Pictured: Sisig Pork and a Box of Lumpia. Photo by Sarah Emily Miano.

Jenna Foster wears her father Ping’s lucky hat while cooking at Funky Fusion, Sarasota’s first Filipino restaurant. Ping never saw this brick-and-mortar home for his recipes, but his presence is palpable. “Whenever I think about a dish, I go back to how my dad did it,” Jenna says. “He is always my inspiration.”

Her wife Jackie takes orders as families line out the door. Though technically takeout, a few tables allow eager customers to dig in. “I do the front. I talk,” Jackie says. “She does all the cooking.” After six years running a popular food truck outside local breweries like Bluelife, Calusa and Big Top, the Fosters spent two years building out their kitchen while running Bluelife’s. When Funky Fusion opened in September, they’d built a following.

Jenna layers her culinary training and modern sensibility onto Ping’s traditions. Sisig—crispy pork belly, jowl and ears sautéed with garlic and chili—sizzles alongside fragrant rice and a runny fried egg, with vinegar for drizzling. Starchy noodles soak up a shrimp palabok gravy hinting of smoked fish. Sticky BBQ chicken with mushrooms brightens amid scallions and mango. Weekly specials inked on the wall calendar (with space for customer requests) feature silky lugaw porridge with ginger broth. Remarkable food for under $18.

The first Saturday each month brings lechon, succulent eight-hour roasted pork belly and neck, skin crackling with umami down to the chicharon whispering lemongrass. Pungent atchara—green papaya salad—cuts the fatty deliciousness. Friday Fish nights before Lent will rotate through the season. Valentine’s Day presents their unique spin on romance. “Who needs chocolate and roses? Get a box of lumpia instead!” Jackie declares. Crunchy cigar-shaped rolls stuffed with pork and vegetables come with a house-made sweet-n-sour. They bottle their sauces, too.

Pins crowd a wall map, marking Philippine hometowns over islands and provinces. The tagline says it all: “Kain na—Let’s eat. Good Food, Great Friends.” Guaranteed.

Funky Fusion Filipino Kitchen, Thurs-Sun 10am-2pm, Fri-Sat 5-8pm, 1940 12th Street, Sarasota.

Pictured: Sisig Pork and a Box of Lumpia. Photo by Sarah Emily Miano.