Purple Yam
“For two we had the fresh lumpia (all vegs) the kimchee cabbage and kimchee pickles, oxtail and jap chae with beef.”
“We loved most of them – the Tocino sliders with melon slices impersonating cheese were our favorite.”
“Buko pie is a particular specialty of a certain region of the Philippines and something craved for by Filipino expats.”
Purple Yam
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Finally, an authentic Filipino restaurant in Brooklyn! Don't get me wrong, I love the other Filipino restaurants around NYC (Manila Social Club, Maharlika and House of Inasal to name a few). I definitely appreciate their style of home-cooking rather than modernizing it too much. That being said, their venue does have a homey feel to it with their wooden furniture and open seating. They have booths in the back that can accommodate parties of 5-6, as well as an outdoor seating area. Service was friendly, and our food came out pretty quickly. We even got to meet the owner, Romy, who chatted with us and gave us some background.
As for the food, here's what we got:
– Fresh lumpia ($7): I was a little surprised to see that it's just one piece for this price, but after seeing it, I understand. That one piece is huge! Definitely something to get if you need something fresh to contrast with the fried stuff
– Pancit bihon: not your typical pancit bihon, but it was still good.
– Tocino with rice and eggs: In the Philippines, rice + eggs = silog. So, this dish is called tosilog. Served with generous serving of meat, rice and two large sunny side up eggs. Still, the Tocino is the star of the dish. The meat is sweet, and it almost tasted like Filipino-style barbecue. Yum!
– Tapsilog (Beef Tapa with rice and eggs): again, they give generous portions. The tapa was still juicy, not too dry or salty.
– Champorado: for those unfamiliar with this, it almost resembles a chocolate rice pudding. It's surprisingly not too sweet (until the coffee ice cream gets mixed in, that is).
– Leche flan: I can't speak to specifics, because it tasted how Filipino leche flan should taste. Definitely authentic and one of the simpler dishes.
– Buko pie: my favorite! A warm buko (coconut) pie with some ube in the filling. The filling was delicious and the crust was crispy. It's also topped with their homemade macapuno ice cream. The ice cream itself has a great creamy texture and the flavor is spot on. I may need to come here just for the ice cream!
Mmmmmmm, walked in here for an early dinner before attending a concert at nearby King's Theater. It smelled like fresh warm rice… which was homey and comforting. Service was friendly and accommodating, though it was mainly done by one person for the small restaurant, so he tended to get a little overwhelmed at times. We ordered the fresh lumpia (sautéed Napa cabbage, leeks & mushrooms in a rice crepe) served with peanut and tamarind sauce, the Pa jun (Korean scallion & shrimp pancake), and the Chicken Adobo (braised in vinegar, garlic, soy sauce) for an entrée. Everything was delicious and if I'm in that area again I would stop in again to try other menu items.
Our dinner was like coming home. The waiter, chef and owner are friends now, The food is familiar and yet dynamic in its styling and bold flavors. I had the roast duck and it was cooked perfectly with the calamansi and kumquat citrus notes coming through loud and clear, cutting the richness of the duck. The lechon kawali is never a let down, and on this particular night the layer of fat between the crispy potato-chip like texture of the skin and tender pork meat underneath melted away on contact with each bite. I guess if you are wary of ingesting pure fatty goodness, it's easy enough to scrape off, because it was like "buttah"! We had 2 starters as well which is worth mentioning here although it may not be on the menu when you come here so with that disclaimer, please make a request and hope they have it that night. The first is a vegetarian mandoo or dumpling filled with beets and corn. It was fried so the skin albeit tasty was a little tough and hard to cut. They're small enough to pop whole in your mouth which I eventually started doing because they were too good to waste an extra motion like cutting it in half. Be forewarned though the accompanying bird's eye chili pepper sauce is not for the faint of heart. Dip it if you dare or just savor the dumplings without the extra heat.
The other app reminded me of Hawaii as it was callaloo and coconut and baccala salted cod fish cake. Callaloo is the Carribean version of taro leaves, stewed in coconut milk until the creamy greens became a sweet and savory blanket for the perfect fish cake. If this is offered as a special appetizer again, I will order it as an entree, request a bowl of white rice and call it a day. It was my favorite. I could have that dish every day! Dessert was less exciting but still gratifying. The mango and apple tart was encased in a hard crust. The shell was just that turned upside down on the plate. After cracking into the shell, the pastry seemed resistant to my spoon. I was hoping for some shortbread mouth feel or butter flakiness to blend with the sweetness of the fruit. The homemade macapuno (coconut) ice cream however, was a perfect topping but the tiny scoop was a real teaser! I wanted more and may opt for a bowl next time. PY is updated Filipino food taking the traditional flavors and reinventing it for a wider audience. There is always something new and exciting at PY and if you're lucky enough to know the chef, you may get to talk story and learn not only about Filipino food but other regional cuisines as well. Romy, like his wife Amy, have a long history in the industry and an extensive knowledge of ingredients, restaurants and food in general.
Food here is amazing! Came on a Sunday, for early dinner. Seated right away. We ordered the daily dumplings which were delish. We ordered the Beef Tapsilog, Lechon Kawali, Eggplant with burnt coconut and mango salad and Kimchi Fried Rice. Must say it was all amazing. Food came out hot and fresh. I think the food was portioned perfectly. You get what you're paying for. We all left there full and no leftovers. For dessert we ordered the Halo-Halo, Ube(purple yam) & Avocado Ice cream. Wow. Both were delicious. I love how the chef is Filipino because he had greeted us in Tagalog, but more importantly he was cheffing it up so the food is fully Filipino. I also salute the 2 waiters/bartender/host. The two of them did an amazing job. Later on the restaurant got packed and they were still doing a great job for just two of them. They also knew the Filipino dishes and pronunciations for the names were on point. Well def be back. Salamat sa Chef at yong waiters din. Ang sarap.
Chef Romy is amazing! If you're going to eat Filipino food for the first time, please go here. It's worth the trek because the chef is really passionate about Filipino cooking and the food is authentic. There are some fusion dishes but many of the main entrees are true to Filipino techniques. I recommend the lechon kawali (crispy fried pork belly), lumpia Shanghai (spring rolls), and sisig. For non Filipino dishes, their kimchi fried rice is very filling and pairs well with the entrees. And try their homemade ice cream and ALL their desserts! They're not too sweet.
The restaurant is always well maintained and service is great, especially when chef Romy is there. He makes an effort to talk to the customers and will share stories of his political activism days and how he got into cooking. Please go here and support purple yam! Really great eats and you'll find a passionate, humble chef in the kitchen willing to share what Filipino food is all about. And buy his book!
I don't understand why this place has such a low overall rating. I was kinda nervous coming here after reading the reviews and seeing the ratings but my boyfriend had some serious craving for jap chae. The moment I stepped in, I knew I will come back. This restaurant gives such a cozy yet modern feel. The booths are cute.
Servers were nice and recommendations were given. One server stood out the most, I love personable servers. For two we had the fresh lumpia (all vegs) the kimchee cabbage and kimchee pickles, oxtail and jap chae with beef. We also had a pot of genmaicha. I was very impressed of how knowledgeable the servers were about the food. For dessert we had the rice with chocolate (don't remember the exact name) and one scoop of the ube ice cream. Ube icecream, which is purple yam was absolutely amazing. I've tried ube icecream in many place and never really tasted the actually yam but they really did a great job bringing the flavors out. The chocolate rice dessert came with coffee icecream which was also delicious. Not heavy as you would think. The bill was about 80$ which isn't bad for all we ordered.
I think my boyfriend and I finally found a spot with great food and dessert in Brooklyn. No more driving to the city just for great food!
Purple Yam is my gateway restaurant into Filipino food. Sometimes I feel like "fusion" is a bad word. It's simple to group together a bunch of cuisines and call it a day. But Purple Yam doesn't do that. Instead, they present their authentic dishes without pretense. Everything is affordable, and they make you feel at home.
I love the decor of the restaurant. Very clean and modern with ample seating. There's also a covered backyard. I went with my family as a group of five on a Sunday, and we sat in one of the booths by the back.
For starters, we had the fresh lumpia (vegetarian dish) and the kimchi and scallion pancake. The pancake was the better of the two, but the lumpia was a very refreshing summery dish with a hint of coconut milk.
For my main, I did the pancit bihon, which was rice noodles with chicken, pork and veggies. The portions were big (especially for $10), but I would've traded in some quantity for more of a punch.
The lechon kawali (deep fried pork belly) on the other hand had flavor in spades. It was basically Filipino chicharrones. So fatty, so crispy, so delicious. It also came with a side of pickled papaya salad.
I also tried the beef tapa, which was kind of like cooked jerky. There was a sunny side egg on top and it was over their fried rice. Take note that their fried rice is very gently fried and doesn't look like what you'd get at a Chinese restaurant. It did have a hint of the garlic they fried it in as well as a slightly crispy texture though.
The duck sotanghon (glass noodles in curry broth) was also a winner. Again, huge portions, especially for the price.
All in all, I wasn't wowed by anything, but everything was very solid.
They also actually have a good selection of beers, which was surprising.
Would definitely come back!
Friendly service and a cute backyard area.
For two people, we definitely ordered too much, but at least we got to try most of the specialties. We liked the lumpia shanghai, sisig, lechon, and the bagoong fried rice. Everything was seasoned well and nicely fried.
I didn't love the pancit bihon. It was a little too wet for my taste.
I'll be back to try the oxtail (it was sold out when we went)!