Purple Yam

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Purple Yam ain’t a taro

Filipino food does not really get much attention and it is easily a cuisine that is written off. You are most likely going to get a blank stare if you tell people that you want Filipino food and maybe, someone will know what the hell adobo is. Truthfully, it is rare to see a sit down Filipino place and Filipino food is generally synonymous to a cafeteria hot line. I mean, that’s basically how I usually got my fix. But that image of the hot line is slowly starting to turn around, with places such as The Purple Yam up in Ditmas. 

Purple Yam is a casually sit down place that is at the core, a Filipino restaurant with some other Asian influences. I came here with my rather giddy and excited Filipino friend for brunch and overall, it was great.

We started off with the Lumpia which was a rice crepe, stuffed with Napa cabbage, leeks, mushrooms and all topped with a peanut and tamarind sauce. The crepe is lazily draped over the mountain of vegetables which were crisp and the tamarind added a nice sweet sour to everything. It was good and despite the mountainous amount of cabbage, it was not filling at all and was a good starter.

Bagoong Rice- tasty and fun to say

For our mains we got the Ticino and Lechon Kawali with a side of Bagoong rice. Bagoong rice is spiked with fermented shrimp and not only is it fun to say, it was incredibly flavorful, sticky yet fluffy at the same time. The Ticino, featured a piece of pork that gets cured in a sugary mix and served with eggs, rice and pickled vegetables and makes me think of this is a Filipino Astronaut breakfast, so when that Filipino space program gets off the ground, those folks going up to the wild blue yonder, are going to be doing pork and eggs. The pork was juicy and charred nicely with sugary burnt edges. The addition of beautifully cooked eggs, this had all the makings of a post-brunch nap. Rest of the food after the jump!

Ticino

The Lechon Kawali was just as good and satisfies any pork craving. Four magical words: Deep Fried Pork Belly. Enough said, it was served with a vinegary soy sauce. The only criticism I have of this was that the pork belly was just a bit too fatty but then again, it is pork belly what are you going to do. The belly was crisp and skin was like eating chips and just crackled with each bite. 

Lechon

Dessert here is something that is not to be missed. Unlike the typical Asian dessert spread of just…fruit, Filipinos embrace sugary treats and the dessert menu here is something that is not to be skipped. The Halo Halo, which the Filipino dessert is shaved ice mixed with various beans and syrups and topped with a scoop of Purple Yam ice cream. Served in a sundae glass, it is a tasty Asian sundae. 

Halo Halo

Creamy ice cream, crunchy ice, chewy beans and syrupy goodness, despite the cold, this is good to eat anytime. The Kafir Lime Flan is also a great dessert, the Kafir lime slight bitterness is a welcomed addition in the silky smooth flan. The atmosphere was cool and relaxed and is a great place to lounge around and take your time on a lazy Saturday. Purple Yam is a great place to go and try Filipino food and great for the uninitiated. 

Purple Yam

1314 Cortelyou Road

Brooklyn, NY

http://www.purpleyamnyc.com/