larry cruikshank/viewVioleta Sotelo, co-owner of Pancit Express, 7501 N. Cimarron Road, Suite 108, looks after the eatery while her husband, Marcel Jones, minds the couple?s Taste of Asian Market in the same complex.
Advertisement
When Violeta Sotelo and her husband, Marcel Jones, opened the Taste of Asian Market on the corner of Farm and Cimarron roads in 2006, they started receiving special requests from regular customers.
Some patrons mistakenly thought the store was a restaurant, and others were looking to find authentic cuisine of the Philippines, since the market offers goods from that country, as well as fresh fish and vegetables, bakery goods and other Asian items.
"Just listening to our customers is what led us to want to open a restaurant, and when some space in this shopping center became available, we went after it," Sotelo said.
That's how Pancit Express was born. The restaurant opened in August at 7501 N. Cimarron Road, Suite 108, two doors down from the market, and offers takeout and catering, as well as a small dining room.
The menu includes traditional Asian favorites like teriyaki chicken, egg rolls, tempura shrimp and barbecued spare ribs, but specializes in Filipino fare like Lechon Kawali (fried pork), lumpia (dumplings) and pancit (noodles).
"The most popular dishes so far are the Singapore pork and the Pancit Palabok," Sotelo said. "We have a variety of different dishes. Pancit, which the name comes from, is a type of noodle, but there are many different ways to cook it."
Sotelo said she has had to hire cooks to account for the expansion of the restaurant, but she still handles all the prep work.
"It has to be my way of cooking," she joked. "I grew up cooking, and I started very early."
Although she said a large Asian population in the northwest part of town keeps her two businesses busy, Sotelo admitted that many people have never tried Filipino food. That's why the restaurant will give out samples of prepared dishes.
"Some people just come in because they want to try something different," she said. "But they always end up liking it."
Pancit Express had a big catering boom during the holiday season, when family events were a regular occurrence. Sotelo is hoping catering will become a large part of her regular business.
"One thing about that is that we can do it at practically a moment's notice, depending on how big it is," she said.
The restaurant's catering menu includes teriyaki chicken, chicken wings and longanisa by the pound, or potstickers, egg rolls, lumpia and shrimp in large quantities.
Jasmine Reyes, a nearby resident who said her husband is Filipino, recently discovered Pancit Express.
"I've lived so close for years and I never even knew the Asian market was here, so this is pretty cool," she said. "I would definitely get them to cater a party because it's so easy and they have great chicken wings."
Pancit Express is open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturday for 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
