Hello foodie people hope all is well. Last Friday I tried a new Filipino restaurant. It was a huge disappointment in all spectrums. The three big categories were not met: quantity, quality and customer service. Today I'm going to my favorite fail safe Filipino/Hawaiian restaurant.
I feel it's necessary to put this bad experience behind me. I can't have my last experience be a bad one on one of my favorite cuisines. Also I have a dentist appointment tomorrow that I won't ramble on about. The aftermath of that appointment certainly could change my diet for a little bit so this is another reason to go.
So the place I'm going today is Ono Pinay Kitchen. Every Tuesday they do a buffet so there is no shortage of food 😊 The image above is from their Facebook page and list some of the delicious things they will have on the buffett today. I've been here several times and it's an awesome Asian owned small business. The staff is so welcoming that it often feels like your eating with family and friends.
Not a huge place but a nice small warm place to get some good food. I don't think I will be eating outside today, haha. Many people sit at the tables near the buffett line. So I was not able to sneak some photos of the food line.
First photo is of the front counter where you order than pay. Tuesday is buffett day but you can order off the menu if you choose. All the times I've been here I have never ordered a meal from the menu nor a drink off of it. If it's not coffee I really only drink water with my meals. The food, it's too hard to pass up a lot of it on the buffett line. I keep telling myself one day I will come here on a non buffett day but than Tuesday rolls around,haha.
This place sells T-shirts, bags and some food stuff to get include baked items. Today the rack that holds food stuff and baked items was sort of bare. Probably one of these days I will pick up something to take home.
I tell you the staff is super nice. It's not the typical greeting you get at most restaurants. For instance when I paid for the buffett I not only got greeted with a hello I was asked how I have been. A nice gesture because they remember their customers. Before I headed off with my plate the staff member had a short conversation with me about the warmer weather ahead and what my weekend plans were. They just have a real good way of connecting with their customers.
The first thing I got from the buffet was some white rice, pancit and some seafood curry. The seafood curry was absolutely delicious. I liked how it had a whole shrimp in it 🦐 It also contained some mussels, scallops and some other type of seafood that I wasn't sure of. The potatoes and sauce put it all together. The pancit was good as it always is here.
My next plate I decided to get some garlic fried rice, some more pancit, three bite sized lumpia and Tokwok Baboy. The fried tofu paired with the pork was delicious 😋 The onions and tomatoes gave it good balance. I finished the lumpia and the main dish. I left some rice and pancit for the next plate.
The third time is a charm. Literally it was as the owner brought me some sweet soup from the back. I never got the opportunity to ask her what is was. It really tasted like a dessert soup. Anyways the plate is some more bite size lumpia and a little bit of Kulua Pork. I almost always have to save some room for some smoked shredded pork.
Just a small plate of sweetness. One piece of bibingka and a couple pieces of cantaloupe. After all the food I put down I couldn't get a full plate of desserts. This was all I could endure. I left fat and happy. Usually when I come here here I skip breakfast and really don't eat much the rest of the day.
I have never been to the Philippines but one day I hope to. Until than this place is the closest I can get to it eating it's delicious cuisines. Well it was a success coming here and getting rid of my Friday's bad lunch experience. Here the big three elements (quantity,quality, & service) were well exceeded.
That's all I have for you today. Take care, stay safe and have a great week ahead. Until next time, Thank you/Salamat 😊
