We were in the mood to be courageous, so we opted for a cuisine outside our normal trajectory: Filipino food at a restaurant in the East Village called Maharlika
Maharlika has gotten some positive reviews online for their brunch offerings, including their chicken and waffles and their mango-stuffed French toast. Sounds delicious and hard to resist!
When we arrived, we were told of the daily specials, one of which was the Bibingka: a coconut "bread" made of rice flour cooked in a skillet over banana leaf with cheese and an egg on top. Sounded like a winner, so of course we ordered it:
The "bread" was very similar in texture to one of my favorite Chinese pastries, but the cheese topping was a bit unusual. Although the dish was yummy, I thought it could have done just fine without the cheese (Jason doesn't eat cheese, so I assume he concurs)
For an entree, I ordered the Pampangan Sigsig with garlic rice: this is essentially a Filipino version of pork hash made with chopped pork belly, pork cheek, pork snout, and pork ear, all combined with egg, chilis, and onions.
Not too different than any pork hash, but you get an appreciation for all the different textures from the different cuts of pork
I also chose a side of the sweet pork sausage, which was delicious:
especially when paired with banana ketchup. Yup! That's right - banana ketchup!
Jason couldn't resist the idea of mango-stuffed French toast:
Yum yum! Definitely a win. Unfortunately, we were both too full by then to make much of a dent... which means someone got some great leftovers to bring home :D
Overall rating 7/10
111 1st Ave
New York, NY 10003
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