Restaurant Review: StarFish Filipino Eatery in Ocean Beach

Restaurant Review

StarFish Filipino Eatery
1830 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., Suite E
San Diego, CA 92107

By Judi Curry

I am always intrigued when a new ethnic restaurant opens nearby. I have long felt that Ocean Beach has enough Mexican, Pizza and Asian – read Japanese – restaurants and not enough “other” kinds.  I was thrilled to hear that a Filipino restaurant has now opened right on Sunset Cliffs.

When I was working at Job Corps in Imperial Beach, I had several instructors and secretaries that were Filipino.  When they brought in food for different occasions it was usually the first to go.  They could never make enough Lumpia to satisfy the staff – you have to know that I had over 130 staff members! – and the Pancit was the best I had ever tasted.  I “borrowed” Alicia’s recipe for Lumpia, and would spend hours cutting up the vegetables the way she taught me to but it never tasted as good as hers.

The pancit was interesting, because Alicia would put a layer of raw oysters on the top, and that stopped many of the staff from devouring the tasty dish.  Other staff members did not put any topping on theirs at all and they were the first to be finished!

Lumpia

Now we have a Filipino restaurant in Ocean Beach.  They have very limited hours – close their doors by 6:00 – which I am hoping will change as the pandemic decreases.  They sort of remind me of “Las Cuatros Milpas” because when they run out of food they close, and if what I sampled today is any indication, Starfish will run out of food quickly!

Currently, at least at this writing, they do not have dining in, but that may change in the next week or so. They have both curb side and home delivery available.

Their prices are low for today’s restaurant market – the lumpia for 5 pieces is $6.50; the Pancit was $10.  (It should be noted that delivery raises the cost slightly.)

Pancit

So let’s get to the review.  I learned two things – don’t order as the restaurant is getting ready to close.  Although the lumpia was tasty – you could really taste the shrimp – it was overcooked slightly.  It didn’t have the texture that I have come to expect with lumpia.  A few seconds less cooking and it would have ranked as exceptional.

The second thing I learned is that I should have picked it up curbside instead of having it delivered, because it was slightly more costly than I had anticipated.

The pancit was delicious.  The veggies were cut small and thin; the noodles were cooked just the right amount of time. The plate was overflowing with everything that it was made with.  It was a winner and I would order it again without question.

And that brings up another pet peeve of mine – the container the pancit was in was a cardboard box. By the time I opened it it was soggy; a hole had developed along the side, etc.  I am all for doing away with plastic, but this is a very poor substitute. I do not like the taste of cardboard, and if I wasn’t careful when I removed it from the bag it would have fallen on to the floor.  Be careful when replateing it!

Over all, I was very happy with my meal.  My tenant tasted it also and had the same feelings I had – lumpia cooked a little bit too long; pancit delicious.  Welcome to the newest ethnic restaurant in Ocean Beach. You will do well here.

And for those of you that do not know about lumpia – let me give you my recipe, direct from the staff at SDJC:

1 pkg won-ton wrappers              3# pork or chicken, boneless, diced             1/2-3/4 lb. bean sprouts

1 head bok choy (or cabbage)     1 can water chestnuts, chopped                   2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, chopped              1 can bamboo shoots, chopped                     1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped               1/2 cup green onions, chopped

Separate the boc choy stems from the leaves, separating the white part from the dark part. Fry the chicken. Add onions, and cook 2 additional minutes.  Add celery and carrots and cook for one minute more.  Add boc choy stems (or cabbage). Cook 2 minutes.  Add water chestnuts and bamboo shoots.  Cook 3 minutes. Add leafy part of boc choy and bean sprouts.  Cook 5 more minutes.  THEN

take 1-2 egg whites

Put 1-2 Tablespoons of the mixture on a wrapper.  (Hint: Put at top of wrapper and roll towards the other end.) Fold over sides – slightly.  Use egg white, undiluted, like glue, to hold wrapper closed.  Fry in 1/4″ oil.  Drain and serve with the following sauce  –  Use 2 parts soy sauce to 1 part apple cider vinegar.  Add garlic and mix well.)

soy sauce      apple cider vinegar     2 crushed cloves of garlic

And this, my friends, is why I prefer to purchase them than to make them!  Enjoy.