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Categories: Asian Fusion, Filipino [Edit]
Neighborhood: Manhattan/SoHoCanal Street (J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6)
Canal-Church Sts (A, C, E)
Canal-Varick Sts (1)
Neighborhood: Manhattan/East Village
"Went to my first yelp party here yesterday. It was great. The service was wonderful, and there was free food and drinks. It doesn't get…" read more »
Amazing! Delicious food! I had dinner there tonight for the first time and left very satisfied. I'm a pretty touch critic when it comes to food, especially asian/filipino food and I left this place with a big fat smile on my face. The dessert was the highlight for sure! Try the Halo Halo AND the Buko Pie! Check out their website: http://www.cendrillon....
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OVERPRICED FILIPINO FOOD!!! It's a nice spot and the decor is "ethnic" enough. I have never had chicken adobo in a clay pot...there is no reason to do so; and, i'd never pay $20 for a plate of kare-kare. then again, I don't have to...I get it at home for free.
Why would you ever pay THAT much for Filipino food unless you have an Asian fetish and have no idea how to cook it, or don't live in the bay...
One Star=Filipino efforts to get into the bougie scene
One Star=The book is better then the food itself
and snaps, for Filipinos comin up in the world....
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This place has always been a favorite of mine. The lechon is the best around and the Asian short ribs come in a close second. Romy, the owner/chief, has put his creative spin into each dish and the results are phenomenal!! The atmosphere is a casual/modern mix with the mood being set by very cool lighting (seriously check out the lighting fixtures, they are truly pieces of art). I feel the prices are decent for what you get.
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Great find. I definitely want to go back to try the Halo Halo (was too full to order dessert on this trip) and other entrees. I took my dad, who grew up in the Philippines, here and was anxious to hear how he liked the food. We split the Lumpia Shanghai, Chicken Adobo, and Cellophane Noodles. The Chicken was amazing -- a very tasty and slighly modified version of the traditional Filipino recipe with soy sauce and vinegar. My dad loved it.
I came here just to try the Halo Halo, and it was amazing; a tall parfait just loaded with myriad textures and flavors, and I especially adored the purple yam ice cream, which until now I had only had in its root vegetable form. I went by myself, which is never fun, but I was completely elated by the fast, kind service that I was treated to. I plan on returning here many many many more times, as its main ingredients of curry, rice, coconut, and the like, are those that never fail to stimulate my tastebuds. A true winnner.
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it's late and i'm just off a plane from the west coast. i'm hungry. is it too late to eat something worth eating?
there's a voicemail from j - "come to cendrillon".
45 minutes later i'm eating goat curry. the horror of air travel recedes. the oxtail with fermented shrimp paste enters. god i love this stuff. romy can cook.
j matches it with savagnin from the arbois. it works. really works. the oxidized nutty wine and the acidity of the shrimp sauce marry and make out in ways i couldn't imagine. romy knows his wine too.
and the place is comfortable. like home.
tradition be damned i say.
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This is an interesting take on Filipino food. It's a Filipino fusion restaurant in SoHo & it's a pretty classy place for a Filipino restaurant (unike the typical hole-in-the-wall fast food restaurant you can usually find).
I ordered a chicken adobo & it was nothing like it. It had chicken in this interesting sinagang-like soup base with vegetables and such. I also had a really tasty buko martini & a calamansi martini, which was a little too sweet for me.
I really like this place because it's Filipino food with a twist. Make sure you check this place out!!
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And here we go again with Filipino food in NYC... it's a quest, people, it's a freaking quest, and it's tough and it's arduous and expensive to boot! But I do it for... well, I do it for myself, but if you like reading these then I guess I kinda do it for you too.
So, two things: Cendrillon is kinda Filipino. Just like P.F. Chang's is kinda Chinese food (I like to think of it as Chinese with a heavy American twist), it's Filipino with a heavy French-New American twist.
Secondly, merienda!
Merienda is the unofficial fourth meal (yes, Taco Bell, it existed amongst Filipinos long before you tried to even copyright that slogan), that magical siesta spot between lunch and dinner that is traditionally coffee hour-slash-high tea, except instead of watercress sandwiches or scones it's all snack-sized yum-yums. Think of it along the lines of tapas -- except the fact that these small plates are mostly cooked up just for merienda. A good thing to see was the bibingka, a traditionally steamed rice cake topped with fresh white cheese and egg, gets a one-up with feta and gouda and baking.
Then there's dinner. Wild boar and mushroom pizza?? Yes please!
I've also had a few specials: the bistek was restrained but cooked deliciously and the dorade with pomelo reminds me of a grilled fish cookout in the summertime. For what they have on the menu the chicken adobo is a fantastic, fantastic treatment of adobo. The black paella lacks balance to me -- how about some seasonings, eh?
But then you get to dessert and all those childhood memories with lola feeding you sweets comes rushing back. The three-sorbet parfait is one of my favorites (jackfruit, avocado, and macapuno [coconut sport] ice creams!), and the leche flan tastes just like my mom's.
Yeah, I'll come back. I'll just have kalamansi margaritas and buko rums before the meal.
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This is a cute little place, off the main streets of the SoHo shopping district. Serving fusion asian/filipino cusine.
Chicken Adobo - the chicken was great! Flavorful, not dry and over cooked. Served with rice and steamed bok choy.
Black Rice Paella w/ Seafood - This dish was very interesting. Presentation was great, but the rice was lacking. Slightly undercooked and very very salty. The seafood however was cooked to perfection and delicious.
The decor is cute and the staff friendly. I can't wait to go back and try some other menu items.
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Yummy!
I love the french/filipino fusion. Taste like my mommys home cooking, except with a little twist. I can also say that the food tastes fresh, and the use of the ingredients is top notch.
It's also at a great location cause next door is Babeland (a modern adult shop). It would be like a complete package for a hot date. Good food + good vibrators= good date. :)
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The last time i was here was about four years ago..but that was pretty much when it first opened.
I do remember loving the classy feel of the place because most Filipino restaurants I go to back home aren't as ritzy. I loved the fusion of Filipino and French cuisine and remember that dishes I had were super "sarap!!!' (delicious). Overall I remember that I really had an enjoyable experience at this restaurant.
This place is EXCELLENT ! I've only been here for merienda or to be more precise: dessert! We had a great lunch at nearby Thai Angel (see: http://www.yelp.com/bi... ) so we could not sample the Filipino fusion menu of Cendrillon.
Owner and operator Romy Dorotan was a gracious host and served up some great desserts to our party of four:
1) Halo halo
2) Kalamansi Pie (like Key Lime Pie)
3) Mango Tart
4) Buko Pie
5) Incredible hospitality!!!
I'll definitely be back! Weekends Bibingka is served. Full bar available.
Cendrillon is two doors down from Babeland (see: http://www.yelp.com/bi... ) be sure to stop in and look around!
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Its a nice little restaurant situated in soho. The inside is really nice and especially in the back where theres a sun roof.
So I was expecting really good authentic filipino food, but what a disappointment it wasnt really authentic. I later find out it was a fusion of filipino and something else. I personally dont think it works. I got this mixed noodle dish that was good but not amazing. It tasted like something I couldve gotten at a chinese restaurant. However, the dessert was quite good.
The service was alright. Im not sure if its always the same waitress or not but there was only one when i went and she was a bit bitchy. She was nice one second and then she was rude.
Overall, if you dont care that its americanized fusion filipino food, then go for it. just watch out for the moody waitress.
I love Filipino food, growing up in the bay area - hello Lumpia!!!! but coming into Cendrillon, I was not expecting your garage window cookin, and you shouldn't either. It's a little dressed up with a "fusion" twist but it's not as noticeable as your stereotypical "asian-fusion" spot.
We came in on a slow lunch hour, most of the back patio was open and the sky lighting really opens the room to an enjoyable atmosphere. I thought the main courses had more flavor and style to them than the apps (spring rolls and lumpia weren't interesting enough to fill up on em). Beers about $5 and mix cocktails a little more.
I noted the same concern as someone below that the service was slow; as we sat in a booth near the kitchen I see why... the chefs really take their time even for a 10 top showing at lunch, I was still there for over an hour, however, you're not here for a quick eat-n-run. Go in with a lase faire attitude and enjoy it, the atmosphere and the food, you'll fair better.
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Very, very, very good!
Thanks to all the amazing restaurants in Manhattan, I can only fit a merienda at Cendrillon with my BF. So this review only applies to their merienda.
The place is definitely Filipino fusion, from the decor to the food. I love the area in the back with skylight and some neat Filipino inspired decor. We had some buko drink, halo-halo, and bibingka. The buko drink is almost as good as climbing up a tree, grabbing a coconut, cracking it open with a bolo knife, and sticking a straw into it for a drink. Except this one is in a glass with ice. Very refreshing. The bibingka was served with feta and gouda cheese (instead of traditional cheddar) and baked instead of steamed. But it was a good change. I miss the fluffiness of the traditional bibingka, but the taste of Cendrillon's was terrific. The halo-halo was surprisingly traditional, but instead of the optional ube icecream and leche flan, it has both! Yumm!
The main difference with the food here and what make it more gourmet is the balance and restrain that Cendrillon exercise in their food. Filipinos have a habit of using a lot of ingredients in their food. More is better seems to be the goal. Adobo always have a lot of garlic and vinegar, and usually made with a lot of fat. Halo-halo has so much ingredients and sugar that there's barely any ice on it. Cendrillon understand that restraint works much better in elevating the food to a higher level. Thus, their food is less greasy, more lingering, and definitely memorable.
Before leaving I got a chance to compliment Romy and Amy on their excellent dishes and told them that I wish that they have a location in San Francisco. They told me the good news that they are working on it! I'll definitely be first in line on their opening night!
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The food seemed pretty authentic Asian, perhaps a bit too authentic because I definitely had to struggle with my Salted Duck because the bones were all over the place. Finally I gave up with the fork and knife and stuffed it in my mouth with my hands like a true savage. I thought it was a bit expensive given the decor and the interior. Anyway, it was good for what it's worth, but definitely not going to be a favorite of mine. Btw pretty waitress!
Upscale Filipino fare. Who knew? Look at you with your fancy pancit. It's true, Filipino food gets very little love in mainstream America, and it certainly never gets the upscale treatment. So I have to give Cendrillon credit for taking standard Filipino food and making it "cuisine." The vibe of Cendrillon is also kinda hip and cool, definitely more than a couple steps up from what you get at Krystal's or Elvie's. You'll see it in the prices too, but this place is definitely more about quality and care in preparation (this ain't your nanay's kitchen!).
The married owners and chef, Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, just published their own book, _Memories of Philippine Kitchens_. I just bought it myself and haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I'm eager to. They trace the history of Filipino food from its roots in Chinese and Spanish cuisines, and also share personal stories. Filipino food is, after all, very much associated with family and family recipes, which they've compiled and included in the book, as well.
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Upscale in terms of price, yes. Upscale in terms of taste, borderline. I grew up eating filipino food...I know what it should and shouldn't taste like. I also know that this place is a fusion so I wasn't expecting to come here and eat an authentic filipino cooking. However, when paying a lot of money for food...I expect it to at least taste good 80% of the times.
I loved the ambiance and the service, but, the food just didn't quite do it for me. For appetizer, we ordered fresh lumpia and beef tapa salad. Beef tapa salad was great...it's quite original and the beef jerky was very tasty. But the fresh lumpia disappointed. It was very bland to say the least. For entree, we got the chicken inasal and lamb shank. Lamb shank was okay. But the chicken was another strike...nothing to rave about there. For dessert , we tried the buko pie and the halo-halo. Both were good and actually tasted like your traditional filipino food.
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This was the first ever upscale Filipino restaurant I had been to awhile ago...because at the time I had to know ... ARE there upscale Filipino restaurants...? Nevertheless, it didn't disappoint. They took the traditional dishes and changed it just a little - so subtly, in fact - that it modernizes Filipino cuisine without making you feel like you've missed out on the original. I love it here, I come by every time I'm in town. And the deserts are just as good.
I've been fortunate enough to come here during the lunch hours when the crowd is small. The staff was so nice to us. And the decor of the place is this blend of being Spanish and rustic. It's really nice and relaxing.
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It's a nice restaurant, with friendly staff, especially the owners. The atmosphere is nicer than other Filipino restaurants I've been to. The food was very good, not quite authentic but good. The chicken I expected to be more sweet but it was loaded with vinegar. The halo halo was very good. I'll be back, and SOHO is a nice place to walk around before dinner. Oh yeah, the martini menu is unique and some really good ones.
A complete roller-coaster ride! This past saturday our (smaller core) group of foodies piled into Cendrillon to get over the Sapa experience - but the gods were still not smiling favorably.
We did have high expectations as most of the top restaurant owners (including Jean Georges) have reportedly dined at Romy Dorotan's restaurant (named after the French ballet about Cinderella) that serves Filipino food made with the principles of French cooking.
Having yelped before coming here, I did order the Chicken Adobo (vingear, soy, garlic, chillies) as entree and the Goat Curry (with Chutney, plantain), while friends ordered the special (Pork Belly), the Beef Tapa Salad, Lamb Shank...
While we were seated by 8:25 pm - our first appetizer (singular) arrived at 9:15 pm. Considering that it was Goat Curry, it seemed difficult to imagine that it hadn't been batch prepared. We waited 15 minutes for our second appetizer - but no sign of the third one (Beef Tapa) - Couple of complaints to the server get a brush-off: "We are really busy tonight, so many people came in at the same time as you". We try to be sarcastic by asking for the dessert menu to get a head start on that, atleast.
So, there are hungry people on the table, but amazingly keeping patient. We are, however, whiling time by deciding on the tip: 25 cents says one (as is apparently the tip for shoddy service in some countriesy), and we nod in agreement.
By 9:45 pm we have an operational plan to run this restaurant better - either reduce the number of items on the menu, or increase the size of the kitchen, or reduce the number of tables, add to the serving staff, etc. Mind you, we are still unsure as to where the bottleneck is: Serving staff (we have only seen one waitress) or Kitchen (as the server has hinted at).
Finally, at 10:05 pm (an hour and forty minutes later, still an appetizer short and no entrees yet), my friend who is built like a Centurion from the Roman Empire movies, decides enough is enough - he goes to talk it over with the management/anyone. We wait - after 5 minutes he comes back saying the entrees should be here shortly, and we will get complimentary desserts.
Voila, within a few minutes, the waitress is back - with our entrees, profusely apologetic. But hold on, while we do have our entrees, she had just cleared the appetizer plates off our table...and so, there are no forks to start our meal - you can picture smoke coming from our ears at that moment: ultimately after 2 hours, we are served food - but the cutlery has disappeared!
The waitress is frantic, and she rushes to normalize everything. We commence our food - which is reaally good! The pork belly was apparently exceptional, while I really liked the Adobo, similar was the case with the Centurion's Lamb shank.
By now, our waitress has become a "sorry person" - i.e. she appears every few minutes to apologize. Now she's coming with a round of free drinks (not promised earlier)... and she's back again to fill our water glasses... and yet again with another apology - we find out that not only is she the only server in the restaurant, but she is also minding the bar, and running the cash register and billing the guests!!!
Our (free) desserts arrive and they are good - the Kalamansi (lime) Meringue pie (best of the three served), the Buko pie (coconut with vanilla bean icecream), and the Blueberry and Purple yam tart with coconut sorbet.
Help (not the salaried kind) is now arriving from everywhere - to clear the table, bring the bill, ask about the food etc. - as the desserts and the drinks turned out to be free our bill for three ended up amazingly at $100 - we take brief counsel and agree that they've done enough to merit leaving a tip - we ended up at 20%.
Having made up for their extreme sloppiness earlier, I will put in a good word for them: food was very,very good - but whether I'll be back is another story.
Certainly do not frequent them on a Saturday. They just aren't geared for it.
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Not a fan of the food, but like the drinks and the bibingka. The owners get 5 stars because they are fantastic. But the food? Eh. Hike over to Elvie's for something cheap and filling. Keep this place for the after work drinks. Or try Kuma Inn for some more interesting "upscale" Filipino tapas (with Thai influences).
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The decor of this place is very comfortable and relaxing. There were 3 of us so we wanted to try almost everything cuz everything on the menu sounds delicious. For appetizers, we ordered the squash soup with crab dumplings and spring rolls. I would give it 5/10 because it's good but not great like a must order dish. The chicken adobo is their signature dish so that is a must to try. the salted duck and their special of the evening, beef steak were good, too. I must say we ordered quite a lot of meat but it was all very satisfying and we were soo stuffed in the end. But, there's always room for dessert and again that is another tough decsion cuz I wanted to try everything. In the end we ordered the Kalamansi with guava sorbet, mango tart w/mango ice cream, and the hot chocolate rice pudding with coffee ice cream. I would rank the desserts with the mango tart on top and the hot chocolate rice pudding on the bottom. I think I'll definitely go back to try the other desserts and cocktails on the menu. I only ordered the Coco Loco which is coconut sorbet with vodka. They have other sorbet martinis that were very tempting but I was too full to try everything they have. However, I must say this place is quite expensive for the food. I guess that's the only downside to this place. But other than that, the service and everything else is pretty good. I will go definitely go back, but mainly for the desserts and cocktails.
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Really, really good Filipino food. We tried this place a few years ago for a holiday luncheon at work and I remember that we all loved it. The staff was pleasant, the atmosphere was homey and relaxed. We had huge table under the skylight we had a wonderful time.
Haven't gone back since, but we decided to have it today for our bi-weekly office lunch. This time I had the chicken adobo and it was excellent! I was torn between that and the baby back ribs adobo, I'll get that next time, sounds delicious! A co-worker had the beef tapa salad with tomato salsa which was also very tasty.
The prices range from $6-$7 for appetizers and $8-$12 for salads, noodles and meat dishes. Well worth it.
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Fancy Filipino food? I didn't believe it until I ate here. The food was a cleaner, less greasy version of childhood favorites. I usually feel a little weird inviting a non-Pinoy to a Filipino meal as it's generally something one needs to build up to, but I would have no qualms about bringing anyone here. The lechon is crisp, tender and my lips don't shine after I enjoy it! Plus, there are plenty of leftovers to share.
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I've never really been a fan of Filipino food, always a little too heavy and greasy. Cendrillon, a Filipino restaurant with Asian-fusion touches, proves me wrong.
If you haven't tried Filipino food before, this is the place to do it. A lot of the menu might be unfamiliar, so if you're the adventurous type, you'll be tempted to order everything. I would recommend going with a large group so you can eat family-style and sample a large variety of their menu. Ask the waiter, or just dive right in, you really can't go wrong. And although it's easy to over-indulge from the dinner menu, be sure to save room for the fabulous desserts.
The exposed brick walls, bamboo and wood accents, soft candle light and tall ceilings makes for a very pleasant earthy atmosphere. The staff is friendly and laid-back, talking to them, you can tell they are passionate about the food here. Cendrillon has a the vibe of a friendly family-run restaurant, where every dish is prepared with love. You don't get that feeling from many Manhattan restaurants.
So if you're in the mood for something entirely different than the typical Manhattan dinner out, try Cendrillon. Go with an open mind and an empty belly, and you'll be pleasantly surprised.
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Tasty Southeast Asian food mostly from the Philippines.
YUM!
Try the Chicken Adobo and the pot-o-black rice with seafood!
Went here before a show next door and the staff made sure to be swift so we could have time to enjoy the meal.
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Filipino food is a rarity ever since I left home some 13 years ago. Even when I visit, we don't eat filipino food b/c frankly, I typically just don't like it. Often heavy or too saucy and meat oriented, it doesn't sit well with me anymore. BUT, on the urging of a friend, I tried Cendrillon recently for a lunch. And it was TASTY!
The chicken adobo was tart and tangy in the vinegar-heavy way but that's how it should be. Not exactly like my grandma's cooking, but that's always the case, isn't it? The buko drink was divine. The fresh lumpia (all veggies, not fried) was awesome. The rest of the menu sounded oh so appetizing. Trust me, I'm not exaggerating here. I'll eat here again and again when I come back to town. For a different flavor set, try filipino food. And try it here.
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I have to take exception to all these positive reviews. Not that I am a big fan of Filipino food, and am by no means an expert, but my Filipino friends tell me they prefer Bayan and Crystal. I have eaten take out several times from Bayan (east 40's) and it was hands down better than Cendrillon--which I found greasy, heavy and dissapointing.
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Filipino food with a nicer presentation than most of the filipino restaurants I've been to (there aren't too many). The food is surprisingly light without tasting watered down. The owner is pretty nice, you feel welcomed.
Summer drinks to try - kalamansi juice (kinda like a more tart lemonade) or buko. Plus if you like good beers, they have a little more than heineken here. Art is usually showcased on the walls.
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I've never really been a fan of Filipino food as a cuisine, but don't get me wrong I grew up eating this fattening staple. I've always had the perception that Filipino food was never taken seriously in the US and allot would claim it a greasy Cal-Mexican dining. I've eaten at allot of Filipino restaurants in the Los Angeles area and most are the same in taste, which the taste is oily and greasy taste due to deep frying and using too much cooking oil.
So I'm in the NYC just recently and a buddy who is from Woodside Queens took me to Cendrillon in Manhattan. I thought it was some new Euro-French- Creole restaurant. So by the time we got inside and we were seated I was telling myself this is neither of those types of foods. "This is a Filipino restaurant bud!" He did not tell me this was a Filipino restaurant. I was slightly disappointed at first, because I can eat this in California anytime I want to, but by the time we ordered I was proven wrong. No greasy residue on my fingers, and the service for us was really good. The owners seem to be cultured in variety of foods internationally, and I think they are "expats from the Philippines". The staff seems to be all related or really close friends. I was really impressed by the service and food's presentation; they took their time to please the patrons. No this is not Jollibee or Max's fried chicken and the food is not cooked like a typical Filipino dish. The dish I ordered for dinner was for appetizers, I ordered a custom spring roll with papaya relish, for the main dish, I tried chicken adobo, and for dessert Halo-halo (Ice desert with candied fruits and coconut sport), leche flan and I also ordered buko (young coconut) juice. Wow I never knew Filipino foods can taste unique at Cendrillon. When I go back to NYC, I will go back to dine at Cendrillon. I can't emphasize enough that this is my pick for Filipino cuisine. Five stars!
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Food was ok, had better asian fusion food before. My husband loved the liquer drink lambanog.
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My wife, step-daughter and I live in Scotland and we were on holiday last week in New York. We visited this restaurant on a Sunday night around 7.00pm. The restaurant was fairly quiet.
The food was good, and in particular the vinegary chicken adobo. The portions were quite large in size so the three of us shared two appetizers, two entrees and three desserts. In addition we had delicious cocktails that had a fruit/spicy twist to them.
The service was excellent. The waitress who served us was very friendly, informative and helped us with the menu items as this was our first time in a Filipino restaurant. The owner even had a brief chat with us.
Worth a visit.
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i love love love this filipino restaurant with a french twist. the chicken adobo is the BEST...simple yet full of flavor! plus the service was excellent. the owner knew we were tourists, so he gave us a variety of dessert on the house. i've never seen filipino dessert presented in such a delicate & beautiful manner! plus they tasted GREAT!
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