Crispy Pata
Deep-fried pork knuckle, shattering skin, for the whole table.
Filipino · Wexford
Casa Manila
Filipino cooking on Victoria Park, in a proper dining room rather than a turo-turo
FilipinoWexford, Toronto$$Details being confirmed
The review
Most Filipino food in Toronto is served from a steam table, which suits the food fine but does it no favours as a night out. Casa Manila has been the exception on Victoria Park for two decades: same cooking, proper dining room.
Crispy pata — deep-fried pork knuckle with skin that shatters — is the centrepiece and needs ordering ahead when the room is full. Kare-kare, the peanut and oxtail stew with bagoong on the side, is the dish to judge the kitchen on. Sinigang provides the sourness everything else needs.
Honest notes: portions are enormous, so under-order. It is closed on Mondays. Bring a family group and order one dish fewer than the table thinks it wants.
What to order
Kare-Kare
Peanut stew with oxtail and bagoong on the side. The dish to judge it on.
Sinigang na Baboy
Sour tamarind soup. The counterweight to everything fried.
What works
- A proper dining room, not a steam-table counter
- Excellent for a large family table
- Consistent across two decades
What doesn’t
- Crispy pata needs ordering ahead at peak
- Portions are enormous
- Closed Mondays
Verdict
Crispy pata ordered ahead, kare-kare, sinigang to cut through it.