Mabuhay!
I may be biased but I’m gonna say it anyways. FILIPINO FOOD IS THE BEST! There, done. And I am not taking it back. You’ll be saying it too after you try out this restaurant!
Lalo is a fast-casual restaurant focused on serving Filipino comfort food and is inspired by wisdom passed down by from their Lolas and Lolos (grandparents). They are located in Old City in The Bourse Food Hall. They are open everyday at 11 AM but their closing time varies depending on the day of the week so I would recommend double checking before heading out.
“Each of us have used our families recipes as a base for LALO's menu. Not only the recipes but their love and upbringings.”
Their menu is small but it represents the Filipino culture. They serve commonly known Filipino dishes making it very friendly towards those trying out Filipino food for the first time. For my Filipinos out there, Lalo serves mango juice, calamansi juice (citrus drink) AND San Miguel Beer. They sure know how to hook us Filipinos in!
I went there on a quiet Wednesday night with my friend. We ordered the Lumpia Shanghai, Longsilog and Lechon Kawali. The Lumpia came with sweet and chili sauce and it was a pretty big portion. It tasted so much like home. My friend got the Longsilog so I only took a few bites of the longanisa (sweet pork sausage). I thought that the longanisa wasn’t very sweet but the combination of everything was still very delicious. I ordered the Lechon Kawali and I absolutely loved it. The Lechon was crispy but tender, the garlic fried rice was a perfect balance of garlic and rice, sometimes the garlic taste can be a bit too much, and the bagoong (Philippine condiment partially or completely made of either fermented fish or krill with salt.) that comes with is wasn’t strong and complimented the Lechon very nicely.
We also got the Leche Flan for desert and it was amazing. The taste was very traditional, just like your parents would make it. The consistency of the flan was just right and it was smooth. They serve it with a coconut cream topped with dried coconut flakes and it goes really well together! I love Leche Flan and I am so glad I have a spot in Philly where I know I can get it.
"The Filipino food scene in Philadelphia is just starting and we will continue to share our stories and our history that many people are unaware of."
I spoke briefly with Jillian Encarnacion, one of the owners of Lalo, and she could not have said it any better. I am very excited to see what the next few years will bring to the Filipino food industry and Filipino culture in Philadelphia in general!
Hangaan sa muli,
Nicah
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