Musang — Restaurant in Seattle

While expensive, the quality of food being served here is just so high that if you're looking to try a bunch of the best food in the city, I would not recommend skipping this place

Most of the menu is meant for sharing here, so we ordered two main dishes - which comprised of our meal. These were the short rib kare kare, and the escabeche (black cod). To go with this, we also ordered the garlic rice

The short rib kare kare is what this place is known for - and it certainly did not disappoint There have been pieces of meat that I've had that are a bit hard to cut with a fork and knife. There are ones that cut easily with a fork and knife. Every once in a while, you get that piece of meat that you can cut with a knife. I cannot remember a time in my life where I've been able to eat a piece of meat with a spoon. A spoon! It literally comes off as easily as eating a piece of cake. From what I've seen, it appears the short rib used to be bone-in, but mine was boneless - but the texture doesn't seem to have been lost at all They're so confident in this dish that they don't even give you a knife as a utensil - all you have is a fork and spoon - and trust me, you don't need the fork for this

The peanut bagoong sauce is also worth writing home about. It's so rich, so buttery, with amazing peanut flavor that's better than any Thai restaurant I've been to. The level of craftmanship with this sauce is unreal. I could honestly eat an entire meal of just this sauce and the garlic rice, but yet it pairs so amazingly well when paired with the short rib

If I had a small nit, it would be that the short rib was a pretty lean piece, based on what I'm used to with that cut of meat. There wasn't really much fat in it at all Another minor nit would be that the garlic rice was a bit dry. It felt like it could've used more water - and also, I thought it was a bit light on the garlic flavor.

With all of that being said about the short rib, it wasn't even my favorite of the night. That award goes to the escabeche, which we ordered just because it felt like something light to cut the short rib Escabeche refers to a Filipino version of a sweet and sour fish, which was in this case black cod, also known as sablefish. I think this is the best fish dish I've ever had. Every part of it was unbelievably good - and this starts with the texture. The fish quite literally broke apart the second I lightly tapped it with a spoon, and upon applying the slightest bit of pressure it instantly collapsed within itself. I didn't even intend to cut it all the way, but the texture was so soft that it happened.

The inside was just as amazing. It was so buttery, flaky, and had so much flavor on the inside - rather than tasting like just another classic whitefish. The skin was crunchy on the outside, but eating the inside of this fish is what really gave me a magic moment - like this is one of the best dishes I've ever had straight up. Is this partly because black cod is just that good, and this is my first time having it? Perhaps. But it requires credit to this restaurant for having it on their menu, and doing it well. The sweet and sour sauce that accompanied this fish was also exceptional - I got both flavors in pretty much equal balance.

Since it was someone's birthday, we also got a free chocolate mousse near the end. While I'm not a big chocolate fan, this was very good

Yes, this place is on the expensive side. In total, for two people (including drinks - which were also pretty good), it came out to around $170. I'm not a huge fan of the 22% automatic service charge, considering the food is as expensive as it was. Portion-size wise, it's fine but nothing too special

Overall, despite the price, this ranks way up there as some of the absolute best food experiences I've had in this...

Visited @musangseattle in 📍Beacon Hill (Seattle) Washington. I have been wanting to try this place out forever and it’s been on my bucket list for quite sometime, so when reservations opened- I did not hesitate to scoop them up. It’s in a little house turned into a restaurant. Super adorable with their big sign out front. Can not miss it. Nice bamboo area in front as well and a large patio outside for dining. The menu is well laid out and our server greeted us right away and talked about the menu and drinks. I ordered a Tamarind soda and my other party ordered a Red Horse Beer which is a Filipino Beer.

We started with some pampaganas— small plates. We started with both kinds of lumpia, both delicious and love the vinegar house spiced sawsawan sauce that comes with it. (3⭐️)

We ordered the Pnw Laing- lacinato kale, collards, sweet yellow onions, ginger, lemongrass, vegan bagoong, coconut milk, thai chilies and fried leeks. The flavor was delicious and it went over the garlic rice 🍚 really nicely. (4⭐️)

We had the Adobong pusit pancit made with bihon noodles, cuttlefish ink, soy sauce, cane vinegar, guisado, tinapa, fried garlic, calamari,scallions and red vein sorrel. The flavors were out of this world and the dish just all came together so nicely. Pancit is my favorite Filipino comfort food. My MiL makes it for me when I am not feeling well or when I need comfort food and this pancit truly was AMAZING and is a MUST TRY! (5⭐️)

The lechon kawalicrispy fried pork belly, pickled red onion, micro cilantro and house spiced sawsawan. Soooo perfectly crispy and the viengar sauce that comes with it paired extremely well with it. Best Lechon I have had in forever. (5⭐️)

For entrees we ordered 3. It may seem like a lot, but I had not eaten much that day except for an early breakfast in preparation of this meal. We orderer the Short rib Kare Kare- braised short rib, eggplant, okraharicot verts, fried garlic, annatto oil and a peanut butter bagoong sauce. The Kare Kare ribs fell off the bone, were perfectly slow roasted and melted in my mouth. The peanut butter sauce was creamy and delicious and paired well with the meat! (4⭐️)

The Musang joy fried chicken 🍗- crispy fried buttermilk chicken thighs, musang gravy and zucchini turmeric pickles. The Chicken seemed a little dry, but I put gravy over it and it fixed the problem. Zucchini turmeric pickles were quite delicious and tangy. (3⭐️)

Last dish was the Star of the show besides the Pancit. We had the Inaloban na Isda-
roasted rockfish with banana leaf
turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, ikura
vegan mayo, coconut cream and thai chilies. The fish was cooked so perfectly. Delicious. The flavors worked so well together and was super rich and delicious. I didn’t want this dish to end. Had a little bit of heat 🔥 to it with the thai chilis 🌶️but it was perfectly rounded out with the lemongrass and coconut 🥥milk.(5⭐️)

Will definitely go back and try other items next time and definitely be back for their brunch menu as well! Amazing food and...

Musang on Beacon Hill offers a refined yet comforting take on Filipino cuisine. As a Filipino, it makes me happy to be able to experience a truly unique dining experience like this in Seattle. We were a party of four, and from start to finish it felt special. They have a full bar (first come, first serve if you want to sit there) and an open kitchen where you can see the chefs busy making food all night. We also got lucky because Emily, our wonderful server, told us their menu changes every three months and we happened to catch the new Fall Menu.

We ordered the following:

Sinigang Chips – Tamarind-dusted potato chips with a tangy, sour edge. An inventive take on sinigang flavors and a fun way to start the meal. Lumpiang Shanghai – Fried eggrolls. I couldn’t eat these because they contain pork, but my table enjoyed them and said the filling was dense, almost like a meatball. I’ll take their word for it. Kinilaw – Filipino ceviche. Bright and fresh, dressed in an acid-sour mix. The flavors are balanced and bold. I absolutely loved this dish! Ginataang Gulay – My least favorite dish of the night. I was expecting a creamy coconut sauce, but instead it was dry and heavy on parsnips, turnips, and vegan bagoong. It just felt over-fused. My ancestors would roll in their graves at vegan bagoong. Lol. Pancit Malabon – Now this dish felt close to home. Bold, savory, and rich, with a vibrant sauce coating the noodles. Rooted in tradition but thoughtfully modernized. Absolute chef’s kiss. Sinigang na Baboy – Another one I couldn’t eat because of pork, but the table loved it and placed it in their top favorites. I did try the broth , it was delicious, though I wish they leaned more into the tamarind. Inaloban na Isda – My top dish of the night! Roasted rockfish prepared beautifully, so tender, super flavorful, and thoughtfully balanced. Rooted in tradition yet adventurous in execution. 10/10, highly recommend. Special of the Night: Fried Chicken – One of the table’s favorites. They raved this was the crispiest chicken they’ve ever had , juicy, flavorful, and a solid 10/10. I unfortunately couldn’t try it since I’m pescatarian, but I believe them! Cocktails were excellent as well. My boyfriend ordered a Manhattan, and I had their Calamansi juice with a shot of vodka added. The calamansi did not disappoint, it was tart, refreshing, and instantly took me back.

Musang delivers on both flavor and atmosphere, balancing comfort with creativity. Between the rotating menus, the open kitchen, and the way each dish carries a story, this is a place I would return to...