Kusina - Mississauga

I have no idea how long Kusina has been at its current location, just a few steps from the bus stop at the northwest corner of Dundas and Hurontario, but, for some reason, we only noticed it early-2016. Kusina (Filipino word for “kitchen”) is more of a takeout joint than a sit-down eatery. There is just a narrow space for a row of 7 counter stools for dine-in customers which make me think of solitary hurried meals and quick snack breaks. Kusina offers convenience on those days when you do not feel like cooking but still want to enjoy some home-cooked meals. Or when you crave traditional Filipino dishes that either require a lot of effort to prepare like pork barbecue on skewers, rellenong bangus (stuffed milkfish), embutido (Filipino meatloaf) and lumpia (spring rolls) or need an expert hand to get the taste and texture just right like pancit palabok (Filipino rice noodle) and crispy pata (deep fried pork trotters). They seem to have a (daily?) varying menu and a good selection of fish, meat and vegetable dishes to choose from every time. Customers have the option of buying hot food items in small, medium or large food containers. Pork or chicken dishes cost $5.99 Small, $6.99 Medium, $7.99 Large. Beef or vegetable dishes cost an extra $1. So far, we have tried their beef kare kare (oxtail stew with vegetables in peanut sauce $9.99, large only), deep fried whole tilapia ($5), ginisang ampalaya (sautéed bitter melon with egg), embutido ($15 for a 1ft roll) and pork estofado (stewed pork). From their snack menu, we have tried their bibingka (rice cake topped with salted egg $2) and both their pork and chicken empanadas which are sold in packs of 6 ($8/pack). Overall, food is okay and price is affordable. Service, however, may or may not be friendly. I say that because we have not forgotten the first time we went to Kusina, back in Mar 2016, when the middle-aged man behind the counter hardly smiled and seemed annoyed when we could not immediately finalize our order. It was not a favourable first impression obviously. It took us a long while to come here again, and only because its location is closer to us than its competition (Berto’s). Good thing though that on our next visits, someone else was always on counter duty. The middle-aged Filipina and young man I encountered on different dates recently were okay and did not mind answering questions. Kusina accepts only cash or debit card. They are open Mondays to Saturdays. They also offer party trays with prices ranging from $35 for medium-size noodle dish to $95 for large-size meat dish.

This place is a hidden gem in the Hurontario-Dundas intersection.

I used to love their palabok until they stopped serving it hotNow they serve it half of the container that you see and the picture and its cold .

Most Filipino eateries consist of hot food counters where people point at what they want and take it to goIt's called turo-turo or point-point.

The food did not appear fresh and the lady, who seemed to be the manager or owner, was heard speaking loudly to a customer about his order. She seemed to be accusing the customer of not placing an order. I am happy that Seafood City has opened, as I will not be returning to this restaurant. However, I would recommend trying Something Sweet for U as it is a good restaurant.