Full-service Filipino flair

According to the Internet, the old Lutong Pinoy, a small, carryout-only joint in Madison Heights, was the place to go if you were keen on eating authentic Filipino cuisine. Reconfigured as a full-service restaurant less than a mile from its previous location, New Lutong Pinoy aims for that same distinction. 

The authenticity of ethnic restaurants is difficult to measure. Halfway across the globe, variables in fresh herbs, vegetables and availability of exotic ingredients can lead to substitutions that may alter flavor from what is common in the home country. All that a restaurant can do is practice authentic methods of preparation and find the best produce available. While we are certainly not an authority on Filipino cuisine, we can say for certain that much of the food at New Lutong Pinoy does not taste like generic pan-Asian. 

In fact, diners that are used to the bright flavors of nearby Vietnamese restaurants might wonder how the cuisines of these two Southeast Asian countries could be so different. Where Vietnamese is more often than not garnished by heaps of fresh bean sprout, basil, mint, chili peppers and cilantro, many Filipino dishes are earthy, slow-cooked stews. This is best illustrated in the popular dish adobong — meat simmered in a tangy vinegar sauce and called the quintessential Philippine stew.

But before digging into an entrée, there are plenty of tasty deep-fried goodies from the appetizer menu. We particularly enjoyed lumpiang Shanghai, a plate of a dozen, crispy, cigarillo-sized pork spring rolls served with a tangy sweet dipping sauce that has a touch of heat. If you like your spring rolls oversized and filled with chunks of carrot and cabbage that still have some crunch, lumpiang prito is a good choice. Dumplings, skewered fried fish balls, and edamame round out the list of starters. 

Pork enthusiasts will feel at home here. Pata is a mound of crispy fried pork shank with skin included. It's something like Mexican chicharron on the bone and comes with a sharp dipping sauce. You can order pork with ginger sauce or pork simmered in tomato, tamarind and even beef blood. Hedonists can order a plate of deep-fried pork belly! Is that even legal? Check with your cardiologist beforehand. 

There's beef all different ways. Caldareta na baka is a hearty dish of tender beef chunks and vegetables in a tomato sauce and not too far off from a simple chili con carne. There is beef shank in light broth and beef in peanut butter sauce and short ribs too. The four chicken dishes see as broad a range of flavors, from ginger sauce to coconut milk curry. 

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