The Manila Machine

Hit up the latest food truck recently, The Manila Machine, Filipino style food. Started by a couple of local food bloggers (and I believe the first food truck started by food bloggers as well as the first Filipino food truck), one of which I've been following for a little while now, Nastassia of Let Me Eat Cake. I've  had little experience with Filipino food, so wasn't completely sure what to expect, but I was definitely curious. Had to make it a two part visit. The first time I got to them during their first week, they were pretty much out of food and starting to close, but I managed to try the lumpia and on the second visit I got to try a couple of sliders just before they sold out.



The lumpia shanghai was quite good, similar to an egg roll, normally comes in a order of two, but since it was the one of the only items they had left, they gave me three. Nice and crispy roll with a well seasoned, but not over done pork filling with carrots and spicy ginger. The zing of ginger with pork and crispy egg roll skins was nice. These were pretty tasty and satisfying.



The sliders, these were really great. A lot of flavors and textures packed into these little guys. They're kind of like mini versions of their main dishes. The first one is the Longganisa, sweet pork and garlic sausage, caramelized onions, arugula, and mango jam on a pan de sal roll. All that sweet and savory just melded together in such a great way. The mango jam was a really nice touch and balanced it perfectly. I would definitely get it again.

The Original Manila Dip, shredded chicken adobo and caramelized onions on a pan de sal roll. Served with an adobo dipping sauce. This slider had a wonderful flavor and texture to it. The chicken was lightly seasoned with soy/vinegar/garlic, but with grilled onions and the adobo dipping sauce, wow, definitely stepped up things. The dipping sauce seemed to be of the vinegar, soy, ginger, garlic variety, and the sauce is a must, adds another layer of flavor. I used the sauce for both of the sliders.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first couple of eats with The Manila Machine and have been wanting to catch up with them again, but haven't had the chance just yet. Nastassia was great and accommodating even though they were running out of food and closing up and was helpful in explaining the different items. The service is fast and friendly and the prices are great. I know I'm becoming a fan of Filipino food and I am looking forward to trying the main dishes. I would highly recommend checking them out. You can find more info on their web site here and follow them on twitter here.