A taste of the Philippines at Jeepney Hut

By Judy Cowling MALL FOOD. For me, those words conjure up visions of fast and greasy fried things wrapped in waxed paper and eaten on the go. But on a recent trip to the Lynnhaven Mall food court in Virginia Beach I found a pleasant change of pace and taste amid the burgers, subs, pizza, and cookies. The Jeepney Hut offers a freshly prepared, slow-cooked taste of the Philippine Islands. It’s owned and operated by two native Filipinos, Ramon Briguera and Francisco “Jun” Tan Jr., who are pleased to share their country’s flavorful heritage. The overhead menu is easy to understand as each menu item is fully described under a picture of the dish. After reading everything and still not knowing what to order, Louella, the friendly counter server, suggested I try one of the house specialties, either the chicken or pork barbecue ($5.49 each). I ordered the chicken but switched to the pork when I was informed they had sold out of chicken during the lunch rush. Both are marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and spices before being char-grilled. They are partially baked in the oven and then basted with more sauce and finished on the grill. The skewers of pork were generous, the meat succulent and sweet. They were accompanied by a scoop of moist and spicy Java rice, which is white rice that’s steamed and flavored with an Indonesian chili sauce called sambal oelek. It’s known to add heat without changing core flavors. My friend, whose mother is proficient at a few Filipino dishes, decided to try something he was familiar with, the pancit bihon ($3.50). A traditional favorite, pancit is a stir-fry of fine rice-noodles with various vegetables and meat. This version contained pork, cabbage, carrots, celery and green onions and was served with a small cup of homemade sweet and spicy garlic sauce. His selection was as tasty as his mom’s, fresh and healthy. The side of lumpia Shanghai ($3.25 for 10), cocktail-size egg rolls filled with ground potatoes, carrots, garlic and pork, came crispy fried and flavorful, much better than the bland, room temperature fresh lumpia ($2.49) made of similar ingredients that had been sautéed and served in a lumpia wrapper. Dessert offerings are few, but when we found out they were homemade, we sampled the suggested cassava pudding ($1.99) made from yuca root with coconut milk. It was similar in texture to a coconut pie, but the taste was not as sweet, more earthy dense and silky. We also treated ourselves to a cup of camote fries ($1.29), made from sweet potatoes that were a hot and salty-sweet change from your normal greasy fry. The folks at the mall do a good job of keeping the communal dining areas neat and clean. There is adequate passage to navigate both strollers and wheelchairs and plenty of room for the kids to roam a bit while you sit and experience a new cultural flavor. The Jeepney Hut gets its name from a popular mode of transportation today in the Philippines, the Jeepney. They were originally made by ingenious Filipinos from the surplus of U.S. military jeeps left behind after World War II. They are brightly colored minibuses decorated with detailed artwork elaborately painted on their bodies.