Point Point Joint Restaurant

** Point Point Joint has closed

Yes, that's the name of this Turo-Turo( literally "point-point" in Tagalog) "joint" in National City.  Why "point-point"? Well these type of restaurants, serve up steam-table fare, and you can order by just pointing at what you want.

On this afternoon, I happen to be in National City, and my stomach was rumbling away. I also hadn't had rice for almost 10 days!!! I thought about driving up to Tita's Kitchenette, but since it was already past 2pm, and I was just a few blocks away; Point-Point was an easy choice. The spartan, dark, and simple interior of the restaurant was quite crowded, and the television eternally tuned to TFC(The Filipino Channel), was playing some Karaoke All-Star program.

I simply walked up to the counter, did my "point-point" duty, and got my usual 2 item combination($5.50). Lechon Kawali and BBQ Chicken:

For those who don't know what Lechon Kawali is; it's pork belly that has been boiled in water and seasonings, then drained and dried. And finally deep fried until the skin (Chicharon) becomes golden and crisp. When done to perfection, each bite of lechon kawali is an amazing combination of textures; crisp cracklins', rich gelatinous fat, and moist meat flavored by the seasonings and the two-step cooking process. Needless to say, it should be eaten soon after cooking. When I had mentioned the food at Point-Point to my Buddy Jack; he was quick to point out that, "with Point-Point, you either have to get there early; or luck out and be there when fresh batches of food comes out." A perfect assessment of Point-Point timing. On this visit, some of the pieces of lechon were excellent, while other were not very good. A few pieces were extremely hard, and the meat had become very dry. I enjoy the BBQ Chicken at Point-Point, it is very different from it's counter-part at Tita's, it has a sweeter flavor, more reminiscent of Teriyaki. Today the chicken skewers were very good; still hot, moist, and with nice "charry" bits.

I finished my meal(except for a few pieces of lechon that were too dried out) while watching the Karaoke All-Stars, and before leaving, got some take-out for the Missus. 2 BBQ Chicken skewers($1.50/each), and a "medium"  Chicken Sinigang (Chicken Sour Soup - $2.50). The portion of soup turned to be quite generous as it filled one of our soup bowls.

The Missus enjoyed Her bowl of soup, which She found to be refreshingly sour and tangy, and though a bit on the salty side, not oily in the least bit. There was a generous amount of chicken and eggplant in the soup as well.

Though the portions at Point-Point are not as massive as those at Tita's, I sometimes enjoy the nicer Staff at Point-Point. I also usually never have to deal with the psycho parking lot, crazy Plaza Boulevard, and the mass of Humanity at Tita's. Point-Point serves up all the usual suspects, Tapa, Dinuguan, Adobo, and other favorites, all you have to do is point....point.

Here's a photo of another recent take-out from Point-Point. On this occasion the lechon was very good.

Point-point Restaurant
916 E 8TH St Ste 1
National City, CA 91950

Comments

[Jean]

That lechon kawali sure looks good! Your right about timing Kirk, if you buy it during certain times you get a bad batch. The Goldielocks restaurant up here seems like they serve it days old which makes the skin tough to chew so I usually make my own.

[Kristy]

Whoa. That REALLY looks and sounds good! =) Hmm... I live Filipino food!!! Especially when my neighbors have big family get togethers and they give us a big plate of food too! (Yes, they're Filipino.) =)

But the name... point. point. joint. hmm...sounds a little um... That Seventy's Show. ;)

[Christine D.]

Reminds me of how my friend used to "poke poke" our fatty area on our tummy. Don't know why she liked to do that, and i found it weirder that she even did that to...fat people! That lechon kawali looks good!

You should point at everything at the counter and see what they'd do. haha. Or flirt and point at the server with a coy look on your face. Hmm, but i don't think that the Missus would appreciate that...haha!

[Kirk]

Hi Jean - You know, I have a recipe for lechon kawali, but I'm afraid to use it....I might end up eating waaay too much! ;o)

Hi Kristy - It is isn't it? Groovy....

Hi Christine - Well the Server behind the counter was a Guy.....and he might've taken it the wrong way, and I REALLY don't think the Missus would've appreciated that! If I pointed at everything, I would've gotten everything....I'm sure they've seen that before! LOL!

[Rachel]

LOL kirk ... gotta love a place called a joint restaurant. Wonder if there are any under the counter items ;)
It never ceases to amaze me the multiculturalism of the US. I wish we had Fillipino restaurants here in Aus. I am sure they might be around if you hunt very hard for them in a big city, but again its a cuisine tht is relatively unknown here. Thanks for posting about such different cuisines on your site!

[toisan]

I went to PPJ once. Was going to a potluck and thought I'd bring some pancit and lechon. But the only thing I could point-point to was the roach-roach on the steam table. I'm convinced that Pilipino food is much better prepared at home.

[Kirk]

Hi Rachel - I'm sure there are a few.

Hi Toison - So I guess you point-pointed yourself to the exit, I've never had a problem here. I don't have my friends Lola to make me good Filipino grinds, also I really don't want to eat an entire plate of pancit, or 2 pounds of lechon, and PPJ is fast and inexpensive....do you understand my point-point?

[Kady]

I wish I had known about that a year and a half ago when my husband was stationed in National City for a month. He stayed at the Holiday Inn so I spent the weekends with him. It was a little scary down there with gunshots at night but during the day I could've used some Point-Point chicken!

[Jean]

FYI Kirk, if you got the recipe with the bay leaf in it then your lechon kawali will never taste like pork like how God intended it to be. Keep it simple (with a bit of rock salt, whole pepper corn, and msg - a tad at least). Air dry overnight and then deep fry to a golden brown. The dish will kill ya but at least you'll die going to heaven.

[Pat]

Kirk, you've got a fantastic blog here. I am uber-impressed -- have you considered writing reviews for the Reader? I seriously think they would consider bringing you aboard.

One restaurant I noticed you may not have tried, but may enjoy, is Yakitori Yakyudori on Sixth Ave in Hillcrest. GREAT yakitori, and they have two "top ten" favorites list -- one for gringos like me and one for their many, many Japanese customers. I tried menu items from both and loved it. If you go, I highly recommend the rolled pork with shiso leaf.

Again, thanks for this great blog!

[Kirk]

Hi Jean - I don't have that recipe handy....in fact I've been looking for it, and can't find it. My good friend's Mom wrote it down - I don't remember Bay Leaf...I'll probably never make it anyway, just imagine how I'd look after stuffing myself silly with a couple of pounds of lechon kawali!

Hi Kady - There's some pretty good eats in the area. Zarlito's, Villa Manila, Karlihan, Conching, Manila Sunrise, I know I'm forgetting a few; and that's just Filipino food.

Hi Pat - Thanks for the kind words. I've got both Yakitori Yakyudori and K-1 on my list. I've even taken a photo of the front to Yakyudori...you know, the "What is Yakitori?", and the "We Dont Serve Sushi" in hardware store lettering! As for writing....I'm really not a food writer. And though many people seem to think so, I don't do restaurant reviews. I just show you what I ate, and what I thought about what I ate...more impressions, than reviews, along with a few silly tidbits. I also want to make sure that you can find the place, so I try to give you a storefront as well. I'm just an eater....not really a writer. Thanks again for stopping by; I'd love to hear more comments from you, so don't be a stranger.

[Jack]

Ok, Kirk, I just might have to head down ot National City today for some filipino food. Point-Point was the first type of this restaurant in Nat. City many years ago and there use to be a line way out the door.

[Kirk]

Hi Jack - I've heard that Karihan and Point-Point are the 2 really, "old-time" places in the area.

[dave]

i 2nd the yakitori suggestion. their happy hour is great too. i can't remember how cheap the food is, but the beer is half price!

[Kirk]

Hi Dave - Well, now that the rec' has been seconded - I'll have to make sure to try!