Say halo-halo to Lolo and Lola

• Favourite Filipino recipes

From its humble beginnings as a bakery at Westside Village, Lolo and Lola has grown into a fully-fledged restaurant at the Watson shops. Taking its name from the Filipino for grandfather and grandmother, Lolo and Lola wants everyone to be able to experience the best of Filipino dining.

When a restaurant's reputation precedes it, there's always a danger of it not quite living up to the hype. Wandering in on a Wednesday night, the warm smiles and delicious smells are a clue that I'm not about to be disappointed. There is a sense of homeliness about the place; staff chat to customers in a mixture of Filipino and English while pop ballads play in the background.

Lolo and Lola doesn't have a BYO license, nor do they serve alcohol, but there is a selection of specialty drinks on offer. The menu is short – a couple of 'all-time favourites', five or six specials that change weekly and a small selection of desserts. There are a lot of gluten-free options, but not much on offer for vegetarians. The menu also uses offal, like tripe and liver, which may be a challenge for picky eaters.

There are no entrees and mains; the dishes arrive together and are designed to share. We can't decide between the all-time favourite barbecue chicken skewers or pork bagnet, so we get both and then each select a dish to share.

First to arrive is the ukoy ($13.50), a thin pancake filled with tiny shrimp and bean sprouts. Crispy on the outside and ever so slightly chewy on the inside, they are a crowd favourite.

The barbecue chicken skewers ($12.50) are an all-time favourite for a reason. Served with a gingery soy vinegar dipping sauce, the chicken thigh pieces are tender yet charred and smoky on the edges.

Nothing could have prepared me for the bagnet ($17.50), which arrives as a mini mountain of deep fried pork with a sprinkling of spring onions. Salty, crunchy pork crackling surrounds surprisingly light and crispy pieces of pork. There are no bits of chewy skin; each piece is puffed and satisfyingly crunchy all the way through.

The pork is itself is a good ratio of fat to meat – enough to keep the meat tender, but not too much so that the fat is gelatinous. This is homestyle cooking at its best – unpretentious, simple but expertly cooked and dare I say it, the best pork crackling I have ever had.

The pinakbet ($16.50) or mixed vegetable stew arrives with a garnish of more crispy pork on top. It's a slightly bitter stir-fry meets stew with a mix of okra, tomatoes and snake beans cooked with dried shrimp. I can't help but think that there is a missed opportunity to give a fresher, modern spin to this dish, but this is homestyle cooking after all, and there's nothing wrong with traditional.

The Vigan-style chicken longannisa sinangag ($15.00) is Filipino-style fried rice with house-made fermented sausage, egg and mixed vegetables. With so many delicious dishes on the table, this was the least popular and one we could've done without.

Don't be fooled by the 'regular' and 'shareable' size (for 3-4 people) listed on the menu – between the two all-time favourites and three regular dishes we ordered to share, we probably had enough food for five people. That's part of the appeal of Lolo and Lola though, just like eating at a Filipino family home, they will give you takeaway containers for leftovers.

Despite being full to the point of bursting and having two containers of leftovers, I wasn't going to leave without trying their famous ube (purple yam) desserts. They use this colourful vegetable in a variety of desserts here but I couldn't go past the lure of ginataang halo halo.

Golden chunks of sweet potato, banana and jackfruit peek out from a creamy purple yam and coconut mixture. It isn't a revolutionary dish, but therein lies the magic of Lolo and Lola – there's a honesty and authenticity in their cooking that can transport you to a time and place.

Lolo and Lola is the sort of reliable eatery that every suburb in Canberra wishes they had. There is a friendliness to the service and a generosity in portion sizes that comes with a genuine desire to share Filipino culture and their love of food.

Some dishes may be more approachable than others – if you're new to Filipino food, stick to the favourites and ask the wait staff for recommendations from the weekly menu.