I’ve had huge cravings for Filipino food lately and I thought it’d be a great idea to run through the Filipino places I enjoy around the metroplex, starting out with Shojimoto in Arlington. They opened earlier in 2010 as a gourmet ice cream store conveniently located relative to UT Arlington right next to a banh mi shop on Cooper Street.
Carrollton is quite a ways from Arlington, but ever since Palayok in Richardon closed, finding good Filipino food in the metroplex outside of a home-cooked meal has become quite a challenge. I’ve found that most of the time, I just have to take a leap of faith and hope for the best, even if it calls for at least half an hour’s drive. I haven’t heard anything about the ice cream at Shojimoto, but was (easily) convinced to make my way over there last weekend upon hearing word that they recently started serving hot Filipino dishes.
So there you have it, an ice cream shop with a Japanese name that serves Filipino food. Delicious Filipino food. Their primary business is the ice cream store, so it makes sense that the menu has to constantly change. Updates are posted on their Facebook page. Take a look and see that the prices are quite reasonable, especially if you’re a student on a budget.
Pork BBQ on a stick is a ubiquitous Filipino street food. These are basically skewers of chargrilled pork, with a sweet glaze similar to teriyaki. Can never go wrong with meat on a stick.
Sisig could be made from just about any part of the pig and is typically served on a sizzling hot plate, as seen here from a clip on the Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Philippines episode. Shojimoto’s is a good version of the dish that weaves different textures from various piggy bits, and I do understand the inability to present with a sizzling plate given the constraints they are working with. Didn’t get a chance to ask detailed questions about how they do theirs, but I can save that for another day.
Lechon kawali is crispy pan-roasted pork. If you’re familiar with First Chinese BBQ, this bears a close resemblance to a dish served over there. Lightly browned, crispy, and caramelized on the outside, while juicy and fatty on the inside with notes of garlic. If only I could munch on this with a beer; which is exactly why they have something nice called take-out. Add a side of Mang Tomas lechon sauce or whatever dipping sauce, if desired.
The fusion of rice noodles and bright pumpkin-colored sauce topped with egg, bits of shrimp, and crunchy chicharron known as pancit palabok is my favorite Filipino dish. A similar dish, called pancit luglog uses a thicker noodle. I typically only get to have this dish during special occasions due to the time-intensive nature of preparing the sauce by hand, using a mortar and pestle to pound the shrimp. Shojimoto’s palabok is one of the best I’ve ever had, and this dish truly shows the home cooked style of the food they served. The attention to detail paid to this dish is readily apparent: the rich, thick texture and depth of shrimp flavor in the sauce was remarkable, while the noodles were perfectly cooked. Eating this palabok brought back nostalgia of family gatherings in the past as it tasted like something I would have eaten while at a house party.
beat me to the punch! my friend lisa has been pestering me to try this place out bc her friend is the owner of this place, but i haven’t had a chance. how would you compare it to filipiniana? can’t wait to try this place out after the glowing rec.