Palencia

I’ve been peeking through this new restaurant in the neighborhood for a while. Finally we dropped in for a late Sunday brunch. The simple decor intrigues me. The wall with a panel of shutters separates the kitchen from the dining room. We walked into Palencia with a trepidation because: 1) Castro is a neighborhood not known for exceptional restaurants. The eateries here are more for people to be seen; and 2) Filipino food, like Chinese, is often not considered as haute cuisine.

The brunch menu, which consists of rice plates with various types of meat, is deemed authentic by a Filipino friend of mine. We tried the beef tapa and pork belly tocino, which are both served with fried rice, two over-easy eggs and vinegar-mango-salsa vegetables on banana leaves. Tocino is Spanish for bacon or cured meat. In the Philippines, it is a red sweet pork breakfast dish that you must dip in vinegar. Pork belly is savory and tender, but a bit saucy. It’s the kind of dish that will whet your palate upon the first bite.

I suppose Palencia serves a finer version of the homemade (or street) food in the Philippines, as portion of either of our plates is very small at not inexpensive prices. Instead of fusion plates that cater to the American clientele that we usually experience in many higher-end Asian restaurants, they whip out some of the most authentic fares from the Philippines. Service is attentive, if short of impeccable. Overall the brunch was very pleasant and relaxing, as we dined away in the the sounds of Filipino folk music that floated gently through the small dining room overlooking the quiet 17th Street.