I'm really craving this, L&L's Chicken Katsu Mini Plate, today but of course, I ended up with Souplantation instead.

You know how when you go to a Chinese restaurant and all the other people dining there *always without fail* look at what you ordered as the dish is en route to your table? You know what I'm talking about! Sometimes, they will be walking by and they end up making a pit stop at your table and ogle at what you're having instead. But it usually happens every single time because I think the Chinese are always curious as to what you're having and what they didn't order. I'm sure we all look from time to time, especially if it's an amazingly great dish passing by but I personally don't pull up a chair and make myself comfortable while looking over someone else's meal.

So why do people exhibit the same staring patterns at places such as....Souplantation -- where everyone has the same fuckin thing on their plate? It's not like I got a secret backdoor pass to some secret salad room. It's not like I had the chef pass me some special oyster crackers for my soup. It's the same damn thing people but why do you still stare?? Ashamedly, the people who always exhibit these bad manners are usually, Chinese. And the thing is, they aren't very discreet about their stares either.

I let things like this get to me much too easily.

:::

a few drinks that we ordered. mine is in the foreground with various sago and gelatin in it. mango puree is to the left.

Southern California is home to a huge population of Filipinos. There's an area in the East San Gabriel Valley that is practically Little Manila (in fact, there's a shopping center with a street named Manila Way) where you can find restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, all catering to the local Filipino residents. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've *never* been to a Filipino restaurant before, even though there are so many here at my disposal to try. And it's not like I don't know any Filipinos either! I've tried homemade Filipino food in the form of sneaking some food from my ex-colleagues lunchboxes but to actually sit down in a restaurant and order something off the menu. Nope, haven't had the privilege yet.

So tonight, I embarked on an adventure of Filipino cuisine at a place called Salo Salo Grill and Restaurant in West Covina. On this site, I usually review all the dishes ordered and their names but this time, I didn't even look at the menu and left the ordering to a real Pinay -- so please forgive me for not having the slightest hint of what the dishes I took photos of are called! [I'm positive many of you out there will write me with the names of these dishes to educate this ignorant girl.] But I will tell you what they are and uh, my personal opinions on them. I have a feeling however that this meal isn't exactly a traditional meal because this restaurant specialized in grilled dishes and in hindsight, we should have ordered some veggies because I feel awfully constipated today.

Salo Salo Grill & Restaurant
2530 E. Amar Road
West Covina, CA 91792
626.964.4095
*corner of Nogales and Amar*
*they also have another location in Artesia*

Anyway...

started off with this soup that K (who surprised us all with his knowledge of Filipino foods) ordered. it was hella sour! they tell me that it's usually not this sour but it had okra, long beans, shrimp, and other things in it. reminded me of a thai tom yum kung but maxed out on sourness though. my lips are still puckered from last night!

this sizzling beef dish with onions in sauce turned out to be sour as well.

a dish that was very similar to the chinese roasted pork -- just ilke the one with the crunchy skin and the layer of fat underneath.

i think this dish was overall, everyone's favorite -- the sizzling octopus (cuttlefish?) dish. It was juicy, tasty and yay, not sour! :) before all you pinoy/pinay readers lash out at me, it's not that i don't like sourness but it was just different from the stuff i usually have. and i guess i just didn't expect so much tartness in filipino cuisine.

The grand finale was this badboy meat platter tray which consisted of bbq chicken, grilled pork and beef strips and delicious pork ribs. The dish in the center are sour vegetables and small fishies (tasty!). i enjoyed the ribs the best. The beef and pork strips turned out a bit dry and surprisingly again, they must have been marinated in lime juices or something because they turned out to be sour. The chicken was tasty with a slight hint of sweetness. And of course there was a bevy of sauces to dip in.

I have to say that this was a very interesting dining experience. I will have to try out other Filipino restaurants in the future and perhaps, I'll actually look at the menu and order something aside from grilled meats. Overall, Salo Salo was a really nice place for dinner, especially with a group of hungry meat loving friends. The decor was very modern with stark white walls and simple modern designs. It's not a big place, so seating is limited. Next time, I'll definitely have to order some vegetable dishes though. It was a fun experience in food that was different and new but not too too foreign that you'd be skeptical to try out.

I'm out.