Finally, Filipino: Lumpia at Pacific Islander Cuisine

A few weeks ago, while wandering around Midtown Global Market, the sight of a Filipino vendor stopped me in my tracks.  Unfortunately, their food options seemed limited that evening so I vowed to return.

I typically don't visit restaurants of which I read an overwhelming majority of "blah" reviews.  Which is why I never made it to the now-defunct Subo.

For years, I have enviously read about Filipino food from two of my favorite West Coast blogs, Chowtimes.com and Mmmyoso.typad.com.  Pacific Islander Cuisine offers casual and affordable Filipino options at Midtown Global Market.  Yesterday, I was rushing through Midtown Global Market in search of potluck inspiration for that evening and stopped by Pacific Islander Cuisine.  My sole mission was to order cigar-sized eggrolls called lumpia, which I have always wanted to try.  

Lumpia can be ordered 2/$1 and come with sweet and sour sauce.  The wrappers were pleasantly chewy and lacked deep-fried oiliness. However, they weren't shatteringly crisp, which I didn't mind.  The meat filling tasted of garlic and I swear I tasted the slight crunch of minced water chestnuts.  The mild sweet and sour sauce was decent but forgettable.

I am inspired to embark on my own lumpia-making adventure.  An abundant supply of homemade lumpia sure would be nice.   

Jeremy Iggers samples more items at http://www.tcfoodies.com/profiles/blogs/pacific-islander-cuisine