Sunday, August 10, 2008

AmerAsian Cuisine

AmerAsian Cuisine opened in Poway in March 2008 and we've been there several times since then. It's the first Filipino restaurant in Poway. Here's my disclaimer. My only exposure to Filipino cuisine has been limited to a friend's Mom's home cooked meals (her pancit was killer as so was her lumpias). That was over 17 years ago. So the Mister and I have been trying to expand our knowledge but in all honesty, I can only still identify a handful of dishes by sight (pancit, chicken/pork adobo, lechen, lumpia and beef mechado). This makes ordering turo turo style a little more difficult for me (I point a lot and ask "what's that?").

I stopped by AmerAsian Cuisine for lunch a few weeks ago and decided to get a 2 entry combo ($6.99). Although that is a little more than some of the other Filipino restaurants in close-by Mira Mesa area, the extra $1-2 can be saved on gas for those who live closer to Poway.

On this visit, I decided to get chicken adobo (one of my favorite dishes), and beef mechado. Odette Roda Peckham, the owner, was behind the counter that day. She is always very pleasant and obviously very proud of the food. Every time I ask the name of a dish, she is always quick to offer a sample of it. One evening, she even sent us home with an order of fish soup for free just to try. I can't remember the name of it (and no picture of course) but it was pretty good. It was a bit too salty for me but the Mister really enjoyed it. I have yet to try the kare-kare (stewed oxtail, beef, tripe and vegetables in peanut sauce) but that's on my list to try next time when I go with the Mister.

I love pancit and I think AmerAsian's pancit bihon is decent. The chicken adobo is typically on the vinegary side (I like mine to be a little less vinegary) but the chicken is moist and the gravy is plentiful. I like the Beef Mechado, tender pieces of meat and potatos are cooked perfect. But my favorite beef dish here is the Beef Caldereta. No beef caldereta on this day, though. BTW, the menu does change daily and if you're looking for something in particular, call ahead. Odette has told me that I can always call her in the morning to let her know what I'm in the mood for and she'll make it. How's THAT for service???

So for a quick and very reasonably priced meal, AmerAsian is a good choice for some home cooked style Filipino food. Odette learned to cook at a young age by helping her mom in the kitchen and I think knowing how much she loves to cook for people makes me enjoy the food that much more.

AmerAsian Cuisine
Twin Peaks Plaza
14897 Pomerado Road
Poway, CA 92064
(Right next to The Original Pancake House)
Hours: Open 7 days a week, 10:30a - 8:30p
Phone: 858-679-0644

2 comments:

KirkK said...

Hey CAB - Sounds like a place I need to check out! Looks quite good.

CAB said...

Hey Kirk! I would love to read your review on this place. Have a great week.