Manila’s BBQ Stop

This time I had the pork stew again and a mixed veggie dish cooked with anchovy paste.
Pork Stew — As flavorful as the last time I ate it. This will probably be a regular for me here.
Veggies cooked in Anchovy Paste — This was interesting. It was assorted veggies (string beans, okra, and LOTS of pumpkin) cooked in anchovy paste. It had a very pungent smell and slightly fermented /​rotten taste due to the anchovies. If you can handle fish sauce, shrimp paste, and stinky tofu, you should try this dish… you may like it. I eat all the above so it was fine for me except for all the pumpkin chunks (I’m not really into pumpkin). Again, this dish is not for everybody but if you’re an adventurous eater and have an open mind or you just like to try new things, you should try this.
This time I came on a weekday in the evening and it was empty. It seems this place doesn’t get much traffic and you could tell the items have been on the steamer for a while if not all day. From now on, I’m going to stick to lunch for this place just because of the freshness issue though the pork stew tasted the same during their dinner hours.

This place is next to my favorite Turkish gryo place. Every time I came, I just had to look in. I kept saying should I go in and try this place out.
Finally after a long day of fishing. I went to get a gryo platter and decided to go into Manila’s and give it a try. I ordered the pork stew and beef and pork item. Sorry I forgot the name.
Now for the taste test.
I gave the pork stew a try and I liked it. I then tasted the beef and pork and I also liked it. While I kept tasting and tasting I thought the pork stew was the better out of the two. Both are very flavorful and tasty. Maybe it was the sweetness that drawn me closer to the pork stew.
As stated in other reviews I like the fact there is more options of different ethnic food coming in to Long Island.
You will see me back Manila.

I haven’t been out to this place since last Fall. I usually head out here for lunch from work on nice days on one of my motorcycles but with the Winter and (so far) chilly Spring we’ve had I haven’t had much opportunity. Today was a (relatively) warm and sunny day so I had to head out for some «native cuisine.»
Brief background here: I am ¾ Filipino and ¼ Québécois (French Canadian). My mother is ½ and ½, and my father was born in the Philippines. I was brought up on Filipino food so I jump at the chance to have it (when I’m not cooking it myself).
Manila’s BBQ Stop has a wonderful «Pot Luck Lunch Special.» I say this because it is any two dishes plus rice but I never know what the two dishes are till I see them behind the glass. Today I had the dinuguan and menudo (no, it’s NOT a boy band from Puerto Rico) with rice and a can of iced tea. Total bill came to $ 8.65, and I left the $ 1.35 change for the tip. Good food and a decent quantity for a measly ten bucks? Not bad at all.
Centereach isn’t exactly around the block from my office, but on a good day there is no traffic and the roads are WIDE open with the exception of the last mile or so on Route 25. Since I don’t have to wait for the food to be prepared I can easily get in and out of there during a regular lunch hour. It’s NOT «fancy» but it’s «homey» and it always brings me back to my childhood with my Dad’s cooking.

Thanks Nicole C for bringing my attention to this new find on LI :)
I’m very pleased that a filipino place opened up — EXCITING! It’s about time Long Island! ! !
The first time I came here I was warmly greeted by a woman who obviously felt a strong urge to discuss the degree of slant and squint in my eye in order to determine the type of Asian I am… Classic stuff.
Chinky eyes aside… I bought several dishes to-​go including the fried salted vinegar fish (a must have), adobo chicken (another must have), bbq chicken, and a couple other dishes. The food was good, but I did feel like most of the stews had a little too much oil. I put my leftovers in the fridge, the next day it was just coagulated fat.
Fat aside. The food here is solid. Reminds me of my friend’s Lola’s cooking. I give an extra star for the rarity of this on LI.
I can’t wait to go back to try the Halo Halo!

I’ll admit I don’t know too much about authentic Filipino cuisine, but I’m an adventurous eater and always willing to try new things. I walked into this bodega-​style joint and the only people dining here are Filipino. Always a good sign!
They have a mini-​mart on one side, and they serve at least a dozen different dishes (prepared fresh daily) behind their steam-​counter setup. It took a little while to get the woman’s attention, but once I got it she was friendly and took the time to describe the different foods. I’m not kidding when I tell you I wanted to try EVERYTHING!
We ordered the «Pancit Malabon» (stir-​fried cellophane noodles) and 2 Combo Meals (rice & your choice of 2 items — $ 6.95). The first one with Chicken & Tomato Stew and Fried Whole Fish. The second one with Butternut Squash & String Beans in Coconut Sauce and Marinated Sliced Beef & Onions. Everything was DELICIOUS. However, I don’t think their steam-​counter was working because she had to heat the items in a microwave? Boo. :(
We also ordered their «Heavenly Halo-​Halo.» Like I said, I don’t know much about Filipino food, but Halo-​Halo is something I’ve had many times. It’s a dessert (duh, that’s why I know about it) with layers of exotic fruits and various jellies & tapioca, topped off with shaved ice & evaporated milk, topped off with UBE ICE CREAM. OMG. It really WAS «heavenly!»
It always makes me happy when new foods come to Long Island. If it wasn’t for the microwave ordeal, I could’ve hit this place with 5 stars…

This is a new place in a strip mall on Route 25 in Centereach.
It’s not a fancy sit down restaurant with waiter service, but more like a Filipino version of the many Latin American bodegas that can be found around Long Island. They do have seating — table space for maybe about 20 people. Although the décor was not at all fancy, the place was clean and bright.
The woman behind the counter was very friendly, and glad to explain what the various dishes were. LoL! She gave a big smile when I mentioned the one Filipino delicacy I had tried years ago and that I had visited the Philippines. She said she did not really like the particular delicacy, Balut. I won’t explain what Balut is, if you are adventurous, look it up ;-)
I enjoyed the food. The portions were generous. I can’t vouch for the authenticity of the food, but it seemed to check out with my two Pinoy (Filipino) friends that were with me.
I don’t have time to type more right now… I’ll try to add more later!
Oh — their web page seems to be under development. There’s more on their Facebook page: