Miami New Times calls Filipino food surprisingly hard to find in Miami. Little River just got a serious new option.

Anako opened Oct. 22 at 8222 NE Second Ave. It comes from chefs Leicel Ros and Nancy Dominguez, with partner Nidal Barake. It's the couple's first sit-down restaurant after pop-ups and Sili, their stall at Wynwood's 1-800-Lucky food hall, Resy reported.

The name comes from "anak ko," Tagalog for "my child." It's how Ros' mother addresses her.

What to order

The menu starts with Filipino family recipes and pulls in flavors from the chefs' travels in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Dishes to know:

  • Lumpia: a fried roll of heritage pork wrapped around a whole Gulf shrimp, with chile lime
  • Kinilaw crudo: Japanese hiramasa with coconut-calamansi, chile, radish and a rice cracker
  • Oxtail kare-kare: slow-braised oxtail in peanut sauce with Romano beans, pickled okra and bagoong
  • Banana fritters: baby bananas in rice batter with coconut and sesame caramel

There's also a Wagyu bistek tartare, lemongrass chicken inasal, sisig with crispy pig ears and pancit noodles with kohlrabi. The opening menu is short, and the chefs plan to add dishes as the kitchen settles in.

The kare-kare is personal. Dominguez fell for the dish after Ros' mother cooked it for the couple. The peanut sauce reminded her of pepián, a Guatemalan braise from her own background.

For a drink, the Night Shift is a shaken coffee cocktail with cold brew, condensed milk, tawny port, Amontillado sherry and Maldon salt.

Two rooms and a counter

The front dining room has an open kitchen. Areatonic designed it with natural wood, terracotta and deep burgundy tones. The back room, once home to an early version of Kojin, is a walk-in wine bar with low-alcohol drinks, cocktails, natural wines, beer and appetizers from the main menu.

Four seats at the chef's counter are set aside for the Anako Experience, a multi-course tasting menu with an optional wine pairing. The team plans to launch it soon after opening.

Who's cooking

Ros and Dominguez met at the now-closed Jean-Georges in Los Angeles. Ros has cooked at Nobu, spent four years at Cote Miami and taught at Miami Culinary Institute. Dominguez worked at the former Jean-Georges Beverly Hills and in Joël Robuchon's kitchens. At opening, Dominguez runs the kitchen and Ros runs the dining room.

Before you go

Anako is open Thursday through Monday from 5 p.m. and plans to add a sixth day later. Resy lists it in its $$$ price range. Call 786-309-5252 or check the restaurant's website for reservations. Miami New Times led its roundup of the city's hottest new restaurants with Anako this week.

Make a night of it in Little River with a rum tour at Little River Distillery. Or, for another new opening this week, see D's Rooftop in Coral Gables.