As we had just realized that Golden Cowrie in S’Maison at Conrad Manila has permanently closed, we found ourselves looking for another Filipino restaurant to satisfy ourselves. With me was my Singapore-based partner, whom I fetched from the airport earlier that morning. We both agreed to start her one week break by eating something she missed the most – Filipino food!

Lucky for us, we stumbled upon Fely J’s Kitchen upon entering Greenbelt. Seeing Filipino-Asian cuisines from their menu displayed outside, made us not look further anymore for someplace else.

Just for the two of us, we ordered one main course, Lechon Kawali, Sinigang na Boneless Bangus, and two cups of plain rice. We also Watermelon juice to share.

Sinigang na Boneless Bangus really hit the perfect balance. The fish was obviously fresh and wasn’t frozen. Not too sour, and every slurp was never bland. The menu says that you can choose between classic or rich guava broth, but we were never asked. It’s something I just realized later on. An order of this can be shared by two to three people even when not accompanied by other dishes. Another great thing that impressed me was that they’re really generous with the fish, and they’re definitely not cheating their customers by overwhelming the soup with vegetables.

Lechon Kawali was a very commendable one. I must say, it’s way different than most Lechon Kawali we taste in other Filipino restaurants. The skin was crispy, and the meat was tender all throughout. I’d call it a perfect bite even without the sauce provided alongside with the food since it wasn’t soaked in oil. Having another main dish on our table, an order of Lechon Kawali can definitely be shared by three people.

Although I find the price a little bit too expensive, the Watermelon Juice did not disappoint. You could really taste that the juice was not improved by artificial sugars. I’d assume it was a hundred percent fresh, but take my assumption with a grain of salt.

Given their generosity on the dishes that they offer, we bought another cup of steamed rice for P65. It didn’t even start there! We were also given a refillable basket of prawn crackers while we were waiting for our order.

This is probably the first restaurant that I would rate five stars, since my partner, who had not eaten authentic Filipino food for half a year, felt a homey ambiance in the restaurant together with the welcoming feel of eating the dishes that we ordered.

By the use of wood, the restaurant gives its customers an oriental feeling, and the pictures that hang on the wall surely sends a nostalgic atmosphere to its guests.

Would I recommend the restaurant? Of course, even the dishes that we ordered.

Fely J’s Kitchen is brought to us by the same company that runs Cafe Adriatico, and Abe to name a few. It is located at the 2nd floor of Greenbelt 5, Makati