Patrice Cleary's Mount Pleasant restaurant is a neighborhood treasure that serves homestyle Filipino food. Whether for drinner, brunch, or a happy hour meetup, Purple Patch is a solid gathering spot with even better food.
The menu includes traditional Filipino dishes, like lumpia, done extremely well. The meats are tender and flame-kissed, and vegetables are fresh and snappy (a personal favorite of mine is the sweet and tangy Atchara Papaya Salad with green papaya, carrots, bell pepper, ginger, and sweet viaigrette). Try the Coconut Curry Chicken, any of the sliders, and the Filipino Bistek, which is marinated in soy sauce and lime juice. Dessert includes lots of permutations of ube and coconut, but my favorite is the halo halo, a sweet wonder of shaved ice, coconut gel, mung beans, sweetened condensed milk, toasted coconut and ube ice cream.