Stripped and distressed walls, dominated by a paint-spattered mural, are part of a casual and down-home feel - there's a tip jar labelled "tip jar" on the counter - that makes the place most welcoming, though they may need to beef up the heating as winter bites.
The night our trio ate there, Soriano was in the kitchen and Granada, who is hands-on at prep time, was a gracious maitre d', explaining the dishes' composition and provenance, which added considerably to our enjoyment of an unfamiliar cuisine.
Philippine food is influenced by that of its near neighbours, Malay and Chinese, as well as the traditions of its Spanish colonisers - the name of relyenong squid, for example, reflects the rellenos (stuffed) dishes on Spanish menus. The Professor got terribly excited when she thought they'd named a dish in my honour until I explained that the stew called caldereta takes its name from the word for a big cooking pot.
That squid, as it happens, was the standout of several excellent dishes: stuffed with garlic sausage meat known as vigan longganisa, it fairly burst with rich, peasant flavours. But even the squid could not compete with the chicken hearts, slow cooked in a style called sisig, which seems to be reserved for offal.
The generous serving, which cost only $10, had notes of chilli and citrus, was both rich and tangy, and worked well as the base of crunchy lettuce wraps. It was one of several dishes on a make-your-own section of the entree menu - another was tortillas built around beef brisket - from which a cheap meal for two might easily be composed. Of the two pica-pica (finger food) dishes, we chose, croquettes of potato and lamb shoulder, the latter cooked in its garlic and vinegar marinade in the uniquely Philippine manner called "adobo". A dipping sauce of creme fraiche with Vietnamese mint smoothed the sharpness perfectly.
Fish cooked in banana leaf with curried lentils and beans was delicious and skirt steak, served very rare in slabs on a creamy salsa verde, was the best version I've yet tried of that often-chewy cut.
I have to admit that the desserts - we tried one of each - defeated all of us: the banana parfait with a jackfruit gel was pretty fine but the sensational sweetness of a dulce de leche eclair verged on the sickly. They are for serious sugar nuts only, I suspect, though I don't doubt they were well done.
But this didn't detract from an excellent meal that opened a window on a new foodie world. Recommended.
Starters $10-$12; mains $16-$25; sides $9; desserts $11
Verdict: Smart and original Philippine food.
