Chef Jorge Mendez’s Quezon City restaurant keeps things fresh with three new dishes and five cocktails that—as the concept’s name proudly suggests—put a distinct Pinoy accent on familiar Filipino flavors and culinary traditions.
The powerful thing about the food of your home country is its duality: it offers nostalgic comfort through familiarity, yet just as you think you’ve tasted it all, a concept like Pinoy Accent finds ways to subvert expectations and surprise the modern palate through imaginative takes.
At Chef Jorge Mendez’s Quezon City restaurant, Filipino favorites have found new expressions, and this October, it’s upholding that streak with three additions to the menu and five new Filipino-inspired cocktails, each one taking cues from ingredients and combinations that feel close to home.
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Taste The Three New Dishes At Pinoy Accent
The Angel Hair Sisig features crispy pork, chicharon, chillies, salsa inihaw, and atchara tossed with angel hair pasta. It’s a dish that takes the crunch, spice, and tang of the indulgent pulutan favorite then skips the usual steaming bowl of rice, opting to heap the decadent mix onto a more unconventional choice of carbs that just works.
The Tuna Dinakdakan, meanwhile, offers a zestier, fruity spin on a regional classic. Inspired by the Ilocano dish, it pairs tuna with ginger, onion, apple atchara, orange, and dinakdakan sauce, adding a brighter dimension to the familiar combination of savory and tangy flavors.
For dessert, the Roti Ensaymada reimagines the beloved sweet-salty Filipino pastry as flaky roti finished with butter cream and Grana Padano.
Sip The Five New, Proudly Filipino Cocktails
The restaurant’s cocktail menu also gains some new and welcome additions that bolster the concept’s Filipino spirit, drawing inspiration from snacktime and the comfort of longtime go-to flavors. Each offers a different interpretation, whether as an aperitif, after-dinner drink, or companion to the food.
The Club Filipina pairs gin and vodka with guyabano and jasmine soda for a floral opening, while the Barong Tagalog takes a richer approach, combining salted caramel vodka, coffee liqueur, coco jam, and coffee. Then there’s the Mangga’t Asin, perfect for those who prefer their cocktails more on the unusual side. It presents the pairing of green mango and salt, mixing lambanogLambanogA potent Philippine spirit distilled from the fermented sap of coconut palms, traditionally clear and high in proof. Long a village staple, lambanog has been reimagined by craft distillers withGo to Lambanog Glossary with green mango and a savory touch of patis for an umami kick.
The Sampaloc Sour combines whiskey and mezcal with tamarind and sour pineapple, balancing the spirits with a tangy profile. Meanwhile, the Chilimansi (a name that will ring a bell with pancit canton lovers) combines tequila and calamansiCalamansiA small, tart Philippine citrus fruit with a flavor between lime and mandarin, used in dipping sauces, marinades, drinks, and desserts. Calamansi brings bright acidity to Filipino cooking, and bartendersGo to Calamansi Glossary, finishing with the warmth of chili.
Together with the restaurant’s wine program, the new cocktails offer another way to explore the interplay of acidity, savoriness, and richness that defines much of Filipino cuisine. At Pinoy Accent, reinterpretations and twists aren’t meant to reinvent local cuisine for the sake of novelty; instead, they offer alternative ways of tasting that allow us to revisit, reconsider, and better appreciate the wonderful flavors we know and love.
See more of the new dishes and cocktails below.
Pinoy Accent is located at 62 Sgt. Esguerra, Diliman, Quezon City. Dinner reservations can be made through its Instagram page @pinoyaccent, with walk-ins welcome based on availability.
All photos courtesy of Pinoy Accent
Frequently Asked Questions
Pinoy Accent has introduced three new dishes: Angel Hair Sisig, Tuna Dinakdakan, and Roti Ensaymada. The additions put a fresh spin on familiar Filipino favorites, reinterpreting classic flavors through creative combinations and unconventional presentations.
Pinoy Accent has added five Filipino-inspired cocktails to its menu: Club Filipina, Barong Tagalog, Mangga’t Asin, Sampaloc Sour, and Chilimansi. The drinks draw inspiration from familiar Filipino ingredients and flavor combinations, including guyabano, coco jam, green mango, patis, tamarind, and calamansi.
Pinoy Accent is located at 62 Sgt. Esguerra, Diliman, Quezon City. Dinner reservations can be made through the restaurant’s Instagram page, @pinoyaccent, while walk-ins are welcome based on availability.
