I finally made it to the first Filipino Bistro Restaurant in Stockholm. We ordered the sample platter that consisted of Spring rolls, "Lechon" roast pig meat, and Fried Chicken. That also includes the Mango Salad. And then we ordered Pumpkin with coconut milk on the side as well. And then, we ordered the "Buko Pandan" Chiffon cake for dessert. The overall presentation and the food color combination, when it was served of the dishes, were nice. However, the aroma that I was expecting to smell was not the same as any other Asian food, there was no aroma of the food when it was served. I was expecting more of the alluring and inviting aroma from a local Fil food back in the Philippines. As for the taste of the dishes we ordered, there was no wow moment in my palate I'm afraid :-(, the dishes can be of any Asian dishes and there was no touch of the iconic taste of authentic Filipino dishes. I was expecting to order Iconic dishes like "Chicken or Pork Adobo" and or the iconic "Pinakbet" when I got the chance to go to a Fil Restaurant away from home but this time was just a normal dish that any restaurant can cook and serve. There was no distinction of a dish served.
Filipino dishes are full of exciting and beautiful flavours to use especially when a dish comes from different parts of the Philippines. If a restaurant has a cook who is from the South or North of the Philippines, I think it is good to capitalize on their expertise in the way of cooking from that part of the country so we can taste the beauty of what has to offer from the authenticity part of the PHils. to market it here in Sweden.
I have been to several Asian restaurants here in Stockholm, for example, Indian food, All curry dishes can be anything but if an Indian Restaurant can serve Curry in a real Indian way makes a difference and that was what I was missing here for the Filipino dishes, there was no difference or exceptional qualities of a unique dish as compared to other Asian dishes in Stockholm. It has to offer a USP -Unique Selling Point dish to stand out and a unique experience, like I mentioned earlier, offer an iconic Adobo or Pinakbet to stand out from the rest and make use of the chef's expertise of the authenticity of the dishes. Not sure if the restaurant is promoting a Fil fusion restaurant or authentic Filipino dishes so my palate is confused and a bit disappointed.
All the staff is very friendly and kind and I believe the cook behind the closed door is also friendly. I also saw several Swedish who dined in there when I was there which made me so proud (hopefully a repeat customer in the future) since this is a pop-up kind of restaurant, the curiosity level of people is high, and if we give the taste of love at first taste will be one of the keys to the future permanent home of this restaurant in Stockholm and to put the country Philippines on the map of culinary expertise in the Nordic Region. On another point, I also would like to suggest reviewing the pricing level of each dish. This must be according to the price level of a restaurant. I find it a bit pricey – as an example, a starter dish must have a price level of a starter dish and not a full-price meal. In that way, it can be good to compare with the other restaurants in that area, it must be comparatively priced.
I believe the owner and the staff of this Fil bistro are doing their best to make this restaurant to be considered a “to go to dine authentic Filipino dishes”. I hope that this review will be considered constructive, as this is the purpose of this review. Mabuhay and More Power to a new place soon and new perfectives towards a successful Filipino cuisine place to be in Sweden.
I finally made it to the first Filipino Bistro Restaurant in Stockholm. We ordered the sample platter that consisted of Spring rolls, "Lechon" roast pig meat, and Fried Chicken. That also includes the Mango Salad. And then we ordered Pumpkin with coconut milk on the side as well. And then,...
