Salo Salo: It Had Me at Pork Ribs, Calamari and Fresh Coconut Juice

Behold this massive platter with five different kinds of meat at Salo Salo Grill, a Filipino food joint with four locations throughout Southern California and Las Vegas (I went to the Artesia location). I was initially faced with the carnivore's dilemma, so to speak, but quickly went for the pork ribs and after trying all of the skewers, anointed the ribs my favorite. They were tender, sweet and savory all at the same time.

 The glaze on the skewers were a bit too sweet for my taste but the meat tasted good enough. The piles of pork meat that also came with the platter was on the dry side but still flavorful. But I was very focused on the ribs.

The platter also came with a side salad of tomatoes, onions and salted duck eggs that had been hard boiled. I must say I didn't care for the duck eggs too much. I think they're an acquired taste and I just didn't acquire it this time.

The sauces for the meat included a barbecue glaze and a vinegary sauce with some chilis floating but I didn't use them too much because after tasting it, I didn't think any of the meats really needed anything more as they were already packed with flavor.

Another winner was the fried calamari that we had as an appetizer. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and well seasoned. I'd definitely get that next time.

To balance out the strong flavors and sodium in the meat and fried dishes, we got the garlic fried rice, which was studded with little specks of fried garlic and tasted delightfully garlicky (although not as good as I remembered it from my first experience tasting my friend ET's leftovers she brought a while back).

The butterflied milkfish (never had milkfish) martinated in garlic vinegar was a bit on the bland side but a healthy alternative to the meatfest.

We also got the Beef Canton Guisado, which was a stir-fried noodle dish with beef, shrimp, fish balls and vegetables. It was ok but nothing special, as was the vegetable fried rice.

The lumpia sampler, similar to deep fried egg rolls with shrimp, meat and vegetables, was not my favorite. I'm not a big lumpia person.

 

Another treat was the fresh young coconut water, called buko, which hit the spot for this coconut water addict.

You can work your arms to scrape the flesh from inside the coconut too. It was ice cold and delicious.

We were all looking forward to the halo halo dessert of red beans and shaved ice with flan and ice cream but it disappointed. It wasn't all the sweet and there wasn't enough ice. What's up with that? I craved Korean patbingsu...

But I digress. I'll definitely be returning to try the lechon and other dishes recommended by the peeps who frequent this place. Just be prepared for some serious food comma.

Filipino Comfort Food

I don't know much about Filipino food, but the few times that I have had it, I didn't love it. I know now that it was probably because the restaurants weren't great. I found one that I liked -- Barrio Fiesta in Eagle Rock -- and I'm told Cerritos has even better ones.

Eagle Rock has a sizable Filipino population but I wouldn't have known about Barrio had it not been for a fellow foodie and Eagle Rock resident. From the outside, Barrio looks like a Mexican restaurant but step in and you will be treated to a veritable Filipino feast (like its name that means Party Town), complete with fresh lumpias and the most comforting chicken adobo.



My favorite was the chicken adobo, bone-in pieces of chicken slow-cooked to perfection in a marinade of dark cane vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and black peppercorn, among other goodies. The meat was tender with just the right acidity to balance out the saltiness. I liked the hard-boiled quail egg touch, although some of my fellow diners were grossed out by the mini eggs (their loss!). There were little treats that popped out as you lifted a chicken leg or wing from the hearty marinade/sauce. Fluffy white rice was the perfect accompaniment to neutralize this dish. It helped that the rice came in the cutest steel containers and tasted freshly made.



Just like the Sariwang lumpia. While I never shy away from deep fried foods, I liked this fresh version of lumpia better. The word, "fresh," may be a misnomer here, since it's not exactly raw like with the fresh Vietnamese rolls. Rather, it's like a thicker crepe stuffed with pork strips, minced heart of palm and other things that are all wrapped in a lettuce leaf. The crepe is then doused with a slightly sweet and caramel-like sauce made from garlic, starch and stock and sprinkled with crushed peanuts.

Another excellent dish was the chicken soup, called Tinolang manok. The stock had an exquisitely deep flavor and had an interesting mix of spinach and green papaya in it, which probably contributed to the fresh after-taste of the heart-warming soup. I can tell when good quality, fresh chicken was used from the lack of an unpleasant gamey taste or freezer smell.



The Guisadong Betchuelas (first photo), or sauteed green beans with pork and shrimp, was good - almost like a curry dish for its spice-tinged juices and melded together very well with the vegetables. My least favorite was Sotanghon guisado, a glass noodle dish with chicken, cabbage and other vegetables. I found it a tad bland and the noodles were dry and tangled.

I washed it all down with a refreshing Kalamansi, a Filipino lime drink made from a citrus fruit (I predict a summer cocktail using Kalamansi may well become the next drink du jour - maybe it already has). I was worried it'd be too sweet (from my previous Filipino dessert encounters) but the drink was just right.



All in all, a good meal (and learning experience for this Filipino food novice). Good service. Easy parking. What more could you ask for? Barrio was formerly in Glendale and moved to this location about a year and a half ago. Live music/performances on weekends. Not sure if this is for everybody, but karaoke is also available.

Barrio Fiesta
4420 Eagle Rock Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 259-5826