Is Filipino food embarassing?
I have read statistics that Filipinos are the #1 ethnic minority in Seattle, more in number than Chinese even. And yet, just TRY to find a Filipino restaurant! I know of (counting) 6 places - 3 of which have the same owner. So, basically, 4 restaurants, and 2 "branches".
In contrast, I *think* Seattle has more than 6 Chinese restaurants. Just my gut instinct. Hell, Seattle has more TURKISH or GERMAN restaurants, and there aren't nearly as many of those ethnicities around.
I find the situation similar in most major cities, including Honolulu, with its 28% Filipino population. What's the deal? I love Filipino food, and given the mainstream popularity of Thai (and now Vietnamese lately), it should be quite popular...even among suburban white folks. So why are Filipinos so averse to running restaurants?
[SHORT ANSWER (from Filipino friends) is that Filipinos are the ultimate US wannabes; that they're more likely to open a Jewish deli or a burger stand than a Filipino restaurant. Maybe some truth here, but I'd say the same about Vietnamese, and there's no certainly shortage of THOSE restaurants about.]
I really don't see why we don't have 200 or 300 Filipino restaurants here. I believe the population is greater than Vietnamese and Thai COMBINED.
BTW, I'd appreciate it if anyone knows a few more. I only know of:
Rios - International District
Inay's takeout - in Uwajimaya; branch of Rios
Inay's Manila Grill - U-District; ditto
?name - one more in U-District [something with an "s", I think. "Sari Hut" maybe?]
Kusina Filipina - somewhere on Beacon hill
?name - take out stand in Pike Market
BTW, was the "old" Inay's - also on Beacon Hill - where Kusina is now? If not, is there some OTHER Filipino restaurant in their old location?
Thanks!
side dish
Dec 23, 2002 03:04PM
I can't shed any light on why there aren't more Filipino restaurants, but I do have a question regarding the ones that already exist: What's good to eat there? I've tried Inay's in the U District once, and one of the things I had (sorry, can't remember what it was) was so undelightful that I haven't been able to go back. I know what adobo's all about (and enjoy cooking it), but what else is worth trying?
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I tried the Rios buffet once, and thought that EVERYTHING there except the pancit (chow mein) stunk!! But then I tried Inay's in Uwajimaya - my god, everything I try there is PERFECT.
For $4.95 most days you can get a combo of pancit, rice, and one of the 8 or so stew-like entrees (two a day chosen as specials; selection rotates daily). The Adobo was spectacular; the Chicken Apritada better, and the Guisantes sublime. I think Pecadillo was the only thing I found bland. But only bland - not out-and-out BAD, as at Rios.
Imagine my surprise when the girl told me they were the same place!
BTW, I haven't tried any of the a la carte items (okoy [fritters], shishkebab, sausages), so I can't comment. They look good, tho.
Nor have I tried many desserts. The bibinka (big round ones on the case) look spectacular, but proved to be rather dull, at least to my taste. I ended up adding more sugar and cheese when I got home.
But the main dishes...OH-LA-LA!
As a general rule, I would recommend anything BRIGHTLY COLORED. The stuff that looks like Thai curry. In contrast, the black/brown dishes tend to be heavy, greasy, blobs of meat fat (with the exception of Adobo, of course). If you like, say, pork rinds, you might like them. Me, I stick to the flouresent veggie-heavy stuff.
I've never eaten anywhere but these 2 places. The counter in Pike Market looks extremely unappetizing, all the moreso after being spoiled at Inay's.
I mean to make a trek to the other 2 (Kusina, Sari-whatever) one of these days, tho.
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i'm familiar with the food's of the island's. i invested in one of the first filipino restaurants that opened in new york city in 1952 called the "Phillipine Hut" on 47th street between 6th and 7th avenues. it was successful for three years until it lost it's lease and i arrangeged for my partner to work in the "hawaiian room" at the lexington hotel. in hawaii there are many fillipino restaurants that do well and i started a business making sausage and balotes that are still doing very well sending the balotes all over the mainland. in seattle we have had over a dozen attempts starting up various filipino restaurants, sausage makers and bakeries. baked goods of many types are available at central market in shoreline from rolls, cream puff's and empaladas and various jellies and candy as well various sausage products in the freezer and deli sections. i feel that if and when the time comes for some experienced chef operator decides to open a real place it will follow the success of my favorite place the "maylasian satay" restaurant that is probably the best outside maylasia now with 2 locations both special. the most successfull restaurants in asia that offer fillipino, maylay, singapore, indian and chinese food as well as a full european menu have been operated traditionally by filipino-chinese and maylay-chinese seamen who entered the restaurant business in the late 1940ties and 50ties all over asia especially hong kong and do extremely well.
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Irwin, I question your assertion that there are "many" Filipino restaurants in Honolulu. In my day there were only 4 or 5 worthy of a phone book listing, and probably a couple dozen more running out of people's garages (thinking Kalihi here). Still, not even CLOSE to the number of Thai restaurants around, despite a population ratio of like 4000-to-1.
By the way, don't mean to crossthread, but you just mentioned Hawaiian food, so could I ask whether YOU might have a list of places current in Honolulu? For that matter, in NYC and elsewhere as well?
We really need a Hawaii board here!
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Linked below is the Elsewhere in America board where you'll find many discussions of food in Hawaii in progress and to post your question about Filipino restaurants in Hawaii.
Link: http://chowhound.com/boards/else/else...
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Ahhh, very nice. Thank you!
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You're welcome!
To circle back to your original question, I find it curious too that there are so few Filipino restaurants in Seattle. On the SF Bay Area board, I've been posting over the last several months on the Filipino food I've found in the town of Vallejo that has less than 150K residents. So far I've stumbled upon 7 independent restaurants, plus LingNam, Goldilocks and Jollibee's which are Manila chains, a bakery, and 4 grocery stores. That struck me as an extraordinary concentration in this little burg. Seems that whatever the reasons might be in Seattle, the reverse is happening in Vallejo!
I'm just learning about Filipino food myself. There are some amazing posts by RST on the Chicago board that I've found highly educational.
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MELANIE: i'm curious if your aware of the similarity of evolvement in the ethinic dishes from the phillipines, japan, china, macau and hong kong that are based upon the influence on cusines brought about by the jesuit priests to these cultures. the many types of pasrties such as the common use of the word "pan". tempura [fried in dough or batter], abdobo. viga dos, types of sausage, egg tarts, curry puffs, jellied and colorfull desserts, vinegar, spices, chili peppers all started with priests from spain and portugel carried foward to being generally accepted in most regions of asia and india.
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As a relative Filipino newbie in Seattle, I do find it unsettling that my co-workers love filipino food and yet, I can not, for the love of God, really recommend a good Filipino restaurant around the area. Theories have always abounded in my brain on why we don't have good restaurants. It's hilarious that some people, or even Filipinos, for that matter, think that's it about being too assimilated. In fact, my own theory is quite the opposite precisely because we are not mainstream and are afraid to do so. There is some truth to the embarassment concept. Us Filipinos are notorious for the concept of 'hiya' which could be interpreted as reticent shyness but in all honesty, it really is about being afraid to embarass yourself and hurt your pride in the process. I know it totally sounds bizarre to the American mind but it works for our culture. But getting back to the food, a lot of our dishes border on the high 'gross-out' factor for a lot of Americans, as seen, for example in Fear Factor, with the balut (duck embryo)episode that scared the bejeezus of pretty much everyone except for me....I was salivating. There's also dinuguan, sisig and all the intestine stuff that might not be palatable to a non-Filipino taste bud. It embarasses us that everyone else find it gross and we find it so delicious. It embarasses us that we've gotten notices from the apartment landlords because we are frying 'tuyo' and it supposedly stinks up the whole place. So I guess forgive us for sticking to ourselves. That's why the catering business abounds. We are at home only when we are 'at home' precisely because we don't quite fit, which for me is nothing wrong. What is wrong though is that if we become too insular, we loose that cultural identity that goes with food because you don't build a critical mass outside your race here in Seattle. A lot of the younger Filipinos that grew up here haven't even tried the more obscure yet incredibly tasty regional dishes found in the Philippines. That's why I go home every year. That said, what we need is a vision. We need Filipino restaurants that is not Americanized but is catered to the American way of eating either like a deli, which Kusina Filipina, Inay's, D'Unik, and all the other delis in Silverdale, Federal Way and Tacoma delis cater to, or a restaurant style thing where the menu covers the usual appetizer, entree and dessert (which is a totally alien concept to Filipinos coz we always eat Family style),... a restaurant that would be true to the Filipino cuisine spirit but bold enough to venture and fuse cuisine concepts that would put it to another level. It maybe a concept heresy to most Filipinos but the truth is, our cooking is unique because it is a blend of all these cultures from Malay, Chinese, Spanish and American influences. It is so rich in diversity that I feel that it is an injustice that nobody can truly appreciate it for what it is and what it could be. Hopefully, this would be a sounding board rant to us Filipinos here in Seattle to finally put Filipino food on the map and make us truly proud of what it is.
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Talagang talaga! Na hiya tayo!
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hi, i really recomend you to try kaldereta.. its really delicious.. specially if your fond of spicy foods.. or even bistek... its like beef steak but cooked in a different way.. but its just as delicious.. well i hope u try this things.. enjoy!
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Filipinos assimilate into American culture so extremely well, I think in general they just want to become part of the "melting pot" and somehow don't emphasize their "multicultural" background like so many immigrants populations do nowadays. I guess that's the original American spirit. Kind of reminds me of my grandfather, his dad came to US from some country in Europe but nobody knows. All he wanted to do was be American and he always told my grandpa that he was American and nothing else, work hard and don't take a handout from anyone. Well, I think that spirit may be long gone, in favor of multiculturalists, expect maybe the Filipinos (bless their hearts) they somehow represent what was once a great inspiration for unity.
Sorry for the diatribe!
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My first instinct is to agree with you (as my parenthetical comment pretty much said the same thing, tho far less eloquently), but...when you look at those "well-assimilated" Europeans of yore, you find Irish pubs, German delis, and...LITTLE ITALY!! Altho there was a lot less CONTEMPLATION about diversity, the reality was that everyone brought a piece of the "old country" with them.
Filipinos, FWIW, do have active networks with social events, get togethers, churches outtings, etc. etc., same as the next group. Just no restaurants.
In all of those events I've witnessed, they're chock full of homemade dishes of a most ethnic variety. So it's not like they've cast off their culture or their food. Just their restaurants!
A Filipino New Year's party has pretty much the same "feel" as a Viet one or a Thai one. No more assimilated, no less. It remains a puzzle why there aren't hundreds of cafes about town.
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Even Filipinos see little marketability of Filipino food. What does that tell you?
I doubt Filipinos don't open Filipino restaurants because they are "white-washed". Someone will open a business if he thinks he will make a buck, assimilated or not. The real reason may be the lack of range in Filipino food.
Are you Filipino? Why the fascination with the obscure of the obscure of "cusine"?
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You're amusing Rich!!
To imply that Filipino food has less range than GERMAN just made my day.
Hope you have a Happy non-sectarian white-bread-only Holiday! I'm working on goose chowmein for mine...with candied ube....
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German food? I am unaware of any German restaurant in Seattle. Ditto with Filipino restaurant, I guess.
I don't think I am the only one though.
Like you said, there are lots of Filipinos in WA but there are very few Filipino restaurants. I just think they are reluctant to open them because of the cuisine's lack of marketability, not because they have assimilated. If there are more Ethiopian places than yours, then you know you have a problem :D
Goose chowmein? Sounds good.
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Being Filipino, my theory is that many Filipinos don't really need a restaurant because you can just go to someone's house and eat Filipino food for free! My mom and my aunts, for example, always cook waaaayyyy too much food all the time because they are used to cooking for big parties and are always expecting people to come over and eat anyway. Recently, my mom cooked 25 large lumpia eggrolls even though only 4 or 5 people were coming and this is in addition to all the other main dishes she had.
The mom of my sister's friend I hear cooks great--she even hosted a cooking show in the Philippines--and she used to just invite people over for food.
Of course, this is just my theory. Down in southern California there's a fairly successly chain(?) called Pinoy Pinay so maybe this area just needs some more time for development/consistency?
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I'd like to agree with you, but...see my response to Fritz. The points you raise would apply equally to Thai or Viet households/parties, and yet their restaurants flourish. I cannot quite perceive the material difference here.
I haven't heard of Pinoy Pinay, tho I used to live in LA. But I do recall seeing CHOW KING. That alone should put an end to the "Philippine Experiment"....
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Well as for Vietnamese cafes, my old Vietnamese roommates and I used to frequent Little Saigon in Westminster, CA and those little cafes that dot many urban areas in the US are also a great part of the Vietnamese culture. My friends told me in Viet nam there are so many of little cafes like them that sell coffee, sandwiches, pho and other dishes. This isn't so much the case in Filipino culture.
But maybe also Filipino-Americans may going another route in the ways they get provide they're cuisine which is in catering. I've seen trucks up here in Seattle for example, Seattle advertising that they bake the best puto and have it and other foods available for your event. Come to think of it I can think of more Filipino people and places that did catering rather than have restaurants (Pinoy Pinay of course catered and Rainbow Manila is a catering company in the east LA County area is really good).
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I doubt that Filipinos find their cuisine EMBARRASSING, per se; it just isn't their style to open restaurants -- here in Boston, the sushi places and even some Mexican restaurants are owned by Chinese people! It's just a cultural propensity to own restaurants. (at least, so the Chinese owner of the Japanese restaurant said).
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Also a Filipina, and have heard that there's a good Filipino restaurant in the Silverdale area. But lots out here in the Seattle area suck. Goldilocks in Vancouver, B.C. is as close to respectable as you can get. It's true - if you want good Filipino food, most go to relatives. Many families do catering, and do it really well - I know my mother and aunts go to five or six places that do lumpia, pancit, puto, on a large scale that while they can all do just as well or better, it's just more convenient to order. Besides, when Filipinos go out to eat, it seems we hit Chinese restaurants more than anything - makes sense if you eat Filipino food every day, you want something different. More often than not, I see lots of 2nd generation kids losing interest in learning the techniques their parents have, and even losing interest in the food. Of course, I can't blame them - how some Filipinos stay slim eating cuisine rife with so much fried items is beyond me....
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After reading all the comments, I find it surprising that no filipino mentions the obvious...business. As a second generation filipina growing up in the mid-west, I had very limited exposure to philipine culture. Now I live in LA. After 10 years, I've come to this conclusion. Filipinos are not good business people. This is not a slam, merely an honest opinion. The business mind, quality, and dedication to running a restaurant is not there. You will never hear a filipino admit it because pride gets in the way. Pride is a major limiting factor in any culture's success. This is the problem with Eastern Europeans (former communist countries in the E.U.), and spanish-based cultures like the Philippines. So, yes, Filipino food that mom, aunts, and grandma makes is excellent. Unfortunately, finding a consistently good filipino restaurant is more of a culture problem than a food problem.
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Whoa, this is a really illuminating post. From my perspective, as a largely assimilated 1/4 Filipina, 1/4 Chinese, 1/2 European (how's that?) woman, my mind is going in all directions. But the first thing I feel compelled to respond to is bothsides' comment about Filipinos not being good business people. Tho I can provide only anecdotal evidence, I can say that every one of my Filipino aunts and uncles (big family, lots of them) are involved in multiple markets; venture capital, city planning, HMO administration, and one even owns a Filipino catering company. All are exceptionally business-minded, *and* (this relates to my next comment), all can absolutely hold forth in the kitchen. The men, as much as the women, are really proficient when it comes to putting out some tasty Filipino favorites. But to the main point, I'd have to agree with earlier postings--from my p.o.v., I think the dearth of Filipino restaurants is a result of both 1) embarassment (my grandfather still will only eat his Filipino food when no one else is around, b/c he still remembers us kids thinking his food "smelled bad"), 2) because, as someone else said above, it's a family affair. They (my aunts & uncles, again) will have catered Filipino food brought in when it's a really large grp, but on the whole, if they're going to eat it, they'd rather make it the way their mom did. Again, just anecdotal commentary, but glad to be able to respond. Great thread.
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Somewhere along the posts someone mentined that they should open up a non apologetic Filipino restaurant catered towards Filipino's. EXACTLY! My buddy who I worked with in a nice french bistro was half Filipino and he used to whip up some amazing staff meals. As a Korean, I've noticed that some of my favourite Korean Only restaurants have been totally over run with non-Koreans. That's a good thing in my eye. What may inconvenience me today might lead to some other great Korean restaurant that might open due to the demand! If someone opens up a restaurant that'll draw in their ethnic groups, you'll be sure that pretty soon the word will get out about it.
Now where the hell do I get my lumpia fix?
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I agree that it's the culture of the Filipinos to eat at home or at one of their many, many parties. Americans, in general, have never embraced this cuisine since it is rather homey and at times unusual. Look at the Chinese, as well as the Vietnamese; these cultures have always eaten many of their meals at restaurants, and it's no wonder that they are leaders in the restaurant industry.
Although I am not Asian, I have many, many friends who are, and these are, simply, my observations.
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Aloha BBQ in Renton is a Filipino owned Hawaiian restaurant featuring Filipino food not seen elsewhere. It's good and cheap.
I asked this very question to a Filipino friend of mine a few years ago, and his response was that there are a lot of good Filipino cooks, so you don't need to dine out for it, and those Filipinos who do dine out want to try something diferent, which might explain why Chinese restaurants are so popular amongst Jews.
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Aloha BBQ catered my cousin's (who is half Filipino) wedding a couple of years ago, and it was excellent. Lumpia!
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Would be nice to see other places then Chinese around.
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Side Dish-
If you want to take a drive, locals in Tacoma rave about the Manila Diner on Center Street in the Nalley Valley. Our own Restuarant/Food critic Ed Murrieta has good things to say about it and I am glad he did. The food is unique and delightful. Check out his link for his review and next time you are down this way.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/ae/rest...
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I used to live in South Everett near Everett Mall Way.
There are a few Filipino owned businesses in that area.
A Filipino bakery - Jonee's (sp?) 7th and Evt Mall Way behind the gas station in the back, next to the pho restaurant - their shelves are lighly stocked, but I've enjoyed their meat filled buns and they have pancit wrapped to go, which I also enjoyed.
An Asian market which is Filipino owned next to the Lover's Package.
In the parking lot, a Filipino "Taco" truck that specialized in Filipino food - Juicy Jun's. Jun is very friendly. I haven't been down that way in a 5 months so I don't know if he's still sets-up in the lot or not.
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in the parking lot of lover's package? i've got to find this place!!!!!!!
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Yes, in that parking lot in the back.
Unless you're in the area, let me drive by and I'll find out if he's still using that lot before you go out there.
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I just found his website: http://www.juicyjuns.com/
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thanks!!!!!! i can't wait to try it out.
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It seems to me that there is a fundamental mismatch between the American palate and Filipino cookery. Although Americans have developed a taste for bolder flavors in recent years, they still prefer balanced flavors and in lower doses than is native to other cultures (notice the “dumbing down” of flavors/spice for American patrons). Filipinos, on the other hand, love bold flavors, often all at once (hence the tradition of sumsuman). Fatty lechon kawali takes centerstage next to tart acharas take centerstage, a super-salty salad of itlog na maalat and rich sweet flan. Inoffensive fruit cocktail gets a Filipino makeover with the addition of rich/cloying condensed milk and mildly tart cream cheese. Spaghetti becomes a sweet and cheesy treat barely resembling its American counterpart. Where Japanese cuisine relies on clean flavors, Korean on singular bold flavors and Thai on balanced flavors, Filipino throws it all at you at once.
Take away the bold tools of the Filipino chef and perhaps you might attract some Americans, but no Filipino will patronize the restaurant. “Magkano??? Walang lasa!” Leave the chef to his designs and all the Americans will touch are lumpia, pancit and adobo. Why not just eat a bowl of rice? Plus there’s the problem of Filipino food’s general lack of visual appeal. Rellenong manok and pancit luglug notwithstanding, Filipino food tends to be brown and soupy. The only way to improve the look of adobo is serving it in a pretty bowl. I can see Filipino gaining acceptance in certain markets (i.e. New York where offal and shrimp paste are the new truffles), but in less experimental regions like the Midwest or Pacific Northwest, I am doubtful.
As for Filipinos being ashamed and wanting to be perceived as Americans: this is a nation of Spanish-named Roman Catholics with tables set with shumai, empanadas, tofu, fried chicken, satay, and SPAM. Filipinos aren’t ashamed, they’re just the ultimate adaptors.
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I think it is the other way around. Most filipino food is highly salted, much of it fried, very little chili is used. My cooking of even the mildest of foods usually elilcited, "Ayoko, mashado mahanghang para sa akin!" And "ang lasang pinoy"--filipinos like Jolly Bee because it is suited to filipino tastes. That taste is achieved by putting sugar in the burger meat!
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"all the Americans will touch are lumpia, pancit and adobo" So, what's wrong with that? When I go to a Filipino restaurant, that's what I'm going there to get. Most of the other Fil foods are acquired tastes (halo-halo = milkshake with beans), and you can have a great meal without eating eveything on the menu.
For that matter, there's stuff that I don't eat at my other favorite restaurants, from Mexican (hot peppers, for instance) to the local steak place (mushrooms are just Athlete's Foot with ambition. It doesn't hurt my feelings if you eat them (here, you can have mine too), but we should ENJOY what we eat. I don't eat to "prove anything" except that I was hungry.
So, when we have dinner at Magic Wok or Salo-Salo, you can have all the diniguan and balut that you like, and I'll stick with adobo, rice and lumpia and I'll have a great time!
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i dont believe that we have good cooks thats why filipino prefers to eat in their home. i agree with the observation that filipinos are embarassed of their own food and to eat it in public. this i believe is the root: inability to embrace one's identity when they are out of the Philippines. well, not true to all but to the majority, yes. that for me is the reason why theres no filipino restaurant at the mainstream. they are not willing to show to the world who they are.
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There is a new restaurant that opened in Beacon Hill on Ranier called Kawali Grill. The food is freaking good! Usually when eating filipino food, you leave with a grease hangover but this place isn't like that. The food is delicious! You can get some traditional dishes as well as steak and salmon etc... We LOVED the pandan chicken - friend with coconut and other goodness. They also have pansit and the lumpia.. MMMmm Great Service too - everyone is really friendly!
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It's actually in a neighborhood called Hillman City, but yes, very very good food. And REALLY lovely presentation, too.
Kawali Grill's address:
5300 Rainier Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98118
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Wow, side dish's original question is so packed with potential it's very hard to cover the subject matter in a few sentences.
I think in many ways, the notion that Filipinos are "embarassed" or the "ultimate U.S. wanabees" has a lot of truth behind them.
At the turn of the century, after the Filipinos had won independence from Spain and established their own, recognized government under Emilio Aguinaldo, the United States then proceeded to wage war and conquer the Filipino "insurgents." Fighting within the Philippines continued through 1915. During this time, the United States sent "educators" to the Philippines to "teach" Filipinos the tenents of "democracy." Of course, this "education" was designed to subjugate the new Filipino as the "little brown brothers" the American conquerors saw them to be.
It was this foundation of subservience that created the current Filipino condition of being an "American wannabe" and that anything "American" is "better" than their own.
This is what separates the Filipino from his Asian counterparts in both the learning of language and perpetuation of both culture and cuisine when here in the United States. I believe it is this foundation which prevents Filipinos from believing in themselves and their culture enough to showcase it as the Thais, Koreans, Chinese and Japanese do today.
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I ran into Kawali Grill on my way back from the Department of Licensing on Rainier in Columbia City. This restaurant is superb. Although I only got an order of Tapsilog (marinated meat, two eggs, and garlic fried rice) and fresh lumpia (egg rolls), I can say I like this restaurant. The Tapsilog was freshly grilled and very tasty while the fresh lumpia was superb. I'm so glad this mom and pop restaurant opened up because I was getting sick of the turo-turo (cafeteria-style) restaurants that line Beacon Hill. My only wish is that it stays open late because there are no Filipino restaurants in the Seattle area that is open past 10pm.
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>>My only wish is that it stays open late because there are no Filipino restaurants in the
>>Seattle area that is open past 10pm.
Well, Kawali Grill now has Filipino beer on the menu (San Miguel, Red Horse, etc.) so maybe they'll start staying open later? They might take the hint if we all start showing up at 9:45 pm and begin to order dinner at that time. ;-) OK, so that would not be nice for the staff, but you get my drift.
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I can't and won't learn to cook. Where can I get Adobo? Even bad adobo is good...I think. And I live outside the city (in the foodie hell of Redmond)...anything east north south of seattle...is helpful.
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this really IS an interesting string. let's see, what stands out? well, can Filipinos cook? are you crazy? Real Pinoy cooks can cook ANYTHING. I think becuz our food has evolved from some many influences, and also becuz when we learn to cook for our families growing up, we are taught to cook for the taste of the food. our earlier generations, who didn't have the opportunities for jobs that there are today, produced a LOT of cooks and chefs. assimilated? maybe in some things, but i know people who are "all american" in just about everything, EXCEPT for their food. they are dipping their microwave sandwiches in patis and lemon. and maybe we don't have that many restaurants becuz, like soul food, filipino food is very sophisticated and also personal and when it comes down to it, the pancit we like best is the one just like our mom (or dad) made when we were kidz (my absolute favorite is still the one my father made with long rice, hamburger, onion, fried garlic, lots of ginger . . . and frozen green peas -- but would you serve that to the public?). maybe it's a combination of several things other people have mentioned: the people who can burn do so at home and don't care about eating someone else's food; the people who are embarrassed by our culture wouldn't be caught dead eating rice with their fingers; the people who are so americanized that they would rather eat pizza. who's left to open a restaurant?
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Try Cebu in Olympia.
http://cebuwa.com/
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It's a cultural issue that stems from a variety of reasons. The Philippines were not yet a flourishing civilization when colonialization hit. Thus the cultural memory of its people will always be inexplicably linked to its colonizers. America has been a country for 200 years and we have arguments about what is American Cuisine. The Philippines were under Spanish rule for 400 years, but really took a liking to the US culture brought via Macarthur and the base at Olongapo.
I've never bought into the idea of letting home cooking drive restaurant cuisine. And yet that's all Filipinos ever claim as their own. Ask anyone where the best Filipino food is, and they'll all say, "My mom's house." That's great and all, but it isn't a restaurant.
The problem is that there's no pride involved in the creation of a restaurant, nor in its patronage. Tacos, sushi, ramen -- these are all forms of humble aspects of cuisine that are elevated due to owners and patrons who care. And that's the self-fulfilling prophecy with Filipino food, because a Pinoy will think that their family makes the best stuff, so why go out to a restaurant. Hence, the restaurants don't thrive, resulting in financial compromises which result in a dip in quality below that of what your family can make.
Where Filipino cuisine probably stands out best, I think, is actually in the realm of pastry and desserts. There, all the Chinese and Spanish and American influences conspire to make something really extraordinary. And the responses bear that out. Ask any Filipino who makes the best ube cake or bibingka, and you'll get answers beyond their own mothers.
If this doesn't give you any hints, look also into Hawaiian restaurants, which feature many similar aspects to Filipino food by way of cross-over, particularly in fried items like lumpia, or the very porky items like lechon.
What I'd like to see is more focused attempts at Filipino food, in the same way that a taco stand will not be an all-encompassing indicator of Mexican. Something along the lines of a restaurant that focuses solely on Filipino soups and stews. I would venture to say that a Filipino version of a soup bar would start getting people interested enough in the cuisine, which leads to a demand for other items, which leads to other places opening... see now you're getting it.
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Sinigang ng kanduli, bulalo!
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