Our first real foray into Filipino food took place at Renee’s Kitchenette (69-14 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside), right in the heart of Queens’ Little Manila. A friend (Dan the Lawyer-to-be) introduced us to the tantalizingly juicy, garlicky, and spicy-sweet longanisa just a few weeks prior, and Señor Habanero and I loved it so much that we went on a quest to eat it again – and try some new things, too. (If you don’t know what longanisa is, PinoyCook.net has a great description, plus a recipe for a skinless version of it.)
Yep… we sampled some of this flavorful, fatty sausage from this mixed grill plate, which also included barbequed chicken and pork belly, and a side of lightly pickled radish shreds.
We really wanted to try the laing, small packets of pork-and-shrimp filled taro leaves that are cooked in coconut milk, but unfortunately they didn’t have it that day – so we settled instead for a similar (?) dish of shrimp and green beans simmered in a coconut-based broth. A friend of ours also tried the cantaloupe juice, which came with with long strands of cantaloupe flesh suspended in the liquid.
I had the goat stew. I almost didn’t get it, because I was wary of goat meat (someone said it would be tough and chewy), but I’m glad I did. It was pleasantly spicy, and the goat was nowhere near tough.
We were so full by the end of the meal that we didn’t have room for dessert. (And I was hoping to try an avocado shake!) This just gave us yet another reason to return to Little Manila and Renee’s in the future.
You are mighty brave……..goat stew! I could eat the rest of the meal though.
was it better than dan’s sausage at the bbq?
Jaymin, to be honest, I don’t remember this longanisa very well. The ones that Dan bought from Phil Am Foods on Roosevelt Ave. (@ 70th St.) definitely stand out in my memory, though.