Pinoy – Hot Lunch

Five years ago you were about as likely to find unicorn on a menu as you were to have options like gabal or palabok. How happily things have changed. Baton Rouge’s once steady diet of fried seafood po-boys and grandma’s red sauce over limp spaghetti has been supplanted by delicacies from Tegucigalpa, Honduras or Lhasa, Tibet. So, I guess I should not have been surprised when I heard a Filipino spot opened up on Sherwood Forest Boulevard.

Pinoy’s décor is an exuberant variety of greens that manages a contemporary look without being stiff or pretentious. And then comes the menu. I had never heard of any of these dishes, but the chipper waitress was happy to point us toward a few items, and they were all delicious.

Start with the Filipino version of egg rolls, called lumpia (pictured). They are open ended and filled with potato, herbs and meat ($7.99 for 12). The gambas ($7.99) are just as good, but a little lighter. Their mixture of garlic and pepper is a piquant way to start the meal. The chicken adobo ($6.99) does justice to this catchall term for Spanish-influenced, garlic heavy rubs and reductions. And you can really learn a few things about a nation from they way they cook a pig. Fall in love with the Philippines when you try the pork bbq ($7.99), which maybe the best item on a very tasty menu. pinoybr.com

For more by Frank McMains, including blogs from his trip to China, click here.