Let me preface this review by saying I am not Filipino and
while I’m familiar with Filipino food, I am far from an expert and so may very
well have no idea what I’m talking about.
Am I inspiring confidence yet?
I’d walked by Fiesta Grill several times before finally
deciding to stop in for lunch. It’s very
cafeteria/buffet style where you just go up to the counter, point, pay and
they give your food in Styrofoam bowls (which I'd love if they switched to plastic) on a plastic tray. When I went, I stared at the approximately
16-20 chafing dishes of food they had out on display for about 5 minutes which really didn’t make
my choice any clearer. Approximately 75%
of it was pork and while everything has a name, there’s not much by way of
description. I ended up asking the
(brusque but very polite) woman behind the counter what their most popular
dishes were and going with that. She recommended I get the combo: rice,
2 main dishes, and a drink – all for $7! – and suggested I try the pork adobo
and lechon paksiw.
The lechon paksiw is basically a stew of roasted pig in a sweet and peppery sauce. While it was interesting to eat and I was glad I got it, it was a little too sweet for my personal taste. I definitely got a lot of pepper but then I just kept tasting what seemed like sweet milk and it was a bit cloying. Because it is roast pig, there was a lot of what I refer to as not-food. There were a lot of pieces of soft and chewy skin/fat which texturally and taste-wise, I did not care for and I ended up leaving a lot of it behind. So while it was good, and from what I can tell, pretty authentic, I just wasn’t crazy about it personally.
The pork adobo was the opposite as far as taste goes. Vinegary but well-balanced with a bit of
sweetness and pepper. It was sour, but not mouth-puckeringly so, instead, just tart and acidic. I loved it.
It was really good, flavorful but without one flavor topping or ruining everything
else. There was a lot more actual pork and less skin pieces. This is something
I would (and plan to) absolutely go back for over and over.
The rice was also good. They gave me two more than generous
scoops and it worked well with both of the dishes I had, soaking up sauce
and helping to provide a little carb balance to the meal. There were a couple
sauces on the table, including one called banana sauce that I tried with the
rice, hoping it might be a bit spicy. It smelled exactly like bananas,
but taste-wise I couldn’t find anything besides more sweetness. Between the two
pork dishes and the rice, it made for a very filling meal. I would say there
were a good 4-6 pieces of pork in each cup I got and while the lechon paksiw
had a few I didn’t eat, I was very satisfied anyway.
While I was sitting there, I noticed another man got a huge
bowl of soup that looked a lot like ramen. It smelled and looked delicious so I
asked the cashier what it was and he said it’s best just to call it Noodle Soup
and they don’t really keep it listed on their menu. Once I saw it, I immediately knew I'd be back to try it. I’ve also heard that their Halo Halo (shaved ice with sweetened
milk, dried candied fruits, seeds, etc.) is very good so I’m eager to try that
as well.
All in All:
Fiesta Grill, located at 655 Newark Ave near Journal Square,
may not be fine dining, but it is very tasty, satisfying food at an extremely
reasonable price. From what I gather, it is very
authentic cuisine and a great place to grab lunch or dinner if you’re in the area. I
will definitely be going back.
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