Palay

135 Greeves St
Fitzroy, VIC 3065
https://www.palay.com.au/

Remember Hell of the North with its iconic yellow door? Well the door is blue now, and more importantly, the French food has been swapped for Filipino at Palay. With its modern (but not too modern!) take on traditional flavours served with panache, Palay does really feel like a breath of fresh air in this section of town, which is a bit of a black spot for intriguing Asian cuisine. The service is still teething a little, but you really can’t beat the friendliness and enthusiasm from the front of house. My prediction? As soon as word gets out, this little hidden gem will become a beloved institution.

Rating: 13/20 – fitzroy filo.
Must order: garlic fried rice.

If you’re talking Filipino food, it’s gotta be inihaw, aka grilled skewers. The Chicken Inihaw ($5ea) was my pick, with its big, smoky flavours and sweet marinade infusing the juicy meat. And they don’t shy away from leaving the skin and tendon on either, which adds an extra layer of fattiness and texture.

Surprisingly, the Pork Tocino Inihaw ($8) was just ok. The flavours were basically just the chicken, but dialled down. A bit of pickled carrot and some tangy sawsawan (spiced vinegar) helped perk things up however.

The Kinilaw sa Gata ($23) was their take on ceviche, and the tuna slices, cured in coconut cream, was an explosion of creamy, tangy, and spicy, underscored by aromatic lemongrass.

Chris fell in love with Pork Sisig ($28) when he was in the Philippines (probably a decade ago now!), and now I’ve finally tried the authentic thing, pork ears and all. I really enjoyed the variety of textures, from the crunch of pork ears to the buttery pork belly, all coated in creamy egg yolk. Despite the fattiness of the pork mixture, this was actually surprisingly balanced, thanks to the addition of tangy calamansi.

To accompany the sisig, we were recommended the Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa ($12) – a decadent stew of squeaky snake beans and sweet squash in coconut cream, garnished with fried shallots. We also got a serve of Garlic Fried Rice ($7), and honestly, it was so fragrant and moreish that I could just go at the whole thing with the biggest spoon I can find.

For dessert, it has to be Taho ($15) – sweet layers of silken tofu, brown sugar syrup, and tapioca pearls that Chris remembers lovingly from the Philippines, where he slurped the stuff straight out of plastic cups bought from streetside vendors. The version here is more like a flan, with a thicker, creamier tofu pudding to contrast the slight bitterness of the caramelised sugar. It’s definitely gentrified, but it’s still just as delicious.

And to drink, there is a delightful selection of non-alcoholics marching alongside the booze. I finally got the chance to try the NON7 ($15), which was very garam masala heavy, the spices mellowed out by earthy notes of coffee, as well as the rich juiciness of stewed cherry. It’s not a great one for drinking alone, but it paired really well with the food, adding an extra dimension to the complex flavours. On the house-made front, there was the Pandan Calamansi Sour ($18) – a luridly green mocktail of creamy pandan, balanced out by calamansi and non-alc triple sec. As delicious as it was, it was also really sweet and rather one-dimensional – more like a cordial than a sour. I would love to see it as a fizz, and a heavier hand on the calamansi for a more refreshing feel.