Filipino food is one Asian cuisine whose presence has been lacking in Toronto’s restaurant scene, however that’s quickly changing. The growing popularity of all things ube (purple yam) is a testament to the great Filipino restaurants that have opened the past year. One of these new hot spots is Platito on Baldwin street, who’s serving up Filipino soul food with warm service and a great DJ. I had the chance to try out a few existing menu items and a couple of new dishes being released in the future.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Atmosphere: Platito took over the space on Baldwin that used to house Agave Y Agucate. The space has been completely renovated, including usable tables across from the bar and a stunning painted wall mural on the second floor. Platito also had an outdoor front patio, and a covered backyard patio, perfect for private events. Natural light flooded in from the large front windows. With a DJ on deck, the atmosphere was lively and fun.

Food: It was a sweltering hot day when we stopped by and dinner began in the best way possible, with an Ube Milkshake and pitcher of Sangria. The thick and creamy lavender milkshake had scoops of ube ice cream, topped with fresh whipped cream and an ube wafer straw. In contrast, the sangria was refreshing, crisp and just the right about of sweetness, a perfect thirst quencher.

Platito’s menu consists of mostly tapas style dishes, meant to be shared family style. Between four people, we split 6 dishes, which was far too much food. The first dish out was Pork Sisig Tacos, an homage to the building’s previous Mexican incarnation. I loved the crunchy, sweet sisig with the fresh toppings and a squeeze of lemon. This is one of the new dishes to coming to the menu, and I think a great addition.

Next was a stewed beef dish in a spicy coconut sauce, Bicol Express, one of my favourites of the night. I really enjoyed the combination of shrimp paste and coconut in the sauce, which was flavourful and lip-smacking good. Those red chilis were also spicy. Each time we hit one, a big gulp of milkshake was required. The next dishes we tried were BBQ Pork Skewers and Chicken Inasal, grilled chicken served with shredded, pickled papayas. Both items were tender and had a mix of sweet and savoury.

My other favourite dish was the signature Pork Sisig, served with hot peppers and a fried egg. This was another dish where the peppers packed a lot of heat. I loved the yolky egg and creamy mayonnaise, which created a nice sauce when all mixed together with the sisig. Our last savoury dish was a pyramid of Veggie Lumpia, crispy, lightly fried and drizzled with a sweet, spicy sauce.

For dessert, we tried the Ube Waffle and Ice Cream with Macapuno. Even though I was very full, I still had room for my share.

I had the chance to chat with one of the owners at Platito’s and the restaurant was truly a family affair. It was clear their aim was to create a comfortable, fun spot to share their take on classic Filipino dishes with the city. Overall, dinner at Platito served up delicious food, the kind of recipes passed verbally through generations, great music, and a stocked bar.

Tito Ron’s began in 2015 as a pop-up for Chef Tristen to share her love of lumpia, a filipino spring roll, with Toronto. Run by Chef Tristan and her fiance Michael, Tito Ron’s combines Caribbean flavours with traditional Filipino comfort food. After a year at food festivals and their recent successful Kickstarter campaign, Tristen and Michael have found a permanent home in Kensington market to continue developing their recipes and sharing the delicious results. I was invited Tito Ron’s new digs for an intimate lumpia tasting.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Tito Ron’s has moved into the shared space of 214 Augusta Ave, where many other Kensington Market favourites had their start like Seven Lives. The space was cosy with a handful of seats near the back. A chalkboard sign listed the daily menu behind the custom, hand-painted counter. Michael hosted and introduced us to each dish, while Tristen put together each tasty bite. In general, all of the lumpia were crispy with thin wrappers and not too oily. I did prefer the sweet fillings over the savoury ones.

Jerk Chicken Adobo Lumpia – Filling of chicken thighs marinated in jerk seasoning, cooked in a Filipino adobo sauce, served with house hot sauce and achara (pickled pineapple slaw). I would say this was the safest choice on the menu with milder flavours. For me, I enjoyed the lumpia with an added dollop of hot sauce.

Channa Lumpia – Vegetarian friendly filling of chickpea mixed with Caribbean curry, served topped with sweet tamarind bbq sauce and achara. The tamarind flavour in the sauce was strong and went well with the seasoned chickpeas.

Tocino – Sliced pork shoulder, marinated with a combination of pineapple juice and soy sauce to create a wonderful balance of sweet and salty. The pork shoulder was then fried and served as sliders on a Caribbean Tennis Roll. Delicious. The tocino can also be ordered on rice.

Lechon Kawali – Tito Ron’s version of Lechon includes double frying the pork belly skin to maximizes crispiness. Pictured below is a half portion of the Lechon (we had lots of samples to get through).

Purple Plantain Lumpia – Filled with Ube Halaya (a Filipino dessert made with purple yam) and topped with mango condensed milk and plantain chip butter crumble. The filling was sweet, earth and similar to taro. While the topping was a handful to say, it was crunchy, buttery with a hint of the plantain taste. I was reminded of a caramel brittle. While the tropical ingredients were hard to discern, it was amazing.

Sweet Potato Pudding Lumpia – Filled with sweet potato and topped with a spiced coconut caramel drizzle and plantain chip butter crumble. Again, the topping was complex, but similarly mouthwatering. I liked how the lumpia itself wasn’t too sweet, creating a great base for the topping.
In addition to the food, I loved the fresh cantaloup juice, served with a frozen cantaloupe ice cube. Tristen continues to expand and refine Tito Ron’s menu and I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with. Filipino food is still one cuisine that’s beginning to come to life in Toronto and as an eater, I’m eager to learn more about it.

I’ve always been curious about Filipino cuisine, mostly the lechon, but I’ve never really had the chance to explore and enjoy it. When I received an invitation for a blogger event at Casa Manila, I was excited. Once I found out dinner was going to be a family style Kamayan, where we pigged out with our hands, the excitement grew.

Disclaimer: All drinks and dishes were provided free of charge by the restaurant. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Casa Manila Owner Mila hosted our dinner and explained how her passion for Filipino cuisine grew with each visit back home. She offered history on every dish, Filipino cuisine and her love for feeding her customers was palpable. Casa Manila strives to make Filipino food accessible to everyone with pictures of every dish in the menu, chicken and beef alternatives for traditionally pork based dishes, cooking with no added msg, creating food that’s high on flavour and low on salt.

Mila has also been working on ways for customers to bring Filipino flavours to their own kitchen with a line of traditional sauces and ice cream. That night, we were able to sample the Adobo (fat free, vegan), Creamy Coconut Ginger (No MSG, gluten free, vegan) and Savoury Peanut Sauce (No MSG, gluten free). All three sauces are made with natural ingredients and need to be refrigerated to minimize the use of preservatives.

The sauces can be used in cooking, simply stir fry your protein and vegetables before adding a dollop or as a dipping sauce for skewers. I brought home a bottle of the classic Adobo and have been using a spoonful to flavour noodles, so simple, so quick and so delicious.

Our feast began with Calamansi Mojitos and a can of Royal Tru, an orange soda by Coca-Cola company that is only available in the Philippines. The food at Casa Manila aimed to be authentic, like the kind you’d eat at your grandmother’s house. Like all grandmothers, Mila made sure we were stuffed, every time I thought the meal was done, another dish was brought out. Even when the Halo Halo dessert was served, there was more tea and ice cream.

We had two appetizers, a sour tamarind soup with lots of root vegetables and chicken cracklings. The chicken skin was crispy and topped with the light, tangy adobo sauce. Then it was time to prep for the Kamayan. The table was laid out with banana leaves, our “plates”, and we were provided large wooden spoons to scoop food from the middle platter closer to us. The giant platter of food came with:

Inihaw Baka – Sliced grilled beef ribs, had more tang and less sweet vs their Korean counterpart
Lechon Kawali – Crispy pork belly, very similar to Chinese roast pork but even crispier
Flying Tilapia – Deep fried whole tilapia with sides filleted into wings, this was amazing with the savoury peanut sauce, super crispy and tender
Hilaw Manga Insalada – Green mango salad

All of the meat sat on a bed of addictive garlic rice. The current price for the Kamayan meal is $26/person (minimum 4 order) and the platter is weighed for the number of people. There is also a wide variety of add-ons including Sizzling Pork Sisig. This was one of my favorite dishes of the night, crispy, covered in sauce and savoury.

After all that food, there was still Halo Halo, shaved ice topped with a dozen ingredients including fruits, sweet beans, custard, purple yam and Casa Manila’s own taro ice cream.

Our meal was a feast in every definition of the word with authentic flavours, rich sauces and a generous host.