MARHARLIKA - EAST VILLAGE, NY

I don’t know if it is because it’s the first time I had Filipino food, but this place was off the hook! I would go back and try the whole menu! The wait for brunch on a Sunday was 30-40 minutes, which wasn’t so bad. I just didn’t like the fact they had empty tables but did not sit us. It was probably saved for their reservations, but you should hold a seat for a party for 15 minutes and pass it on, it’s their fault for being late to brunch on a beautiful Sunday! We had 3 girls, and we decided to get 2 plates and 2 sides to share, but we walked out of the place super bloated and couldn’t even finish all of our food! The portions were huge! We had the sizzling sisig with the garlic rice, best combination EVER! The garlic rice wasn’t too strong with a stinky garlic smell, but also had some nice herb smell as well. Then we had the fried chicken and ube waffle. The fried chicken was not dry like some places, super juicy and tender, and the TARO waffle was just right, soft and crispy! The sauce paired with the dish was heaven, I usually don’t enjoy the waffles if they are soggy and soaked in maple syrup, but this was so delicious. We had 2 sides, 1 was longganisa and 1 was tocino. The longanisa was a meat sausage with some Asian flavor that I can’t put into words, but kind of reminded me of the Taiwanese sausages. The tocino was a sweet cured pork belly that was meaty and yet juicy with fat, flavor was just right. Both are recommended.

Personally, I am a huge fan of meats. It was heavy for brunch, but hey, a girl wants to eat! If you are a vegetarian on healthy conscious I would say this place is not for you. But if you are looking for some comfort food, I say run there now! I had such a good experience I am ready to go back, but this time I definitely will make a reservation!!

Address:

111 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003