Sara and Cass Cultural Food Tour:
Two girls who love some Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern on The Travel Channel have decided to check out as many ethnic restaurants/stores around Austin as they can!
First stop: Cebuana Filipino Store on 2400 E. Oltorf Austin, TX 78741
Referred by: Some great reviews on Yelp
Sara: I am 100% going back for some halo-halo dessert this summer. I also can't get over the fact that we had more than enough food for 2 people and it was under $11. The food was good...the owners were awesome!
Cassiday: This place totally defines the idea of a "best kept secret". It's a place you could drive by a million times and not notice, but now that I know it's there it'll be hard to drive by and not stop! I loved the owners, they were so nice and knowledgeable. The food was filling, tasty, and really really affordable, and halo halo is one of the most interesting desserts ever. I loved it.
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Owners: Husband and wife team Maria and Fred. Maria is from the Philippines and cooks all the food. Fred is from Philly. (That is why they also sell a version of Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches!)
Random but Awesome: The store also has a big assortment of Kung Fu movies to rent and buy!
The food:
The menu changes daily and is posted on the store's facbeook page here:
Chicken Curry
Noodles - Pancit Bihon - thin rice noodles fried with soy sauce, some citrus, and meat and veggies.
Meat - Picadillo - Ground meat mixed with various ingredients
Pastry - Pork Lumpia - the Filipino version of the eggroll
Dessert - Halo-Halo - (mix- mix) A traditional Filipino dessert made with shaved ice and evaporated milk and topped with beans and various fruits. We went all the way and topped ours with purple taro ice cream and coconut ice cream.
Here is the Halo-Halo all mixed up. You can all the different candied fruits and beans in this photo.
Only for the brave: Balut - a boiled fertilized egg. They sell these for $1.50 each.
