Meng-Li's Asia Pacific Grille

Being away from the Philippines for quite some time now, every so often I crave an authentic Filipino dish. Unfortunately, my schedule does notpermit me to cook so I am reduced to looking for a Filipino restaurant here in South Florida. It is a happy coincidence there is one near my mother’s place called Meng-Li’s.

I have been eating their catered food on and off for almost a decade. Every time there is a Filipino get-together, one notices a dish from Meng-Li’s Asia Pacific Grille. The dish may be “sisig” (chicharon style dish), “mechado” (beef stew in tomato sauce), or “pancit” (Filipino traditional noodle dish). One thing is for sure, you would know it came from them because of the unique flavor of each portion.

I went there with some family members and all of us went crazy after being Filipino food-deprived for some time. The dishes ordered were pancit, “pinakbet” (sautéed vegetables in shrimp paste), “menudo” (pork stew in tomato sauce), “chicharon bulaklak” (roughly translated as deep fried flower but it is really deep fried pork intestines), and “lechon kawali” (deep fried pork belly). All of these culinary delights were accompanied by a generous helping of white rice.

The verdict? For a restaurant it is a home away from home. Meng-Li’s will remind you of your favorite turo-turo (point-point, cozy) small restaurant that you love in your neighborhood in the Philippines. The food is authentically Filipino, except for some vegetables that are not available here in the United States. Otherwise, they all taste awesome, albeit a little too oily for my taste buds. The chicharon bulaklak and the lechon kawali were deep fried to perfection. Both were crunchy and salty to the taste. The sautéed vegetables came out well-cooked and retained their natural color, making the dish very colorful. I have to admit, I wish that the shrimp paste they use were a little sweeter. The pancit is so good, it rivals my mother’s cooking. That is saying a lot, since I look up to my mother especially when it comes to her skills in the kitchen. The dish had a lot of vegetables and meat and I tasted each of the ingredients in every bite, making my tongue happy.

The staff and the owners are a friendly bunch. They know my mother, my dog and me by name already. They are outgoing and make small talk when you are there. The place looks clean and pleasant. Would I come back here? Definitely. I would love to hang out here often as there are a lot of Filipinos to socialize with. That, and when I feel too lazy to cook my own food, I know I can always come here for a yummy Filipino food.