Lawson Premium | Grilled Liempo

Grilled Liempo (Pork Belly) is a local favourite, and if you’re not from the Philippines who happens to travel see it chances are you might be curious. There are different take or how a Pork Belly is cooked, and mostly they are served in expensive restaurants to a stall at the corner of Small Street. It is a well-known dish that has been basically served in local food establishments. But as a premium item in a convenient store is something to look over not just have it. Most pork belly are served with a Java Rice and some side dish to compliment an overall meal. Lawson has their line of rice meal that are budget friendly, but a premium meal takes a lot more challenge in finding out if it is worth the premium?

In the last five years Lawson supplanted itself as another convenient store that can bring something that few others don’t have. They’re popular for their local content for dine-in food as well as the ones you can take home. They have established their menu building up with their take of budget friendly rice meals.

They were also the first to put out their home grown sandwiches and burgers. They almost taken over the competition by catering to the local scene with their take on local cuisine and dish despite their origin that they are from Japan, where the content of those stores back in that country is entirely different.

Jiving with Java Rice

The Premium meals by Lawson included this Grilled Liempo that has Java Rice and veggie side dish. The packaging shows how the portions are bigger compared to their competition. When you opened it revealing it is not how or what to expect, and just try to give this a chance to past the test.

There’s the pork and underneath is A LOT of Java Rice that is almost ready to bury the main viand that makes this meal that interesting dish. When you turn to the sides you thought it would appear to be enough, but there more about this part below…

Grilled & Meaty

The pork slices looks and taste bland without the dipping sauce, which comes with a peanut butter packet. It is the one that sort of enhance the pork’s taste, but it would be great if the meat has its own taste too, but turns out it is dependent to the sauce and there’s not enough to take down the Java Rice.

This is the part when you find out the difference on how Lawson makes their premium rice meal, and what they need to improve on. The meat of the matter is the grilled liempo and the dipping sauce don’t jive that much as compared using Mang Tomas that really gives an extra kick.

Overall there’s not much pork to balance the mound of Java Rice, and the peanut dipping sauce don’t have that punch to make the pork belly better whereas in comparison to getting a spicy Mang Tomas to jumpstart your appetite.

• Food Quality: 3.5 out of 5
• Affordability: B-
• Overall: Not enough Liempo (pork) to compliment the Java Rice, and the peanut butter dipping sauce only enhances its taste.

Grilled Liempo | Retailed at: ₱ 117.00 Pesos [$ 3.40 AUD | $ 2.09 USD]**

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