Walking into the Filipino Restaurant, you don’t think very much: it’s small and kind of separated from the rest of the stores in Searcy, but it is more than worth your time.
Then you start to notice the unorthodox and colorful menu, great service and an environment that you can truly be yourself in.
If it is a Monday, you may even find yourself in a buzzing crowd having a trivial contest trying, like many teenagers often do, to get free food or whatever the prize is that day.
Then your food comes out, politely served by members of the Frogoso family. Before you take a bite you notice how fresh everything appears and the odd layout of the food.
Once it’s in your mouth you’re flabbergasted. You don’t know what you think it’s so drastically different from everyday cuisine, but you find yourself perpetually hungry for more, savoring every bite.
The Filipino Restaurant is a small establishment located on Race street. It’s tiny and hard to find, but more than worth the effort.
They are all about being good for your body and as well as appetite.
Not only is it delicious it’s immensely healthy, with home-made cuisine free of MSG andother harmful ingredients. Everything they use is fresh and as organic as possible.
All of the recipes are authentic Filipino: they import noodles, lumpia wrappers and spices all from the Philippines.
A wide variety seems to bea big theme at the eatery, for example if you prefer meat, you have lumpia; if you want vegetables, you get egg rolls. You can even customize what goes into your fried rice.
If it’s not on the menu, more often than not, they will work with you to get you what you want.
The unique business also is family-based, the mother owns the restaurant and her children wait tables.
They also like to help out the community and provide work for local teens and college students.
Carlos Frogoso, partial owner of the restaurant, says the restaurant has unique ways to get the community involved.
“We have Trivia Night every Tuesday where people can hang out with family and friends and really just feel at home while having fun and learning,” said Frogoso.
Another goal Frogoso mentioned is to help Searcy residents branch out and try new foods, experience new cultures and have an all around healthier outlook on life.
The Filipino culture would be a great place to start, being kind of a multi-cultural country it is a mixture between Mexican and Chinese food.
The most exotic thing to be found at the restaurant is the Birdseye Pepper which is the third spiciest pepper in the world.
At about two or three times the size of a pencil tip, the pepper packs a punch, to exemplify this fact Fogoso often tells customers to “Bite it and cry.”
The restaurant is even trying to add several other special nights and new foods.
Such as a Taboo game night on Thursdays and perhaps a Karaoke night and many many more.
Some new exotic dishes they have incorporated are Tapsilog and Tocilog.
“Tapsilog is a lot like beef jerky but tender while Tocilog is a sweet bacon nest combined with garlic rice and one sunny side up egg,” Frogoso explained,
“Our new special promotion is any two single dishes, and appetizer, I suggest lumpia, and a dessert for twenty dollars.”
Overall it’s a wonderful place to try, but don’t take my word for it- Mary Beth, 15-year-old sophomore ant Searcy High, describes it as “Really good!” listing her favorite as the (not spicy) curry.
When asked to rate the restaurant she said it was “definitely a ten out of ten.”
Edgar Casterena, another sophomore at Searcy, said it was different, quite a neat experience and that he always loves it when his mother brings him take-out lumpia.
Casterena rated the place a solid nine out of ten.
Which all makes it more than worth your time to stop by and try it for yourself.
