Mike and I have eaten at Kawali Grill several times now and each time we do, we leave already thinking about what to get next time we go back. Tonight, I had to fill my craving for lechon kawali, and he had been thinking about the pandan chicken since yesterday. Next week I think we're going to special order some bangus.
We have really been enjoying both the food and the atmosphere at this newest restaurant addition to our 'hood. Chef Gerold offers a well-balanced menu with lots of real Philippine cuisine as well as more commonly-found dishes like burgers, cedar-plank salmon and chicken marsala. They also have chicken fingers on the Kids' Menu. Of course, we order the Filipino food each time, but in case someone in your party just doesn't want to try the palabok or the pancit bihon, they won't need to go hungry.
For me, it's just such a treat to eat good Filipino food without having to cook it myself! And with the added benefit of the place being a nice walkable distance. (A kawali is a type of frying pan, in case you were wondering.)
This (below) is a kawali, by the way.
kawaligrill.com
Here is a write up from the Seattle P.I. January 11, 2008:
Fine Filipino fare is just the start at Kawali
by Kristen Milares Young
P-I reporter
Ever hear of Hillman City?
No?
Well, the burgeoning retail and restaurant strip along Rainier Avenue South just got lucky, catching some cuisine that could easily match — and sometimes best — that of its northern neighbor, Columbia City.
More here: seattlepi.nwsource.com/food
Seattle Magazine also did a review on Kawali:
Although many Filipinos live in Seattle—far more than the number of Thai immigrants—there are relatively few places to explore the food of their island nation. It’s a pleasure to see a new spot open up to satisfy any lumpia (Filipino-style egg rolls) cravings one might have. Kawali Grill has the look of a pin-neat diner with its sunny yellow interior, simple furniture and a couple of televisions tuned to the evening’s Seahawks game.
More here: seattlemag.com
