Last Saturday my culinarily-inclined friend Sherry and I attended the opening gala of Palencia, a new upscale Filipino restaurant in San Francisco's Castro district. Palencia is the first of its kind in the city. You can find Filipino restaurants here and there (Irma's Pampanga restaurant on Van Ness, the new Jollibee on 4th St.), but none are by any means upscale. Palencia is the opposite of what happens to many ethnic restaurants when they turn high end. Their food is not fusion, it's Filipino food straight up -- chicken bbq on skewers and lumpia just like Tita Baby used to make.




When we arrived the place was filled with people from the Castro and the Mission mingling with Filipino lolas. We were immediately served glistening, hot from the fryer lumpias with a ginger-soy dipping sauce. Waitresses came by with white wine and bottles of San Mig Lite. The pancit was flavorful, and served with what I first thought was Tang, but was actually the classic Filipino cantaloupe drink. Even Sherry who is not usually a fan of that melon really enjoyed it. Everyone's definitive favorite though was the grilled marinated chicken on skewers. We and three other friends ate about 25 of them, collectively.



Palencia's dining space is warm and intimate, with huge shell chandeliers and old-style fish traps turned into lampshades overhead. Owner Archie Palencia and head chef Danelle Lucero form a Pinoy powerhouse, and have created a mood that combines the warmth of a Filipino home with fine dining. We were impressed by her culinary expertise and his Gabby Concepcion charm, and will definitely be back after the official opening to find out if their full menu is as delectable as their appetizers.


Photos by Andria Lo