#silogs

The Filipino restaurant that I liked in Eagle Rock closed, and I’ve been looking for a good silog since. I liked Almuchow Atbp’s silog, but it was expensive (starting at $14.99). Thankfully, I found LA Chibugan – it’s even better than Almuchow Atbp and affordable (silogs start at $12.99).

Breakfast silogs are served all day or you can order a combo meal (pick and item or two from the steam table), pansit, pata, calamari, lechon, etc. A one item combo is $10.99.

Longsilog ($12.99): one fried egg over a big scoop of garlic fried rice, three longanisa (Filipino sweet sausage), and a side of vinegar. The garlic fried rice is the best I’ve had at a Filipino restaurant. It was soft and infused with garlic flavor. And the scoop of rice was huge. The egg wasn’t runny but the yolk was still soft. The longanisa were fat, tender, and sweet. The spicing is different from the traditional breakfast sausage. It’s sweeter with hints of soy and garlic. The vinegar cuts through the richness. Delicious.

I wish they had included a slice or two of tomato for freshness.

Service was super friendly. She gave me a few samples without asking. The sisig had this crispy pork skin that I’m still thinking about. The food tasted fresh and homemade.

The restaurant is small and clean, with a homey feel. There’s a vase with flowers on every table. It’s in a strip mall with parking. There is a 4% charge for credit card transactions.

4.5 out of 5 stars

A big thank you to Madelyn, who bought my longgsilog and bangus printables and added them to her amazing wall of Filipino food art.

I really wanted to like HiFi Kitchen. The founder was born and raised in Filipinotown and he named the kitchen after the area (Historic Filipinotown). Also, the flavors are a mix of Filipino and Angeleno, e.g., Filipino tacos. The comfort food dishes are served in a casual setting that reflects the founder’s childhood.

The menu includes breakfast silogs, breakfast sandwiches, lugaw & champorado served all day, tapa, saltado, popcorn chicken, lumpia, fried rice, adobo, etc. Desserts are from LA’s Crème Caramel. Vegetarian and vegan options are available.

Lugaw (large, $13.50 + $1.50 for half a marinated egg) – a thickened glutinuous rice porridge topped with toasted garlic bits and scallions. The egg was cold, a bit sour, and rather salty. The porridge was too salty as well and it tasted like chicken bouillon rather than made from scratch chicken stock. The portion was very small.

The café is small with one table and counter seating inside and two small tables outside.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Interesting find…I’ve driven by many times without realizing that there was a café at the Amtrak station in Centerville, Fremont. It’s a Filipino/American café that serves breakfast and lunch all day (they close early though) and Equator Coffee. Everyone ordered the Filipino breakfast with garlic rice, 2 eggs cooked your way, and protein of your choice (tocino, adobo, sisig, spam, longanisa, char sui chicken, tapa, corned beef). They also have burritos, paninis, sandwiches, smoothies, and drinks. Prices are very reasonable.

Pork sisig silog ($11.95): huge scoop of garlic rice, two over easy eggs with runny yolks, lots of finely chopped grilled pork with jalapeno, sweet onion, and soy sauce, raw tomato wedge. The rice was fine but didn’t have much garlic flavor. The sisig was definitely too salty (by a lot) and dry.  Mixing it with the rice and adding Tapatio and vinegar helped a lot.

My father enjoyed the tocino and commented on the generous amount of meat and rice. The tocino is thinly sliced marinated pork. The marinade is soy sauce, garlic, and island spices. It was sweet and reminded him of char siu.

The wait person explained that their kitchen is small and they run on island time. So, plan on having a leisurely experience. Condiments include s&p, tabasco, Tapatio, and vinegar. They never brought us napkins. I asked for a refill of water and never got it.

The ambiance is definitely interesting. The place is filled with antiques. The tables and chairs look old. You can also dine at the counter or outside.

I noticed that the most popular item was the longanisa silog.

3.5 out of 5 stars