Craving flavorful, Filipino food, I found myself waiting in line in a place I would never expect–a gas station. Located at 1216 Hillside Blvd., Daly City, Russ Fam Kitchen serves up savory, street-style Filipino dishes.

Before they even began taking orders, a line was rapidly formed by hungry customers and open wallets, which gave me time to look over their menu
and decide what to order. After taking a glance, I decided to order their Dinakdakan and an Ilocos Empanada.

Their kitchen was open for customers to watch as their orders were prepared, and mine came out before I even knew it. My Ilocos Empanada was piping hot inside its foil wrap, so I decided to start with the Dinakdakan.

Their Dinakdakan is a crispy, pork dish that’s covered in a creamy mayonnaise sauce and topped with fragrant vegetables such as peppers, red and green
onions.

Upon first bite, it blew me away. The crunchy exterior with the tender, melt-in-your-mouth pieces of pork delivered such a memorable texture. The flavors were savory and spicy, with a slight sweetness from the sauce to smoothen the powerful, initial bite of the pork. Enjoying each spoonful with their fluffy, white rice balanced out the entire dish.

With my empanada cooling down, I finally got the chance to dig in. The fried, orange exterior was crispy and faint of taste–which was quickly overshadowed by their unique mixture of ground beef, papaya, and egg. The combination of the crunchy shell and soft, meaty inside was once again very memorable in terms of both taste and flavor.

Coming into a gas station, I didn’t know what to initially expect, but now that I have experienced Russ Fam Kitchen’s food, I can safely say I will be returning back. I give Russ Fam Kitchen a 4/5.