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Take a taste trip to the Philippines By Cloe Cabrera
REGINA'S PHILIPPINE CUISINE
WHAT: Restaurant and grocery offering Philippine food and cultureWHERE: 9727 66th St. N., St. Petersburg
HOURS: 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; breakfast, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday only.
CREDIT CARDS: All major
CALL: (727) 544-7145
R E V I E W
ST. PETERSBURG - Regina's Philippine Cuisine, on 66th Street in Southland Plaza, serves hot cafeteria-style lunches while the grocery store offers a full line of foods, spices and other native products.``We saw a need for a place like this,'' says Chat Perez, who owns the business with husband Ric. ``There are a lot of Filipinos in the area.''
The Perezes opened the restaurant in 1994. In addition to recipes from their native islands, they created their own specialties. Longtime chef Ched Baldonado is friendly and eager to explain the dishes.
Regina's, named after the Perezes' daughter, is small and simple, with framed pictures of Filipino food and a few tables with red plastic tablecloths.
Regina's serves staples such as pansit, a noodle stir-fry with vegetables, pork or chicken; adobo, a stew of chicken or pork marinated in soy sauce and vinegar; and mechado, a stew made of chicken or pork (with bones), potatoes, green or red peppers and vinegar.
Even with noodles, all entrees are served with a dollop of white rice, a must on Filipino tables. Prices start at $2.99 for one entree or $3.99 for two.
The influence of Spanish explorers can be seen in dishes such as lechon de leche (roast pork cooked in banana leaves with a liver sauce), paella (the popular seafood and yellow rice dish), menudo (cubed pork with raisins, bell peppers and garbanzo beans) and Kare-Kare Oxtail (oxtail cooked in peanut sauce with vegetables).
Mouthwatering desserts include palipaw (boiled rice with grated coconut, sugar and sesame seeds), cassava pudding (grated yuca root, coconut milk and sugar), palitao (glutinous rice with grated coconut, sesame seeds and sugar) and rice cakes (glutinous rice cooked in brown sugar and coconut milk). Prices start at $1.
There are several juices, soft drinks and milkshakes available.
The Sunday breakfast business is brisk, and the variety of specialities - from the TapsiLog (eggs, fried rice and steak) to the Vegetarian Torte (omelet) - is one reason why.
Breakfast platters include sunny-side-up eggs, sausage and dried, smoked or fried fish as well as hotcakes. Ask about the daily special; prices start at $2.15.
Regina's extensive catering menu features all of their entrees and appetizers such as chicken wings (marinated with teriyaki sauce and sugar) and stuffed mushrooms (filled with a beef, raisin and potato puree). Orders must be placed at least a day in advance.
Dining on a budget
Regina's Philippine Cuisine
