Looking for lumpia and adobo? Filipino food isn’t easy to find in NoVA. Chef J.P. Rosario opened his tiny café, Eggkarne, at the Centennial Golf Course in Herndon two years ago. But he’d always hoped to create a better showcase for the cuisine elsewhere.
He’ll do that when he opens Kusina later this month at the new 99 Ranch Market in Fairfax. “Eggkarne is like grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches. A lot of our clientele is the golfers—they want something quick. At Kusina, we want people to experience the real, sit-down, traditional Filipino food,” says Rosario.
99 Ranch approached Rosario last year about bringing his Filipino fare to the food court at the 54,000-square-foot space in Fairfax, which formerly housed Super H Mart. “I thought it would be a great idea to expand the Filipino concept and make it more of a traditional sit down with more traditional dishes,” he recalls.
While diners can expect some Eggkarne favorites like ube waffles, the larger menu at Kusina will focus less on breakfast and more on crispy pork, in the form of lechon, Filipino-roasted pig. Pork lovers can buy the pig by the pound, whole for specials events, or try it cut up in other dishes, including pancit noodles and silog breakfast plates.
Other dishes on offer include the aforementioned lumpia (egg rolls) and adobo, but also braised squid stuffed with smoked fish and a range of hearty stews. Daily and weekly specials will allow Rosario to be creative with his offerings.
While customers will be able to dine in, Rosario says that he expects that most of his business will be takeout. But wherever you eat your lechon, Rosario wants to provide excellent service. “Our culture is very hospitable,” he says. “Our main focus is to provide you guys with feeling like you’re eating in the Philippines.” // 10780 Fairfax Blvd., Fairfax
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