Emily Muscat, owner of EJ’s Bistro Manila in Hopewell (Photo by Jay Paul)
Off an industrial stretch of road in Hopewell (230 S. 15th Ave.), tucked back in a neighborhood and inside an unassuming building awaits some of the most crave-worthy, rustic Filipino fare in the region. Originally serving food only on weekends, chef and proprietor Emily Muscat has recently expanded her menu of Filipino staples with the debut of EJ’s Bistro Manila. She also operates a market and grocery next door to the restaurant with her husband, Ricky, an Army veteran.
Richmond magazine: When did EJ’s Filipino Store open?
Emily Muscat: We’ve been open since 2017. There is no Filipino store, even in the Richmond area, so when my husband retired, we decided to open. We lived in Colonial Heights, and then last year we moved to this area because the kids graduated high school. I was born and raised in the Philippines, as was my husband. We met in high school, and my husband joined the Army. We traveled ’round the world because he was in the military, and we finally decided to retire to Virginia. This was our last duty station at Fort Lee, now Fort Gregg-Adams, so we decided to stay here. I was 27, he was 24.
RM: What is your clientele at the store like?
Muscat: The demographic is from all over the Richmond area and Chesterfield. Many of our customers come from Farmville and Lynchburg; in those areas, they want to get their supplies. If they cook, they need the ingredients from a Filipino store.
We have some customers that their mom was Filipino, and they got used to the home-cooked meals in the house, but when she passed away, they hadn’t learned how to cook the food, so now they have cravings for it. I asked, “Why didn’t you guys learn?” and they said they weren’t interested and didn’t think about it. Now, they come here, and are like, “What should I put in this? I want sinigang,” the sour soup. I was so touched by the family. The sister came in first, and then they brought in their other sister, and then she brought her brother, and they talk about their mom and stuff. It’s amazing to hear those kinds of stories.
RM: Tell us about the recent expansion and what kind of food diners can expect at the restaurant?
Muscat: We expanded to the building next to the store and opened EJ’s Bistro Manila on April 17. [We had] our grand opening on June 26. It’s around 40 seats, and we’re open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Our style of restaurant is almost the same as from the Philippines. In the Philippines, you just need to point. We call it “Toro-Toro.” This is like a typical eatery, or panderia, in the Philippines, and you choose the foods you like and just point.
People can find the main Filipino dishes like chicken adobo, pancit, lumpia, tortang talong and lechon sisig. We also have a bestseller right now, because it’s the summertime, halo-halo. It’s crushed ice with sweetened fruits, a very popular dessert from the Philippines.
It’s only me, I’m the cook. I have someone doing the authentic Filipino desserts, but we have a variety. I also have three or four employees throughout the day, and my daughter helps; she just came home from college for the summer. For desserts we offer puto, which is a steamed rice muffin, and make our creamy leche flan. We also have cakes like ube cake and sans rival, a nutty Filipino dessert cake.
RM: What does EJ’s stand for?
Muscat: EJ’s is [from] the initials of all my daughters, they’re all EJs. Erick Janelle, Erick Julianne, Erick Jane. Erick is a combination of my name, Emily, and my husband’s name, Ricky.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
