Platito Filipino Soul Food
- M&K
- Nov 3, 2016
- 4 min read
Filipino food often gets overlooked within the realm of Asian cuisine but has been getting increasingly popular across Toronto. With a wide range of dishes highlighting the different flavour profiles of sweet, sour and salty, Platito brings you Filipino Soul Food and an introduction to the food culture of the Philippines.
Filipino food is not widely known in Toronto because Filipino families grow up cooking their traditional dishes at home. But when Filipino's eat, they really LIKE TO EAT (confirmed by a fellow Filipina such as myself). No doubt, there's never a shortage of food and no one leaves a Filipino home without unbuckling their belt!
Filipino meals are typically served family-style where dishes are shared around the table. Platito's menu offers Pulutan (Snacks & Appetizers) and Tapas (Main Course). The menu has all the Filipino favourites including sisig, pancit bihon, kare-kare and lechon-kawali.
Review
Ukoy $5
Ukoy is shrimp and sweet potato fritters served with a chili, garlic and vinegar dipping sauce, show casing savoury flavours with a crunchy bite. This dish was an awesome starter for sharing!
Fun fact: Vinegar is often one of the most used ingredients in Filipino cuisine, giving dishes a nice, spicy kick.
Chicken Inasal $12 & Lumpia Shanghai $5
Chicken Inasal - essentially, a Filipino take on your classic grilled chicken, originates from the Visayas in the Philippines. It's a dish that is marinated in a unique blend of spices and is made "ihaw" (grilled) to give it a nice smokey flavour. Platito serves up their Chicken Inasal with atsara (pickled papaya) over a bed of rice.
Lumpia Shanghai - the Philippines version of spring rolls or egg rolls is stuffed with flavourful chorizo and served with sweet chili sauce. Served with 6 lumpia's per order, this dish was highly memorable and one of our favourites!
Pork Sisig $15
Traditional Filipino pork sisig is made of pig's face and ears on top of a sizzling plate and is one of the most popular and recognized dishes from the Philippines. Today, there are many variations on how chefs prepare and cook the dish but the best sisig is always served hot, crispy with a hint of spice!
Although the dish was plated beautifully, we found that the Pork Sisig at Platito was a little on the bland side and was definitely missing that crunch you'd expect from the sizzling plate. When a sizzling plate comes out, everyone turns their head to see the steam and to hear the sizzle from the platter - sadly, the dish missed on that point. Also for $15, the dish was a little smaller than expected.
Lechon Kawali $13
In addition to the Lumpia Shanghai, the Lechon Kawali was one of our favourite dishes from Platito. The combination of crispy lechon (fried pork belly) paired with pickled carrots and papaya was absolutely perfect. Also, the portion size was great as there was more meat leftover than rice which is never a complaint!
Rellenong Pusit $16
Rellenong Pusit also known as stuffed squid is offered during dinner and we decided to give it a try as we mostly ordered pork and chicken dishes. The dish looked amazing when it came out but fell a little flat in taste. It was on the bland side and a bit dry from the fry. The stuffing, similar to a tomato salsa gave the dish a nice, fresh balance.
Score Card
Taste [3/5] - While the flavours still reminded you of the Philippines, there were some dishes that were a bit bland or prepared differently.
Presentation [4/5] - Presentation of the dishes were stunning. However, we found that the Pork Sisig should have been presented as a hot, sizzling plate instead of a warm plate.
Environment [4/5] - The environment of Platito is modern with a Filipino touch. The restaurant comes with a nice outdoor patio and a large dining room with amazing wall art. One thing that could be improved is the lighting in the outdoor patio in the evenings!
Price [2.5/5] - We thought the pricing for lunch was affordable and great for the amount given but a little pricier for dinner. Lunch was around $11-15 per item whereas for dinner it was $14 - 16. On top of that, rice was at a separate price of $2 per bowl, so really the dinner price was just a little under $20.
Service [4/5] - No complaints in this department! We didn't have to wait or have reservations and got a great seat out in the patio.
Recommendations
Dishes to Try - Lumpia Shangai, Ukoy, Lechon Kawali and Chicken Inasal
Other menu items that we would like to try during our next visit are their brunch items: Tosilog (sweet pork with garlic rice and fried egg), Tapsilog (marinated beef with garlic rice and fried egg), and their Bok Bok Chicken & Ube Waffles (fried chicken with purple yam waffles).
If this post left you hungry and wanting to try Platito Filipino Soul Food, check out their website and social media links below:
Platito Toronto
Thanks for stopping by and happy eating!
From one munch to the next,
M&K
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