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.

India Jones

Just a quick post today. I had somehow managed to not eat at India Jones Chow Truck over the past few months considering Chef Sumat has got some of the best curry in town, and absolutely the best on wheels. End of last year thru the beginning of this year I was hitting him up almost once a week for awhile there. Its that tasty.



On this particular day I tried one of his specials, Goa Pork Curry. This was incredibly good with wonderful spices and enough heat to make the back of my neck sweat. Really tender pork and just all around satisfying and filling. Something about his curries just leave me feeling great afterwards, must have something to with the combination of spices/heat. A definite must goto of the ever expanding L.A. food truck nation. Web site info here.

Chinatown Goodness at Via Cafe

Spent a wonderful afternoon wandering and taking photos around Chinatown in Los Angeles with my friend Julia recently. Found it to be rather inspiring. Between all the people and street vendors in the area and all the unique store fronts and different smells and sights, it really did feel like we were transported from the usual L.A. scenes. You can see some more on my flickr page and soon on my film blog as well.



Julia had recommended that we stop off at the Via Cafe afterwards for dinner which is mostly Vietnamese Pho style, but some dishes were a bit more fusion from other countries/regions. I wish I had snapped a shot of the menu, because I can't remember what the specific dishes were other then lemongrass grilled chicken with cold rice vermicelli noodles and the sauce to add to it.



It was really really good and tasty. Just right after a afternoon of walking and shooting. All the flavors blended so nicely. It was almost refreshing do to the lightness of it with the veggies, yet had enough proteins and lots of different textures. Really enjoyed it. This is the second time Julia has taken me for Pho and there is something addictive about it. Served in a large bowl, it almost looks like more then I could eat, but I finished it off practically slurping the bits left over. Didn't leave me feeling overly full or heavy either. Everything was served and prepared rather quickly. Nice little place with funky art and friendly service. I think my dish was under $8, which seemed like a good deal to me considering the quality of the meal. Next time you're in Chinatown, I highly recommend checking them out. They're located in the Chinatown square.

Crepes Bonaparte

Caught up with one of the other crepe trucks recently. Crepes Bonaparte. They definitely have a theme of sorts. The girls working the truck all had little hats and scarves and such. Its cute. The way the truck is set up, you can watch them make your crepe which is kinda cool. I decided that I wanted to try a simpler crepe, and went with the Plain Jane, ham and cheese with egg. I didn't specify the doneness of the egg, I assumed it was a light scramble of sorts, don't know why. Well, it was more like an over easy egg, which I do happen to like, just wasn't expecting it in a crepe like that.







Over all, I enjoyed it. It was a good size and filling, the crepe itself was thicker then I normally expect, which was good for sopping up egg, but felt a little bit to much for the amount of ham and mozzarella. That said, still enjoyed it. It was a good all around, kinda traditional style crepe. I would definitely eat from their truck again, I find myself more interested in their basic traditional style offerings.

Follow them on twitter here and check out their site here.

Komodo

Finally got a chance try out Komodo for lunch. I had heard some good things about their menu, especially the shrimp. I got the fish taco and the blazin' shrimp taco.



The fish and grapes taco was really good, fried cod tossed with grapes and pickled onions. Had a bit of that sweet tart/tangy quality to it.



The blazin' shrimp with Indonesian spices and a sour cream sauce on the greens was quite good and pretty damn spicy. The sour cream sauce helped cool and balance the heat of the shrimp.



There was plenty of flavor in items that I had. Would definitely eat from their truck again. Food was done quickly, service was friendly. My only real grumble would be the tortillas, a grilled or even a crunchy option would be very welcome. These were cold and uncooked. Will have to see if I can request that next time. You can follow them on Twitter here or get more info from their site.

The Shrimp Guys

The Shrimp Guys, originally uploaded by LeandroF.

The Shrimp Guys food truck, or trailer, well its towed by a regular truck. Anyways, heard some good things about their shrimp and had a chance to try them out. I ordered the 5 piece garlic and butter shrimp with a scoop of rice for 5 bucks, they have a 8 piece with 3 scoops of rice for 8 I think, pretty good value either way. Their was no shortage of garlic or butter, really tasty. Although you really need to eat them fast, shrimp does not hold heat for long. I enjoyed it though, service was friendly and fast and I would definitely hit them up again. They had a coconut lime dish that I know I'll be trying next time. Follow them on twitter here and check out their web site here.

Crepe'n Around

Crepe'n Around, originally uploaded by LeandroF.

Been a big fan of crepes for many years, goes back to getting married and spending 2 weeks in Paris. Getting a tasty crêpe de jambon et de fromage from one of the many street vendors quickly became a favorite of mine. The Crepe'n Around truck is helping fill that need. I've eaten at their truck twice now and both times were great.

The first one I tried was the Maple Braised Pork. Wow, oh wow was this good. It was quite literally a full course meal wrapped in that crepe. The pork is maple braised with apple chutney, toasted walnuts, and mixed greens with a honey-dijon sauce. Very satisfying and a wonderful balance of flavor and textures. 

The second visit I had the ham and brie crepe. This was an updated version of the traditional ham and cheese crepe. This one had brie with caramelized onions and whole grain mustard. Another nice combo of sweet and savory. I really liked the addition of the grain mustard and the onions were just right. Really enjoyed it. Need to try a sweet crepe next time.

Both times the service was great and friendly (and fast too). I'm finding myself craving their crepes now. I highly recommend checking them out. Check out their web site here and you can follow them on twitter here.