Lechon

Crispy roast pork served with delicious garlic rice, atchara (pickled papaya) and lechon sauce (a sweet and sour sauce made from liver).

★★★★☆

Crispy Pata

This famous Filipino dish was cooked twice (simmered and then deep fried) which meant that the pork was wonderfully tender while the skin was INCREDIBLY crispy. I wasn’t a fan of the soy-vinegar sauce so I was happy eating the pork by itself.

★★★★☆

Pork Skewer

Firm pork covered in a tasty marinade with a smoky chargrilled flavour.

★★★★☆

Halo-Halo

This colourful dessert comprised of shaved ice, evaporated milk, jelly, corn, coconut and purple yam. Refreshing and not overly sweet.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This was my first taste of Filipino food so I had no idea what to expect and had nothing to compare it to. What I found out about GJ’s Grill is that not only are the staff Filipino, but so were most of their customers during our visit. If that doesn’t say authentic, then I don’t what does! There isn’t a lot of seating here and when we got there at 7pm on a Monday night, we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table to become available. The staff were very warm and welcoming, and service was relatively quick. The menu is predominantly meat based so don’t expect to find any salads or vegetables here. Instead, expect to find generous servings of well cooked meat that will lead to you rolling happily out the door.

 

GJ’s Grill

Shop 2, 243 Franklin St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9328 8242