Lutong Pinoy (London, United Kingdom)

Lutong Pinoy is a Filipino restaurant located in the heart of London, offering authentic and traditional dishes from the Philippines.

Upon entering Lutong Pinoy, guests are greeted with warm and friendly service, and a cosy and inviting atmosphere typical of a Filipino hospitality. The restaurant’s decor features traditional Filipino artwork and cultural touches like natural wooden fixtures and bamboo counters, giving it a unique and cultural feel.

The menu at Lutong Pinoy features a wide variety of dishes, including both classic Filipino favourites and modern twists on traditional recipes. Some must-try dishes include the adobo, a slow-cooked meat dish marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic, and the sinigang\, a sour soup made with tamarind broth and a variety of vegetables and meats. The restaurant also offers a selection of grilled meats, including lechon kawali, fried pork belly, and inihaw na liempo, grilled pork belly.

In addition to the main dishes, Lutong Pinoy also offers a variety of appetizers and desserts. The lumpia, a Filipino-style spring roll, and the tokneneng, a battered and deep-fried quail egg, are popular starters. For dessert, guests can enjoy the halo-halo, a traditional Filipino shaved ice dessert, or the turon, a fried banana rolled in brown sugar and served with ice cream.

During this visit we got to enjoy several items, a perfect time to grab such meal as we are starting to miss home cooked food. Located in Kenway Road alongside other small eateries and shops. We actually had no plans on a specific Filipino restaurant and saw a couple as we passed by the place, asked several people we met on the road which Filipino restaurant of the two was better and they all pointed out to this place “Lutong Pinoy”.

We grabbed several items and see how it compared to our home cooking. First was the Dinuguan (£8.95), a Black pudding Pork stew cooked in vinegar and spices. It was OK, good amount of serving and it was tasty, it was just to sour for my palate.

Then we had the Ginataang Laing (£8.50), a curry made with taro leaves cooked in coconut milk and spices. For this one it was not as creamy as I expected so it tasted a bit grassy and not too spicy, maybe I am just used to spicy creamy laing which we once in a while cook at home. Again, serving size was ample and can definitely feed two.

We also grabbed some Filipino Pork BBQ (£9.85), three pcs of sweet and savoury marinated barbeque grilled pork skewers. The sauce really tasted nice, typical of any Pinoy style barbecue, it nicely sweet and savoury but since the meat used was not the fatty part, it was quite tougher than usual. I love the addition of the pineapple cucumber salad on the side to balance the flavours out.

And for dessert it has to be Halo Halo Special (£6.00), a dessert drink made with crushed ice, milk, mixed fruits, beans, jelly topped with leche flan and Ube Ice Cream. This one was the best of the bunch, what can go wrong with this nice dessert. Great amount of ingredients, not too much and not too little, it uses ube ice cream too and real pinipig, some places just use vanilla ice cream and rice crispies which are not traditional.

Is Lutong Pinoy is a must-visit destination for anyone looking to experience authentic Filipino cuisine in London? Probably 50:50 since the stronger than usual tastes might not be palatable to non-Filipinos, but for those who loves to indulge in rich tasty food then it will be a great option. What’s good about this place is that the restaurant offers a good variety of Filipino food, it is also affordable, and portions are large, add to that the warm and friendly service, and cultural atmosphere makes it a unique dining experience.

Lutong Pinoy
Address: 10 Kenway Rd, London SW5 0RR, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 20 7244 0007
Website: https://www.lutongpinoyuk.com/