‘The best I’ve tasted’: Hidden Sunnybank gem serves up must-try dish
A new southside restaurant is attracting customers from far and wide, with the tiny venue packed with expats after an authentic taste of home.
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It’s no secret that Filipino food has been having its moment of late. The richly diverse, highly regional cuisine was the flavour of the year in 2023, with its hotpot of influences thanks to a history of Spanish and American colonisation and Chinese and Mexican trade.
Driving its new-found favouritism are top-notch eateries such as Sydney’s Takam and Melbourne’s Mama Lor, and Serai – the latter took out best new restaurant in the country last year. While Brisbane is a little slower to take to the trend, new dining spot Wil’s Resto in Sunnybank shows there’s certainly the demand.
The restaurant was previously in Coorparoo but outgrew its tiny tenancy so moved to Sunnybank in December for more space.
It may not be enough space, however, as the family-run eatery – operated by three generations of the Ginez clan working between front and back of house – is bursting at the seams with diners on both my dinner-time visits.
Co-owner Lorena Ginez says word has spread among the local Filipino community chasing a taste of home, while loyal fans from the previous location have followed them over.
And it’s no real surprise. Wil’s Resto – named after Lorena’s father-in-law and chef Wil – is the embodiment of family hospitality.
Walking into the brightly lit, cheap and cheerful fit-out with its abundance of faux greenery, mustard-hued walls and neon lights, is like walking into the family’s home. Staff greet you with mile-wide smiles, bringing you menus before you order at the counter and collect your water from the dispenser. Got a question about a dish? No worries, the friendly team will explain, happy to share their food and culture.
And if you’re new to Filipino food, you’ll probably have a lot of questions, with the menu running from soups like the sour, pork-based sinigang na baboy and sizzling dishes like the classic sisig, to rice noodle creations topped with pork, fish balls and prawn balls, plus their hugely popular street food platters and combos loaded with the likes of pork in every which way, chicken and fish. One of their most popular combos is the chicken inasal ($21.95) – a traditional southern-style dish of grilled chicken marinated in brown sugar and citrus. This version features a maryland cut, its skin glossy and blackened in spots from catching on the flame, its flesh juicy and tender with the marinade permeating into the flesh. Terrific! It comes with a mound of pancit – a salty, sweet stir-fry of vermicelli noodles, steamed white rice and a spongy purple rice cake known as puto.
We also order the popular tagaytay bulalo ($26.95). The delicately flavoured beef soup hits the table with a naked shank standing to attention in the centre of the bowl, its meat stripped from the bone and floating in the broth alongside pak choy, spring onions and corn on the cob. It’s recommended to eat with a bowl of steamed rice and is comfort food at its finest.
On another visit we get the much-loved sisig ($22.95). This diced pork dish varies from region to region across the Philippines and family to family, but this version is one of the best I’ve tasted. While it’s also one of the simplest I’ve had, it boasts just the right level of seasoning, with the meat remaining tender and succulent.
For dessert there’s the likes of house-made cassava cake, leche flan and our choice, the throw-it-all-in-a-cup dish of halo halo ($11.95 regular, $15.95 sharing). The name translates to “mix-mix”, which is what you do, stirring up the shaved ice, sweetened evaporated milk, jelly, sweet potato, red beans, ice cream, coconut and more into a slushy of spoon-warring goodness.
The restaurant doesn’t serve alcohol and there’s no BYO, but they do serve a selection of house-made sodas and iced tea, plus soft drinks and juices. Wil’s Resto is certainly not the flashiest eatery around, but what it lacks in expensive fit-out and silver service, it makes up for in personality and a whole lot of fun.
Wil’s Resto
Market Square Sunnybank, Shop 50/341 Mains Rd, Sunnybank
0402 896 176
Must eat dish
Sisig
Verdict – Scores out of 5
Food 4
Service 3.5
Ambience 2
Value 4
Overall 3.5
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