Max's, cuisine of The Philippines in Jersey City
We were in Jersey City recently, trying to go to the DMV where the line was as long as a CVS receipt. So, although we decided to go back another time, we chose to eat around and found a Filipino place called Max’s Restaurant. Why not? Jodi was ok to go there as long as I was not getting a balut. Deal. I did not know going at Max’s Restaurant that they have more than 200 locations internationally, mostly in the Philippines and quite a few in North America (17 at this time). Opened in 1945 in the Philippines by Maximo Gimenez and now a family run restaurant empire, it is known for its fried chicken that I skipped as I was going to eat chicken that evening too and was curious to try the pusit sisig, a dish made of chopped squid and onion, smothered with Max’s savory sauce and chili. This was a succulent dish but I admit that I did not know it would be fried and after the chicken chicharon (fried chicken skin that is apparently a classic Filipino appetizer - good to try but I am not a huge fan), it was a bit of too much fried food. But I could not stop eating it: the sauce that seem based on mayonnaise was delicious and the octopus, perfectly cooked, crispy.
Pusit Sisig at Max's, cuisine of The Philippines in Jersey City
Chicken chicharron at Max's, cuisine of The Philippines in Jersey City
Jodi on her side got the sizzling tofu that seemed to have the same sauce as the pusit sisig and was flavorful, tough to get with tofu sometimes.
Sizzling tofu at Max's, cuisine of The Philippines in Jersey City
Sizzling tofu at Max's, cuisine of The Philippines in Jersey City
With our meal, we ordered some juices: Calamansi (Filipino lime) for me and mango for Jodi.
Calamansi and mango juice at Max's, cuisine of The Philippines in Jersey City
Last was dessert: we opted for the Turon with coconut jam or banana lumpia. It was banana spring rolls with a sauce that was a bit too thick though. Nevertheless, I loved it: crispy and not greasy, the banana being well cooked.
Turon with coconut at Max's, cuisine of The Philippines in Jersey City
Turon with coconut at Max's, cuisine of The Philippines in Jersey City
Overall, we had a good and comforting meal at Max’s Restaurant. I should point out that this casual place has a very nice staff who made sure we were ok and enjoyed our food. I would definitely go back and this time, try their fried chicken.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Max’s Restaurant - 687 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306
