Pampanga Kitchen – Pearl Highlands Shopping Center

If you’re looking for fast Filipino food in the Pearl City area, be sure to check out Pampanga Kitchen at the Pearl Highlands Shopping Center food court. I especially loved that although it was fast food, everything tasted fresh and came out piping hot. I also had enough leftovers to eat for two more meals.

On this visit, I ordered the Bicol Express and Shrimp Sinigang for a meal, followed by Tupig for dessert.

Bicol Express is my latest Filipino food obsession. I actually didn’t know about this dish until a year ago and feel like I’ve been missing out. This dish can easily be compared to a Thai curry in that it’s spicy and made with coconut milk. If you’re a Thai food fan, you’ll probably like this! The pork chunks were tender and filled with a satisfying umami from the coconut milk, peppers, and shrimp paste.

I can’t go to a Filipino restaurant and not order some kind of sinigang. I really enjoyed this one because of the vegetables! They were all very fresh and crunchy. The long beans were especially delicious and sweet! The shrimp was cooked perfectly with the heads still attached. Overall, this was awesome!

I was so happy to see Tupig on the menu and couldn’t leave without getting a bunch for my family! Tupig is a dessert from the Philippines made by steaming glutinous rice and coconut strips in a banana leaf. It’s super sticky but really delicious. My first bite took me back to childhood parties with my grandparents. Yum!

Of all the things I tried at Pampanga, my favorite was probably the Bicol Express. I’ve had some variations that were too greasy, but this one was perfectly creamy, a little spicy, and had just the right amount of fat. If you’re ever in the area, I recommend you try it!