As a culinary adventurer, I am drawn to the unknown. When I see a restaurant advertising a specialty I’ve never tasted —or heard of — that is where I go. This may demand making an abrupt U-turn or cancelling an appointment to avoid the chance I might not be able find my way back to the eatery another time.
I nearly passed by one of those establishments during a recent drive through Carson with my brother.
“Carpe Diem!” flashed into my mind when I happened to catch a glimpse of the large sign mounted outside Tony’s Barbecue. Fortunately, I was able to make the hard turn into the parking lot, and although the move subjected my brother to severe G-forces. The sign was pretty tremendous, too.
It read: “Bibingkinitan! Freshly baked mini-bibingka of Carson.” Immediately, one of the questions that arose was answered: a bibingkinitan is a small bibingka. But that answer just as quickly raised several more, including this one: what’s a bibingka?
A quick search of the internet revealed it’s a Filipino rice cake, and yes, the bibingkinitan is its little brother. That sounded interesting, so my brother and 
I walked into the neat little fast food restaurant knowing at least one thing we would order. The rest of the decision process was just as easy, since there are pictures of everything on the short menu posted behind the counter. The restaurant’s theme is grilled meat and seafood, in either a Filipino barbecue or teriyaki sauce. We ordered grilled pork, chicken inasal, a chicken skewer on the side and a bibingkinitan. 
Since I’ve eaten Filipino food before, I had some idea of what to expect. Although there are regional variations across the country, the national palate favors dishes sweetened with coconut milk, sugar, or honey, which are balanced with vinegar or citrus. Savory items are mildly spiced and show more Spanish influence than other Southeast Asian cuisines, with garlic and chili used judiciously. Desserts tend to be extremely sweet. I’m particularly partial to the soups that use tamarind to add a little fruity sourness to the broth, so I was delighted to see that a cup of soup is included with everything.
The soup was a variant on Chinese egg drop; the chicken-based stock was silky, rich and a little sweet. I adulterated mine with a little of the vinegar that arrived with the barbecue, but it was OK even without that. Only after we ordered did I notice that they offer the vinegar and green papaya salad called atchara, and now that I know, next time I’ll order it as a starter. It would be enjoyable to alternate that slight tartness and crunch with the soup.
The barbecue pork and the chicken skewer were freshly made and had been brushed with a sweet and sour barbecue sauce while on the grill, which slightly caramelized it. In comparison to American regional styles, it’s closest to Chicago barbecue, but without the tomato in the sauce. Both sauces work well because meat tastes great with caramelized sugar and vinegar.
We saved the bibingkinitan for last, partly because we weren’t sure whether it was intended to be sweet or savory. It looked like a muffin served in an elaborately folded banana leaf instead of the usual paper holder and smelled delicately of freshly toasted coconut. We found that cooking the bibingkinitan in the banana leaf had infused the delicate, spongy cake with an appealing tropical flavor. The filling of cream cheese did not enhance the cake’s flavor much, nevertheless it added a mild lactic sweetness. My California palate makes me want to try making one of these with goat cheese or something else a little more assertive, however I’d try it again.
Bibingkas of any size are a traditional Christmas item in Filipino households, though Tony’s serves them all year. If you want to explore another culture’s celebratory cuisine you might get a recipe and try making them. But If teaching yourself to fold banana leaf cups sounds like too much work for you, just make your way over to Tony’s in Carson instead.
Tony’s Barbecue and Bibingkinitan is at 860 E. Carson St., #105, Carson. It is open daily, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Details: (310) 518-7860.