Saturday, October 15, 2011

REVIEW: Tita's Kitchenette-The Best Filipino Food Value in San Diego

Tita's Kitchenette is a place where  my teller (at the bank), Earlicia usually brings food for lunch and shares with me. She brings huge portions of bistek (beef with soy-sauce and onions) with rice and complimentary chicken soup.

I always enjoyed them and been wanting to go there especially also because this was the first place recommended to me when I just moved here from Sacramento in November last year.

So, last Friday at 1pm I headed there with another co-worker.  The place was not hard to find and when we got there the huge parking lot was filled with cars.  Thank God, we went there to order to go!  

This place is what we categorize in Philippines as Carenderia. You go there and there is a line of steaming hot entrees that you pick from and a staff will place them for you in a styrofore and at the end of the line you in pay. In cash! There must be at least a dozen entrees and the staff were very fast and all business, no smiles or welcome just straight to taking orders. No one complains because the service is quick, the place is really clean and mostly people go there just to pick up their food.  Don't get me wrong this place was still filled with diners.

Since one of my staff back at work requested for pork adobo, that automatically was my first pick. I had to

Rice and Pork Adobo
 pick my choices quick because the staff that was serving me definitely had that sense of urgency in her face.

They had beef caldereta that day, bopis (diced pork liver, lung & heart with spices), roasted chicken which was being done in open fire right there, fried tilapia (fish) and dinuguan (pork's blood with vinegar) among other stuff.

I picked the grilled squid, bihon (chow mien) and they offered to give me complimentary chicken soup!

At the end of the line is another dozen or more of already packed different kinds of desserts and delicacies to choose from.

I asked the cashier if they indeed sell lechon (roasted pork) in this place and she said they do during weekends starting at noon. She said I could even call ahead so they may put aside for me since it runs out really quick.  They also accept orders of whole lechon just like they accomodate orders for party trays of entrees for your special occassion.



Grilled Squid with Vinegar and Diced Fresh Green Onions

For everything that I ordered, I only paid $10.45.  I think it was considered a 2 entree plate with steamed rice (being the huge portion of pork adobo as 1 side and the squid as the other) and bihon (chow mien) as an extra order.

The food definitely didn't disappoint me or my co-worker. He loved the pork adobo so much and I loved the squid. Everything tasted just like home cooked meal straight from a family kitchen in the Philippines.


Tita's Kitchenette's Menu


With this kind of price and quality of food it looks like I may hardly want to go through all that trouble of cooking Filipino Food especially when there is only me who will eat at home. Service is very quick too!



Pork Menudo
 
Tita's Kitchenette's take away menu says it is known for best barbecue chicken or pork and toron (banana wrapped with lumpia wrappers and glazed with sugar) and I believe it! Toron is one of my favorite delicacy from Philippines and theirs is really crispy and just has the perfect taste!


Tita's Kitchenette's Selection for the day

And if you want a formal place to eat with the same quality of food, Tita's has branched out and opened also T2 Filipino Fusion which I should be putting a review up soon!--MaG

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Tita's Kitchenette
2720 E Plaza Blvd Suite E
National City Ca 91950
tel 619-472-5801

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