Notes about Recipes in this book

• Dad's tortang giniling

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    This was much easier than I expected! Super tasty!

• Japan West's ketchup and mayo sauce

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    Great, easy burger sauce!

• Sweet rolls (Pan de sal)

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    Mine came out looking like cinnamon rolls. I’ll probably shape them more like Parker a House rolls next time.

• Lola's noodles with vegetables (Pancit bihon)

  • Justagirleatingcake on February 06, 2026

    Way too salty

  • dmdmdmmm on February 18, 2026

    This will taste much like your lola’s pansit!! Hits close to home

• Bobby Flay showed me a cool quesadilla

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    This was pretty good. Noticed on the teriyaki sauce recipe that he said he eats it with quesadillas. Next time, I’ll pair the two!

• Hot dogs with garlic fried rice (Hot-silog!)

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    I’m a sucker for anything with hot dogs. The fried rice is good and the addition of the hot dog and egg makes this an easy and filling meal!

  • meggan on September 24, 2020

    Kind of meh. Despite all the garlic, the rice felt plain if not a little bitter?

• Garlic fried rice (Sinangag)

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    So good! But do be sure to get the pan hot enough!

• Amboy burger

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    This is a good burger! Couldn’t find the Edam cheese, sadly, but we subbed kraft per his instructions.

• Pineapple pork loin (Jamonado)

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    This is excellent! We did have a ton of extra pineapple glaze. Next time I might set some aside before adding the sesame oil to make a sauce for another dish.

• Spanish-style beef stew (Mechado)

  • dmdmdmmm on April 09, 2026

    Reminds me of the mechado you would get during fiestas. This was good, so tender, so beefy. Bw ready with a whole lotta rice

• Spanish-style chicken stew (Putahe)

  • MCRossi on October 10, 2022

    Love afritada. However, this turned out flat in taste…which is surprising considering the aromatics and the significant amount of soy sauce.

• Filipino spaghetti

  • dmdmdmmm on February 15, 2026

    People have heard about banana ketchup spaghetti BUUUT ACTUAL BANANA?? Unheard of but Alvin made it work! It’s still very cheffy, he made a gastrique to make to sauce sweet and, if you’re into filipino spaghetti, this one slaps!!

• Sacred Heart Retreat House fried rice

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    This might be my new go to for fried rice! We ate it with leftover Jamonado.

  • meggan on April 06, 2021

    Basic. My 6 yo loved it.

• Hennessey steak au poivre

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    This is rich and decadent! Not something I could eat often, but perfect for special occasions!

• Spam chips and white bean puree

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    This bean purée is really good. Frying the spam seems to amplify the saltiness. I do like spam, but it was a bit much. If I make it again, I’ll def go for low sodium spam.

• Pork meatloaf with pineapple glaze (Embutido)

  • SweetLittleBytes on January 21, 2021

    The end result is delicious, but my meatloaf took way longer than the recommended baking time. I know it wasn't my oven temperature, because I have an in-oven thermometer to monitor that.

• Amboy adobo

  • Twysbeek on September 27, 2021

    Meat braises for 1.5hrs after being pan-fried and brining for 8-12 hours (plus the brine is boiled then cooled for at least 2hrs prior to using). This is time-intensive dish. It is very tasty, but not sure it is different tasting enough from much easier recipes.

  • vickid59 on October 20, 2022

    I'm Filipino so I've had many variations of adobo. This was just ok - I had to adjust the seasoning since it was a bit bland. My expectations were high because I am a big fan of Egg Slut. The process is much more complicated than how I make adobo and it was very time consuming. Won't be my go-to recipe for adobo.

  • dmdmdmmm on February 18, 2026

    It’s a very fancy way of making adobo imho. It was good but I like my adobo pretty plain and simple

  • rachel_ywqstg on May 19, 2026

    I used this recipe more as inspiration than following every step word for word. There are many extra steps compared to other recipes, with some, in my opinion, more essential than others. I particularly enjoyed searing the chicken then using the fond to make the sauce - a contrast to an old family recipe where everything was just dumped in the pot together. I did not, however, brine the chicken before or add buerre manie - while I’m sure these additions would make the dish even better, these are not steps I would typically add for a weeknight meal, but I can try them at a later date if I want to make it more of a “project” meal. Overall, tasty but this recipe is more of a suggestion on how to elevate a classically “simple” dish.

• Cucumber and tomato side salad

  • BeckyLeJ on September 04, 2020

    I think the fish sauce is a little too much for me with this dish. The dressing didn’t taste like much but the aftertaste of fish sauce was pretty intense.

• Eat Your Books

  Fall in love with Alvin Cailan and his recipes. A great mix of Filipino and American cuisine.

  Full review