OK, so unless you're blind, you must have noticed that there are quite a few Filipinos in Kuwait City. No doubt they've come here for promised jobs and a crack at a better life for themselves and their families.
It stands to reason then, that they probably tend to prefer their own cuisine. I love Filipino food, and I had a hunch that I'd find the good stuff here in Kuwait. Well, lucky for UAL crews staying at the Sheraton 4 Points, there is a great Filipino restaurant right across the street in the indoor mall.
It's called Lutong Pinoy, and I ate there recently and got a great filling meal for about $11 (3.25 KD split between the two of us...) that included dessert!
The captain and I ate family style - we both ordered a main dish which came with white rice, and we ordered a plate of pansit, which is the classic Filipino noodle dish.
They let us sample the dishes, so don't be bashful! You wanna like what you order, and you probably wouldn't know what you're ordering unless you have a Filipino friend or relative. If you have a question, just ask! Just about every Filipino that I've run into in Kuwait speaks English, and they don't mind helping you out.
I ordered the Crab with Coconut Milk. Totally awesome!!! But this dish had the crab body meat still in the shell, so you had some sloppy work cut out for you. But I've never tasted crab this good! The meat was incredibly tender and had been marinating in a creamy rich coconut sauce, so it was worth the extra effort. But it helps to be familiar with how to eat a crab and get the meat out of all the nooks and crannies. If you've ever eaten Maryland blue crab from the shell, then you'll have no trouble with this dish. The dish was rounded out with some tasty yams and other veggies in the sauce.
The captain ordered the Chicken Menudo. Also a very good dish. It had a hint of sweet and sour taste to it.
The pansit with chicken was a great side. They made it a bit salty with soy sauce, but that also lended itself to meshes great with the other dishes. The little cabbage leafs made it just healthy enough.
For dessert we both had the traditional Filipino sweet treat - Halo Halo. This dessert is basically candied items layered with condensed milk and crushed ice. This restaurant put a dollup of strawberry ice cream on top, but that is a local touch. The sweet/candied items can be anything - fruit, beans, coconut gelatin, jelly, yams or more. It truly is a surprise when you dip your spoon way down to the bottom, cause you're not sure what you're gonna get.
To get there:
Go through the UTC main entrance and turn left at the first hall. This leads to an open area atrium with a stairwell. Take it to the second floor.
At the top of the stairs look diagonally across the atrium and you'll find Lutong Pinoy in the back corner.
Sorry for digging in before the pics, but we were hungry! On the left is the coconut crab, in the middle is the chicken menudo, and off to the right and with a portion already on my plate, is the pansit.
I am going to do some research on some of the dishes listed here on the door. The lumpia is Filipino version of a fried eggroll, but I don't know what the difference is between Shanghai and Prito.
