New York Dish #67 – CHICKEN ADOBO at PURPLE YAM

Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.

SADLY, PURPLE YAM IS NOW CLOSED.

Filipino food is having a moment in this city. It’s a  cuisine that has so far pretty much flown under the radar in this country, but in the last year lots of Filipino options have appeared around Manhattan and the boroughs. Everything from authentic grub in Queens (another list item at Engeline’s) to a temporary hip brunch spot (Maharlika) to a surprisingly refined, casual restaurant in the blossoming neighborhood of Ditmas Park. That place is Purple Yam.

It opened in 2009 when there were literally just a handful of Filipino options. Cendrillon was one of them and the owners from that closed Soho spot brought the Filipino charms and flavor out to Brooklyn. I had read glowing reviews over the years (including in Time Out) and always wanted to find an excuse to have an excursion. It’s way out on the Q train, so I don’t find myself in the neighborhood often. And if I do, I’m probably having a food adventure somewhere else.

But TONY said it was time and I finally took the time. We got here a little early on a Saturday night and were seated near the window. I don’t know much about Filipino food (other than it’s sort of Asian and Spanish influenced), but the menu seemed to be all over the place. The menu seemed as much Korean as it did anything else – scallion pancakes, jap chae, and kimchi were all listed.

But further down in to the entrees, I recognized some Filipino specialties like Sisig (sizzling pork parts), Kare Kare (oxtail stew), and of course, the Chicken Adobo.

We did try some Korean items – the kimchi of the day was daikon (which is pretty standard kimchi fare). It was good, but nothing special. I did also like the sweet jap chae, which was light and flavorful. But the watermelon and green mango salad we ordered was a total joke. I’m not sure either of those ingredients were actually on the plate and was confused by sliced pineapples, tomatoes, and sad looking iceberg lettuce. It looked like it could have been a diner salad.

Our entrees fared much better including the aforementioned sisig (which had nice meaty crunchy textures and unctuous flavors) and the chicken adobo. Filipino food is generally noted for being sour and salty. Chicken adobo is chicken that’s been cooked in a vinegar based sauce with soy  sauce and spices. Here, the vinegar definitely was front and center. There were some dark spices and warming, slightly sweet notes to the rich brown sauce (thickened with coconut milk), but the tangy vinegar was most predominant. The chicken was incredibly tender and pretty much fell off the scrawny bones. Overall, quite enjoyable, but I wished there was more meat, especially at $16 (one of the costliest items on the menu).

For now, chicken adobo is somewhat hard to find in this city, but mark my words, in the coming months, chicken adobo may be as prevalent as Pad Thai. That and take-out pig trotter. Just you wait and see.

Would Purple Yam’s Chicken Adobo make my Top 100 of the year? The tangy vinegar and rich sweet sauce make for some tender and delicious chicken. I just wished there was more of it to savor for an 8 out of 10.