Hello Goldilocks! No, I’m not talking about the blonde, curly haired little girl who’s friends with the three bears. Instead, I am talking about the Filipino restaurant and bakeshop, Golidlocks.

Goldilocks is a popular Filipino restaurant that first originated in the Philippines in 1966. With 450 branches in the Philippines, Goldilocks slowly made it’s way to the US in 1976. Most of the restaurant chains are in Northern California but they are starting to open up in Southern California as well, with the most recent opening being in Carson, California, this last February.

I had previously dined at the Goldilocks in Cerritos, California and remember being a fan of not only their traditional savory Filipino entrees but their sweet delightful sweets. When I heard about the newly opened restaurant in Carson, California, I was so excited to check it out. I soon found myself dining here for dinner with my mom.

Goldilocks Carson has many Filipino favorites such as the classic Filipino peanut broth stew kare kare. Here at Goldilocks they have a vegetarian version as well as the traditional version with oxtail and tripe. I got to try the traditional version here. The Goldilocks kare kare has oxtail, tripe, beef and assorted vegetables slow cooked in peanut sauce and served with a side of bagoong. I was such a fan of the thick peanut  sauce. It was perfect over white rice.  I also loved the good mix of vegetables in there. There was plenty of cabbage and green beans as well as eggplants.

Another savory dish I tried was the guinataang sitaw at kalabasa. This is dish consists of green beans and squash sautéed in coconut milk with spices and topped with shrimp. I really enjoyed the crispy green beans, soft squash and creamy coconut milk broth.

The guinataang sitaw at kalabasa is a good veggie dish but does have shrimp. For those  looking for pure vegetarian dishes, they do have a couple here such as the sizzling tofu sisig. This dish has tofu cubes sautéed with garlic, onion, green and red bell pepper and is served on a sizzling plate.

Another favorite by many at the newly opened Goldilocks Carson, is the Pancit palabok. Their version of the rice noodle dish was topped with thick savory garlic sauce, crushed chicharon and sliced boiled eggs. It is also supposed to have shrimp, diced pork, tofu and smoked fish flakes but for this go around, I didn’t see it. It was very classic, light and simple.

Aside from the delicious savory desserts, Goldilocks Carson had plenty of sweet delights.

They have my favorite boat tarts. These mini pies have always been my favorite pastries. They come in three flavors, macapuno, langka and ube and are topped with a cashew.

Of course, not lacking here is Goldilocks famous cakes. They have so many fabulous flavors but I love their classic mango cake and the choco mocha crunch. I also love that they can make custom cakes like Hello Kitty.

It is nice to see Goldilocks open up a branch at Carson, California. Carson has always been a good place for Filpino food and from Goldilock’s savory dishes to their sweet treats (like Hello Kitty cake), it is a new Filipino haven for foodies.

For mor smiles, please see my recent Yelp review about Goldilocks Carson.