** Point Point Joint has closed
Yes, that's the name of this Turo-Turo( literally "point-point" in Tagalog) "joint" in National City. Why "point-point"? Well these type of restaurants, serve up steam-table fare, and you can order by just pointing at what you want.
On this afternoon, I happen to be in National City, and my stomach was rumbling away. I also hadn't had rice for almost 10 days!!! I thought about driving up to Tita's Kitchenette, but since it was already past 2pm, and I was just a few blocks away; Point-Point was an easy choice. The spartan, dark, and simple interior of the restaurant was quite crowded, and the television eternally tuned to TFC(The Filipino Channel), was playing some Karaoke All-Star program.
I simply walked up to the counter, did my "point-point" duty, and got my usual 2 item combination($5.50). Lechon Kawali and BBQ Chicken:
For those who don't know what Lechon Kawali is; it's pork belly that has been boiled in water and seasonings, then drained and dried. And finally deep fried until the skin (Chicharon) becomes golden and crisp. When done to perfection, each bite of lechon kawali is an amazing combination of textures; crisp cracklins', rich gelatinous fat, and moist meat flavored by the seasonings and the two-step cooking process. Needless to say, it should be eaten soon after cooking. When I had mentioned the food at Point-Point to my Buddy Jack; he was quick to point out that, "with Point-Point, you either have to get there early; or luck out and be there when fresh batches of food comes out.
" A perfect assessment of Point-Point timing. On this visit, some of the pieces of lechon were excellent, while other were not very good. A few pieces were extremely hard, and the meat had become very dry. I enjoy the BBQ Chicken at Point-Point, it is very different from it's counter-part at Tita's, it has a sweeter flavor, more reminiscent of Teriyaki. Today the chicken skewers were very good; still hot, moist, and with nice "charry" bits.
I finished my meal(except for a few pieces of lechon that were too dried out) while watching the Karaoke All-Stars, and before leaving, got some take-out for the Missus. 2 BBQ Chicken skewers($1.50/each), and a "medium" Chicken Sinigang (Chicken Sour Soup – $2.50). The portion of soup turned to be quite generous as it filled one of our soup bowls.
The Missus enjoyed Her bowl of soup, which She found to be refreshingly sour and tangy, and though a bit on the salty side, not oily in the least bit. There was a generous amount of chicken and eggplant in the soup as well.
Though the portions at Point-Point are not as massive as those at Tita's, I sometimes enjoy the nicer Staff at Point-Point. I also usually never have to deal with the psycho parking lot, crazy Plaza Boulevard, and the mass of Humanity at Tita's. Point-Point serves up all the usual suspects, Tapa, Dinuguan, Adobo, and other favorites, all you have to do is point….point.
Here's a photo of another recent take-out from Point-Point. On this occasion the lechon was very good.
Point-point Restaurant
916 E 8TH St Ste 1
National City, CA 91950