Big egg-shaped platters filled with famous egg noodle pancit, mouthwatering pork sisig, cold cans of beer, and blithe stand-up comic acts are offered as part of the restaurant’s unique dining experience.
The brain behind the comedy events is Filipino-American C.J. Toledano, who was born with the background necessary for such lighthearted entertainment.
The Eagle Rock neighborhood of Filipino Americans is the ideal fusion in creating the weekly program that is so exceptionally Los Angeles.
The restaurant’s co-owners, Jun Miranda and Vener Ramos, greased the wheels to serve the dishes and beverages that the predominantly Filipino audience was clamoring for when actress and stand-up comedian Felicia Folkes performed.
Toledano recalled how the Wednesday show got started and said in the Los Angeles Times that Jun Miranda was all about it.
“He just said, ‘The restaurant is yours on Wednesday nights,” Toledano stated which was backed by Miranda saying “I immediately said yes. Of course, I wanted to help the Filipino community.”
Toledano, who co-hosts the program with Orolfo and Rob Haze, stressed that the event is not just for mutual benefit but that “I have a specific vision for the show and the comedians who do it. [I want] people I’m fans of,” he continued.
He added that the intensely vibrant, funky, and fatty flavors of Filipino cuisine at “Motherland”— including the crispy sisig,a deep-fried chopped pork belly flavored with a little of lemon juice, diced onion, bell pepper, ginger and, a little of chicken liver spread; dinakdakan, a combination of grilled and boiled pork belly mixed with onions, peppers — and mayonnaise; chicken adobo with quail egg and fried potatoes; and halo-halo, among others—are just as electrifying as the acts on stage.
“I’m a Filipino guy who grew up in Pennsylvania. I didn’t have many Asian friends. So the show is really killing several birds with one stone — I’m in touch with a culture I was never close to. I’m seeing old friends. New comics. It’s exciting for me,” Toledano admitted.