Palencia
3870 17th Street.
San Francisco, CA 94114
Tel: (415) 522-1881
Tue-Sun 5:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Sat-Sun 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Closed Monday
Prices: $$ ($18 per person)
{click here: search for more food photos}

(photos: Palencia owner,fresh lumpia,noodle,fried banana,guinataang)
(video: YouTube with Bourdain eating duck Balut)

Growing up in the San Francisco, a handful of my friends were Filipino. My virgin encounter tasting Filipino food was at Jason’s house. Roasted suckling pig created a double delight. Tender pork meat dipped in a tangy and full bodied Mamasita sauce.

The crispy pork skin crackled like the crust of a crème brulee. We often joked that diners in the Philippines also eats dog meat. Although the truth remains hidden, a life changing moment came when I tasted balut- a fertilized fetal chicken egg with a nearly developed embryo that is boiled and eaten in the shell.

Having braces at that time, I remember finding feathers stuck between my braces. Balut is also considered an aphrodisiac. Your choice: blue magical viagra pill or a grotesque fetal egg. Currently, Goldilocks is the front runner in terms of Filipino fast food and bakery.

However, Palencia has arrived to fill a void: the absence of a rustic white table cloth Filipino restaurant in San Francisco. Embedded next to neighborhood houses, patrons could easily bypass the unpretentious signage on the leafy streets in Upper Market.

Filipino food may be foreign to many diners in San Francisco, but owner and manager Archie Palencia serves an assortment of exciting dishes with inviting flavors in the forty five seat restaurant.

Dark mahogany floors and lush palm fronds projects the Spanish Colonial Philippines period. Capiz-shell chandeliers and table side candle light illuminate a relaxing, elegant décor.

For a great springtime starter, the fresh vegetarian lumpia (2/$7.50) excites the appetite. Cleverly wrapped resembling a gyro, carrots, red leaf lettuce and sprouts provides crunch while the thin steamed crepe holds the ingredients together.

With its fresh, crunchy vegetables, this dish is all about texture, but a spoonful of the garlic-soy dipping sauce provides the needed savory touch. To compliment the full bodied flavorful sauces from our entrées, an order of garlic rice (s-$2.50/l-$3.5) and jasmine rice (s-$1.50,l-$2.50) plays a core role by soaking up sauces and provides balance from the flavorful entrees.

Not to fret, the garlic in the rice does not overwhelm the rice, but acts as a gentle flavor boost. San Miguel ($5 ), a Filipino beer with sweet hops, refreshes the palate in between each dish.

End the meal with turon, a dessert that focuses mainly on texture and contrast in temperature. A pair of scorching crunchy fried crepe rolls wrap around layers of banana and jackfruit rescued by chilly vanilla bean ice cream.

Meant to be served family style, Chef Danelle Valenzuela assembles a menu with a myriad of flavors and texture. In her Guinataang Kalabasa ($11.25), buttery Kabocha squash, a rainfall of crunchy Chinese long beans and poached butterfly prawns all bathe in a smooth coconut milk sauce.

Though creamy and subtle, a dash of salt would have rounded out the flavor of the milky sauce. Skip the pancit bihon (slippery thin vermicelli noodles mixed with carrots, cabbage, shrimp, and chicken-$9.50) which lacks uniqueness in the compilation of ingredients.

Stealing the show, the pork adobo (pork shoulder simmered in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, red pepper and bay leaf-$11.98) offers chunks of tender pork soaking in a dark gravy yearning for white rice to diffuse the tartness. Each entrée can serve one to two people. For the entire meal, I spent $54.20 (not including tax and tip) for two with plenty of food left over.

Archie Palencia intentionally located his first restaurant in the Upper Market for visibility, in hopes of bringing Filipino cuisine mainstream. Although Palencia’s goal may seem ambitious, he was ready to put his culinary passion on the line when he discarded a good paying corporate consulting job to pursue his dream.

Says Palencia, “I have made an emotional decision to achieve this goal.” Using local farmers and ecological sustainable meats, the restaurant pairs perfectly with the neighborhood and its customers. The Palencia dining experience should include a group of friends eager to taste a blend of unique texture and flavors in a simple and charming ambience.

Consultant hat.
When I told my Filipino friend that I spend $70 for two people at Palencia, they were surprised and said, “my mom can make it at home.”

Dressed in a beautiful interior, Palencia is meant for a refined clientele that appreciate dining. Filipino food has yet been able to catch the appetite of mainstream eaters. Jollibees, the largest Filipino fast food, has been struggling at their corner location across from Moscone West. The reason is simple, the fast food chain is not able to communicate their food.

Convention goers are looking for quick and food they are familiar with. Hamburger with rice just does not ring a bell especially to mid west appetites. The corner location is better off converting to a Panera Bread. Panda Express is an example of Chinese fast food done well. With a balance of sweet and sour, their orange chicken is consistent in taste. Across the border, American taste buds are “safe” and do not venture too much into eccentric zones such as balut or chicken feet.

{click here: search for more food photos}