Kutsara At Tinidor Filipino Restaurant

These days, there are more Filipino eateries in Calgary, but for some reason, there are not many that rise above and impress. I think the reason for this is because I find that many of these places want to merely make Filipino food and sell it, nothing more. There is no real attempt at aiming for a niche or expanding the horizons of the cuisine through interpretation or creativity. The tragic thing I find as well is that there is no real attempt to make the food appeal to a mass audience.
Being raised in a Filipino household, I have grown up eating the dishes that are commonly offered at places like Kutsara At Tinidor. I do have my favourites, and I can find them at other places throughout town. Some are done very well and some are, well, okay. When I go to a restaurant, I have the minimum expectation that the food I eat will be good, or at least have one item that’s memorable. Across the board, the food here is okay.
The interior of K&T is modern and clean. I do like the design elements that give the entire place a contemporary feel with details that promote the Philippines. It’s a refreshing departure from the usual tropical shtick with the bamboo and Xmas lights you sometimes find in other places.
The Filipino culture is a beautiful one with a very vast cuisine that needs to be shared and understood to be appreciated. I am pleased that there is another place where I can get a quick lunch in the South side of town other than my mom’s, but if my mom was home, I would likely end up there. There is some work to do here and I think that the food can be better. I hope that they get better with time.

Food is good but the portions are so small — with the server choosing the portions for you and I left the restaurant completely dissatisfied. The place is new and clean and the staff are friendly. I would rather go to T&T NE in the food court for Filipino fast food than eat at this restaurant. NP :(

Finally a Filipino restaurant worth visiting in the South Area! For months people have been asking me «Angelo where can I get some great Filipino eats» and I’ve always been telling them to go to Melly’s. But Melly’s café isn’t a restaurant but more a bakery that has a side menu. There were other places to recommend but they lacked a lot of things I felt represented Filipino cuisine: affordable, quick, and hearty soul food. So I always held my tongue whenever people bragged about places that charged you luxurious prices, had shitty service, strange characters, or took FOREVER to make food.
Kutsara At Tinidor is located off McLeod trail beside the Asian grocery market, Tatak Pinoy. The same owners decided to take a stab and rather than offer a sit-​down order from a menu experience, they mainly focused on the fast-​food approach of having the Ulam-​side dishes presented at the front for people to pick. I used to be skeptical of places like this since the food tends to sit there for long periods of time, but here the choices are presented in small batches that they replace or replenish over periods of time. In the case one felt like ordering something made on the spot, they also have a menu.
I’ve visited this place twice and really loved how a meal for one person easily came under $ 10. With that you get a combination of rice, a side dish with room for extras like upgrading your rice with garlic, more sidedishes, and a bbq skewer.
The last time I was here I had their bopis– pork stew with vegetables and tomato sauce, and their dinuguan –pork blood stew. It was satisfying and I really liked the hearty consistency of the dinuguan. To be honest the bopis was allright, but only because my aunt’s makes the best: D