Payag

This review is long time overdue! Ha. But I will post it anyway. I came here with my special friend months ago and it was a 'okay' experience, nothing really spectacular. We ordered pork belly and chicken bbqs. It was just one of those typical servings. Three stars because after 9PM, the restaurant's manager came to collect from my friend 10 dollars as fee for the live band! We just really came to dine. It was ridiculous. I was embarrassed to my friend because I was really recommending the idea to him that we checked the place out and it was also near his place. I was excited to introduce Filipino food to him but I am not sure he enjoyed it because he was just totally quiet picking his food.

We went to watch FilaHarmonic one Friday night and all I can say is that I had so much fun.

This cover band is really good.  

The food was good, not great.  I'll have to say the Adobo chicken was a little dry.  Everything else was fine, the garlic fried rice and squid.  That's all we had as there was just three of us.  

The other patrons were hilarious, and really made my night.  They really dance like nobody is watching.

The drinks could be a little stronger... IJS

You know, not all authentic ethnic food joints in New York City need to be shanty.

Sure we have Krystal's with her gaunt furniture but lush desserts, and Ihawan with his pig ear & mouth platter scramble and spirited transvestite clientele, but sometimes -often times- you just want to be subdued by detail, lighting, decor, and lush sweet-nothings.

For the Filipino food enthusiast with an aestehtic (and gastronomic) spleen, Payag is the place to plush.

The corner location situated next to the elevated tracks of the 7 train's 52St station grants it a convenient spot for the Manhattanite looking for a quick hop-into-Queens-just-barely-for-the-food. Enter the place to find a spacious, well groomed and high ceiling-nized Filipino contender. A spin of "haute", or a dash of snazz has been added to each of the well known galaxy of Filipino musts; from Sizzling Sisig, to Chicken Adobo, to Pancit Palabok; the platters are solid, and judging from the consistent presence of Filipino nationals, I presume authentic enough (I can feel, even now, the future wrath of my foodie Filipino friends frothing in my immediate future)

But let me just say that the Beef Salpicao and the Ensaladang Puso absolutely deserve a special mention, as DID the Avocado Milkshake, which, sadly, has seen its consistency decrease in the last 2 years. Here's hoping the memory of that unsurmountable paradigm-breaking Avocado sweet goodness of yore can rise again as the Golden Yellow Sun of the Pambansang Watawat ng Pilipinas -the National Flag of the Philippines-, and no, I don't speak Tagalog, but one of the kindest human beings (and yelpers) I ever met and, who is now unfortunately gone from this mortal coil, did, and so I decided to drop in a line or two in his memory.

With that I close, not without adding that, as spry as this authentic ethnic food joint is, an authentic ethnic food joint it remains. And thus, for your eardrums dying pleasure, LOUD crooners will obliterate the barrier of sound whenever live music happens to be on, hellbent on wreaking havoc in your auditory nerves.

At least they make you deaf to the sound of The Cure's "Just like Heaven", and not some satanic wails like the ones to be found in spanish-speaking joints. Who wouldn't want to say he/she went deaf over The Cure while eating some Grilled Pork Belly?