Note: For some strange reason, our previous site had lost some of our posts. Despite our best attempts to keep regular backups, even this article disappeared from our archive site. This piece had to be ‘republished.’

Note: This restaurant is no longer at this location.

Simpleng Pinoy Restaurant
1011 Blanshard St.
Victoria, BC
(250) 508-6339

E: I think I’ve very nearly ate every single organ that comes from a pig that can be considered edible. I came close to eating snout at Brickyard Pizza’s Medieval Cosplay Day some months ago, but the chance for me was denied.

Obviously another hearty fellow at the event was feeling much more adventuresome.

That’s okay, because I’m sure other opportunities will arise. As for when, it might mean going to Hawaii for a luau. Or maybe even heading over to the Philippines for some real Polynesian food. Or in this particular ase, hitting Simpleng Pinoy Restaurant, a family fun business sporting some excellent sweet desserts. I was on a hunt for a good sweet to sate my tastebuds and instead James and I ended up sitting down for a early dinner.

J: I marvelled at this place. It had vibrant colours and it was so clean I could’ve ate my meal off the floor. I knew right then and there with the amount of care and cleanliness shown we were in for something special. I assumed the restaurant was owned by the two young male entrepreneurs serving us that day but they were the offspring of the family who opened this place just over two years ago. Pinoy’s level of service was excellent as was their menu. I was already eyeing the pork stew but I followed Ed’s lead with a Philippine desert treat.

E: Okay, so dinner was going to happen backwards, with the sweet first. The Halo-halo is a shaved ice type of treat that is beyond compare. Unlike the traditional form of shaved ice, this one combines the flavours of evaporated milk, ice cream and candied fruit throughout the treat. I found myself digging in an open gold mine and finding other beautiful crystals to savour as I burrowed into the ice cup.

J: There’s a first time for everything. There was a first for bubble tea at Culis Market and now there was my first for Hallo Halo at Pinoy. In a way food is like life, unless you try something new, you’ll never know if you’ve missed out on something special. Oh sweet yam!

My pork stew called Menudo didn’t contain the career remnants of a former Puerto Rican boy band but it did contain pig’s belly and liver. The meal also came with a bowl shaped rice mound and it doesn’t take a genius to know that pork stew mixes well with rice. The rice as a stand-alone was very tasty and I savoured each spoonful of the stew. You know it’s good when you can sit back, close your eyes and taste each ingredient one by one. It’s simply heaven.

E: Although the banana leaf was mostly used as decoration in my meal, the Bopis, the taste was most succulent. This dish combined the best parts of the pig, the lung and heart, into a juicy dish. The meat wast sautéed in a tomato and onion concoction and the two sprigs of lombok pepper made for a nice balanced meal that was not altogether very mild nor spicy. I could pick and choose between biting into this fresh pepper and use the Halo-halo to tone down any heat I was feeling. By then, I was reaching the beany center of this summertime treat.

J: I’ll definitely return to Pinoy. There are some more pork dishes I still wish to sample. With the Menudo meal I kissed the pig’s belly but next time, with the Pork BBQ, I’ll be kissing the pig’s ass.

4½ Blokes out of 5