Villa Manila Restaurant & Jollibee

I received a phone call from the Missus the other day, informing me it was "Pata time". Which for us means a trip down to National City and Villa Manila:

Villa Manila occupies a space in a strip mall on 8th Street; many people will recognize this as the former site of Max Restaurant. The location is also right across the street from Zarlitos Restaurant. Villa Manila is a good sized Family style restaurant, featuring such favorites as Nilagang Baka (Beef Shank and Vegetable Soup) and Sinigang(Tamarind Based soup).

But the main reason we come to Villa Manila is this:

By Neptune's Trident! That is a whole Crispy Pata($19.00). In case you are not quite sure what Crispy Pata is; it's a Deep Fried Pork Leg (Pata). From what I understand, the Pata is first boiled, then dried, and finally fried. The result is a rich, decadent dish. You get the crispy skin, the rich subcutaneous fat, the soft gelatinous connective tissue, and the flavorful meat. Forget about this being the "other white meat", this is the real thing. You really can't mistake for anything else; it's 100% pig. You can order a Half Crispy Pata for $10.00, but the way we look at it is; if you're going to have Pata, you might as well "go all they way"!

Like the saying goes; "pork fat rules"!

The dipping sauce is a simple sweet, soy- vinegar mix, which helps to cut the richness. I only have a few bites, mainly because the script goes like this:

The first bite, crunchy and gooey, is amazingly good!
The second bite is so decadent and rich, delici-yoso!!!
The third bite; is that some sweat on my brow? Guess my body is starting to work kind of hard...
By the fourth bite, man this is rich; think I'm getting a bit dizzy here!
By the fifth bite, I've called and made an appointment with my Cardiologist!
Luckily, the Missus has no such problems! And of course the Boyz get the bones!

We also ordered Lumpia Ubod ($7.00):

These two burrito sized "lumpia", feature Ubod (Hearts of palm), of course, as well as pork and shrimp. You can get them "Fresh"(unfried), or "Fried". We got the fried version which was fine, except the lumpia was not heated all the way through.

I ordered the Regular Half Fried Chicken combo($7.50), which comes with fries or rice; guess which one I got?

Unfortunately, I ordered this with Garlic Rice, but got the Fried Rice instead. The Chicken is pretty good, just simple seasoned fried chicken which I like to dip in vinegar. The white meat is on the dry side but the dark meat is very flavorful. There is something called "Jumbo" chicken that costs a bit more; but they've always been out of them when I'm here! Guess Jumbo Chicken is hard to come by!

Villa Manila may be a bit more expensive than the usual Filipino Restaurant, but the food is done well, and the service is always good.

Villa Manila Restaurant
500 East 8th Street
National City, CA 91950

Of course after this calorie dense and rich meal The Missus "needed something sweet to clear my palate". No problemo; just a quick trip to Jollibee:

For a Halo Halo Supreme ($3.99):

A picture speaks a thousand words, huh?

Jollibee
1401 East Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Comments

[Annie]

woo hoo! i'm the first one to post!

i didn't know we have a jollibee's in san diego!! the first one i went to was in san francisco!!

the halo halo supreme looks good!! never been a big fan of halo halo before -- this might be a first!!

[Kirk]

Hi Annie - Man you're quick! We have two Jollibee's in the San Diego area - one in National City and the other in the Mira Mesa area:
8118E Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126
Actually someone told me of another "snack" that's really good at Jollibee - I'll let you know what it is!

[clare eats]

Wow that looks good!
We don't even have a filipino restaurant here *humph* or jollibees *double humph*

Glad you had a good meal!

[Reid]

Hi Kirk,

Although the pork leg looks good, I don't think my heart, or my arteries, can handle it! I'll leave that for you OK?

As far as the halo halo is concerned, what kind of ice cream is that next to the ube? Is it langka?

[Rachel]

Just what goes into Halo Halo? mmm all that stuff is making me hungry ! Y'know I always read your blog around dinner time and it inspires me to cook quicker rather than laze around after work :) I would really like to try some Filipino food! I wish we had some in Sydney :( Thanks for the great descripts though kirk, I can *imagine* myself eating that stuff. Probably not a whole pata though !

[mealcentric]

So I'm guessing you didnt leave hungry. That was some feast.

[Kirk]

Hi Clare - I think it's a good thinh that this restaurant is like 15-20 miles away. :o)

Hi Reid - How do we say it? "Mo' fo' me, la'dat". LOL! I think the Missus said it was Durian, not Jackfruit ice cream, next to the Ube.

Hi Rachel - Halo-halo is a Filipino dessert, that comes in different forms but usually consists of ice, preserved sweet bean, ice cream(ube & either langka or durian), milk, leche flan (something like custard), and other good stuff. I'm surprised that there aren't many Filipino Restaurants in Oz; but then again, there aren't many in Hawaii either.

Hi Mealcentric - No, we didn't leave hungry....

[elmomonster]

Oh man...that was an awesome ode to the pata! My mouth is watering even as my chest is constricting!

[Jo]

Sort of like carnitas... ::looks around for tortillas & salsa:: Jollibee's in San Francisco? Where? MILLS! Here's another place we just gotta gotta! Rachel, Clare, I'll have to send you guys my Chicken Adobo recipe. It's a regional version that uses coconut milk. It is SO excellent. However; it causes dogs to beg at the table even though they know better. I have know idea what the effect might be on a Kiri... umm... Kitty... ;o)

[Kirk]

Hi Jo - Except with the skin still on and with all that gelatin.... I still don't really know what the big deal is with Jollibee, but the Missus likes the Halo-Halo there.....

[Kirk]

Hi Elmo - An "ode to pata"? I wish I was as creative as you are....I woulda used that in my title!

[lance]

Man, that's a lot of Crispy Pata!!!!! Sure looks good. Love that stuff. I have the same reaction you have with each bite. Guilt, but then logic takes over. In the end, I figure it's only once in a while, so I end up eating the whole thing with a smile. Got to dip it in the sauce. What combination of flavor with the crispy skin!!! I had the craving for it last week, but a new place I tried in Kalihi wasn't that good. In fact I took a couple bites and dumped it. No flavor at all. When you have a chance to come home, you've got to try the Crispy Pata at Mililani Golf Course Restaurant. Great stuff. Since I throw the other one away, I guess I own myself another this weekend/next. LOL!!!

[Kathy]

oh dear, I would have gladly polished off that Pata for you...and the halo halo! I haven't had any Filipino food since leaving Hawaii but it appears that there's an abundance of good Filipino food near you! Cheer's to a delicious meal!Why is it that I get SO hungry after reading every one of your posts?!

[Kirk]

Hi Lance - Wow, Mililani Golf Course for Pata, huh? Well ,I've got to give it a try when I'm home. It is quite an amazing dish, all the textures, from a simple leg!

Hi Kathy - You know, I've had more Filipino Food in San Diego than anywhere else, even more than "back home". I really don't know why, National City, Mira Mesa, and Chula Vista are at least 15-20 miles away, but I actually crave this stuff....

[Pam]

Mmm, pork fat...

Damn that crispy pata looks good!!!

[santos.]

$19!!! how many do you get for that? where's the garlic and vinegar, the lechon sauce? they could at least throw that in on the side. still, it looks durned good. the best pata here on the island is at a driving range, i'll have to post a photo for you sometime.

[Kirk]

Hi Pam - Pork fat rules!!!!LOL!

Hi Santos - Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Yes, Villa Manila is one of the more expensive Filipino Restaurants, but also makes a really good Pata - it's a whole Pata, most places only sell a "Half Pata" and are priced $9.00 and up. It's actually a good thing it's not cheaper, we'd eat it alot more often! LOL! I'd like to see a pic of a Pata. No lechon sauce - that's liver sauce, right? It came with the soy-vinegar and garlic vinegar.

[Kirk]

Hi Reid - Correction it is Langka on the Halo Halo!

[lechon man]

where can I purchase the best whole roasted lechon(PIG) near or in los angeles, california. Need it for a party. anyone have any ideas?

[staci]

Thank you! Now I am absolutely starting to salivate! i love pata!!! Ang Sarap! Tuesday I am going to cook some...ok...maybe ALOT!!!
I even eat with my hands! It's the only way...Kumain Tayo!