FoodMetroManila

There are two major business districts in the glitzy side of Muntinlupa City: Filinivest City and The Madrigal Business Park. Filinvest City is looking a little like BGC in the early days while the Madrigal Business Park is really more like a park with some buildings. It’s also included in Barangay Ayala Alabang so there are a lot of bank branches with very prestigious clients.

I work for a company that has offices in both locations, but I’m assigned at the Madrigal Business Park location. I really have nothing bad to say about the area except for the fact that there are no food establishments in our side of the Madrigal Business Park! If we want to eat out, we have to go to the Molito Complex or the Alabang Town Center.

Then one day Sonria, a condominium being erected within the park itself, came up with this gimmick: FoodTruckFest.

It has only been scheduled for two fridays, the last two fridays of January 2015. Judging from the throng of people on this first day then they should really think about making this a year-round thing.

Different foodtrucks from all-around Metro Manila were invited to be part of this event and the people of the South flocked to try them out. Of course I had to be there but I was not ready for the crazy lines (or the absence thereof) and was only able to hit two places.

Cheese Steak Shop

It’s not that there weren’t any people buying from this joint. It was just that it was the farthest out of all the trucks and it was also very expensive. I haven’t tried an actual Philly Cheese Steak from Philly, but I have tried some from an awesome foodtruck in New York and, well, this wasn’t even close to that.

Classic Philly Cheese Steak

It’s small. The cheese steaks sandwiches were really full of beef and cheese and well this thing has only a bit of those will a whole lot of bread. And it’s not even good bread.

It was a shame since the meat actually tasted good. Savory, tender, and juicy. Add to that caramelized onions and gooey cheese. In the end, the juiciness of the meat got the better of the bread as it sopped it all up and it ended up looking like a brain.  I wanted more for the almost 300 pesos I paid for a seven inch sub!

Food Truck by Chef Broosy

I’ve read somewhere that this Food Truck is most of the time in the QC area. I’ve also read that its food is fusion cooking that takes Filipino, Japanese, American, and Mexican inspirations.  A lot of people were huddled up in front of this truck and it was mostly for the mini Kani Salad (which was already sold-out when my turn to buy came. Sorry, we won’t be seeing that here). I did get to try two kinds of soft tacos though…

Here’s one very blunt observation, a lot of people were in front of this truck because they had a problem expediting. Tickets kept flying away from them and the mother-son expediting team was really not in sync. This was mostly the son’s fault, he’s a little prick.

Soft Tacos: Sisig

Sisig is a pretty popular Filipino dish taking boiled, broiled, and grilled pork (the traditional would be parts of the porks head) then minced. This version is also slightly crunchy with just the right amount of seasoning. The fresh julienned vegetable toppings worked really well to balance all that pork goodness. I wish I bought more of these bad boys.

Soft Tacos: Pulled Pork

Technically, this is not pulled pork. As the name suggests pulled pork is pork cooked so tender you can pull it apart with a fork or your hands. Not only are these pork bits not pulled apart, they’re also not that tender.

They drizzle these with some sort of watery sauce which I guess is their version of barbecue sauce. The sauce a tad bit too salty. Once you get around that, though, these actually have a very good aftertaste. Again the vegetables worked well to balance everything out. The pork is not super tender but is still juicy which I appreciated. Just don’t call it pulled pork if you’re not actually giving us pulled pork.

Ruminations…

More of these food truck need to pop up in Metro Manila. They should be allowed to park almost everywhere, not just in certain areas, since that’s the true essence of a food truck anyway. It’s taking the restaurant to the people.

As for the two trucks I was able to try during this event: Food Truck by Chef Broosy, please re-think the pulled pork but keep up the kani salad and sisig; Cheese Steak Shop, get better bread and don’t scrimp on the steak.

Will I be more successful when I try the second day of FoodTruckFest? We’ll see! Stay tuned!

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