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Reynaldo's

Simone Egger

Foyer feel: Despite the big-hotel vibe, Reynaldo's character shines through.
Foyer feel: Despite the big-hotel vibe, Reynaldo's character shines through.Tim Grey

Contemporary$$

Bring together not two but three "it" cuisines: American, Mexican and barbecue, and then add Malaysian, Chinese and Spanish: Filipino food is like a best-of. It's built around the sour notes of vinegar, the sweeter tones of tropical fruits, and hulking amounts of fried, crispy, crackling pork. Interesting, yet not easy to find in Melbourne?

For first-timers looking to try Pinoy food, Reynaldo's is a find. It serves a good range of traditional dishes, and the sweeping tiled-floor room, with a few lounge areas, has the feel of a hotel foyer – fitting for taste travellers.

You might be greeted at the door by staff behind a lectern, then shown to a table – maybe set with high-backed chairs, or, window-side for two, with '70s-floral upholstered armchairs. The high ceilings are dripping with honey-coloured pendant lights, metal wall sculptures lend a weighty formality, and attentive ears may catch the cowering, distant muzak.  

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Order the deep-fried pork pata (hock).
Order the deep-fried pork pata (hock).Tim Grey

Menus, with gold embossed "Reynaldo's" looping across the bound cover, also have an international-hotel vibe. In the opening sleeves, Filipino dishes are answered by "Classics" such as a steak sandwich, and "Asian noodle dishes" by "pasta" – bolognese and carbonara. (It's trying hard to please everybody, from pre-show Comic's Lounge or Arts House-goers, to locals and not-locals.)

Ukoy are large, flat fritters made from thin batons of sweet potato fused together, with shrimp and tofu, by a light batter and by plenty of time in the deep-fryer. The pretty, pink dipping vinegar adds vigour.

Seafood stars (the Philippines is made up of 7107 islands), served as ceviche, in soups like a sweet-and-soury deeply prawny "gumbo", and on sizzling cast-iron plates, such as charry calamari curls tossed in chilli, onion and sweet capsicum, and with an egg still cooking on top.

Reynaldo's serves a good range of traditional Filipino dishes.
Reynaldo's serves a good range of traditional Filipino dishes.Tim Grey
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But to the deep-fried, crisp, blistery skinned pork; get the belly (kawali) or the hock (pata) that's served chunked off the bone (some chunks can be a tad dry) with rice and western vegies (cauli, carrots and string beans), and two dipping sauces: vinegar and a green mustard sauce.

Staff are all over service, saying the right things at the right time, refilling waters, and making suggestions. In spite of the big-hotel vibe, the place's singular character shines, with chef Reynaldo Aban (who has experience at a string of hotel chains), in the kitchen every day and night.

THE LOWDOWN
Do …
 Try the unrestrained halo-halo shaved-ice dessert, with green jelly, milk, taro, shaved coconut, vanilla ice-cream and a sliver of leche flan piled into a sundae glass.
Don't … Know where to start with Filipino food? Start with Sunday's all-you-can-eat buffet (lunch or dinner) for $25 a head.
Vibe ... Mannered Manila. 

goodfoodunder30@theage.com.au

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