another grilled shrimp though.

Fish ball skewers come in a pair of two with 4 balls on each skewer. They were lightly fried and were soft to bite into. They didn't have any bounce and not rubbery at all. I wish the sauce was the a garlic vinegar sauce instead of the bottled sweet chili sauce that came with it.

I also had some kwek kwek ($3.50) (battered eggs). They were fine: chicken eggs instead of quail eggs. The batter was crisp, but could use more flavour. The hard boiled egg inside was done perfectly.

This is a great place to go, food is done well and is authentic to an extent. Again I must put a reminder that Filipino food usually do not have bold flavours. The food here is...

This place has lots of potential for something really good. Located in a developing strip mall with plenty of parking (so far) next to a tea shop. It’s a quaint family spot with reasonable prices and the service really stood out. The workers greeted guests like friends, chatted with customers, and were very kind. However, what this place masters in service it lacks in flavor. The current reviews mention the food tasting like home cooking but I felt the flavor lacking just a bit; it left me wishing I had stopped by my tita’s house for dinner instead. That is not to say it wasn’t good, everything was cooked well, the meat was tender, it all just needed a pinch more seasoning/salt to bring out the flavors. Otherwise, the restaurant is decorated typically for a family restaurant and has a clean, modern aesthetic.

I think this place could really become a premiere source of Filipino meals with a few simple improvements to their recipes. I’d recommend they perform a simple customer survey with each meal - maybe prompt customers to rate the flavor of their meal from 1-3 on the back of the receipt and then have them drop it in a basket near the door or register for the chef to review.

Looking forward to see what this place can become, I see its potential and think it can...