#FoodTrip: Food Truck Park at Capitol Commons

MANILA, Philippines – The rise of food trucks in US cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco has shown people that good quality food doesn’t need to come from a standalone restaurant. More often than not, these meals-on-wheels are backed up by the same chefs that serve your classy restaurant hors d’oeuvres but are driven (pun intended) by the desire to offer unpretentious, unique, yet still flavorful food.

In the Philippines, food trucks have yet to “traction” as those abroad. But that, perhaps, is a good thing, as it opens up the field to a whole slew of ideas, flavors, and concepts. And one such area to try these out is the Food Truck Park at Capitol Commons.

Capitol Commons is a new 10-hectare mixed-use development from Ortigas & Co. Located at the corner of Meralco Avenue and Shaw Boulevard, the former site of the Rizal Provincial Capitol has been transformed into a mixed-used development that will feature residences, retail establishments, office spaces, and, now, a food-truck park.

Truck Bun International Food Truck

Sandwiches are a common thing to see in the food truck scene: they’re easy to make, carry, and eat. But at Truck Bun, you get more than just a slab of beef sandwiched in between slices of boring bread. Their BBQ pulled pork bun, for example, is a warm hug for less than P200. Slow-roasted and flaked hickory smoked pork shoulder is topped with a cabbage slaw, sweet corn kernels, and then engulfed by a soft bun that soaks up all the juices. Honorable mention: the grilled gambas and paella wrap is a genius amalgamation of the two well-loved Spanish dishes wrapped in some flat bread.

 

Shawarma Bros

The shawarma craze may have waned together with pearl shakes, but perhaps the roasted beef and chicken concoctions merely took on another form. At Shawarma Bros they still have your traditional wraps of roasted beef and chicken paired with onions, tomatoes, greens, and a combination of their special sauces. But while the mall-bought wraps of yore were reminiscent of chewing on paper, Shawarma Bros has the flavor and texture down pat. They also have rice versions of their wraps for those with the mindset that a meal without rice isn’t a meal.

Hungry Rover

The menu at Hungry Rover smells and looks like love: nearly burnt chilli-garlic cheese meatballs served over a steaming heap of rice, juicy strips of turkey pepper steak paired with sweet corn kernels and served over rice, or Angus tapa served over chilli garlic rice and drizzled with a yoghurt chilli garlic sauce.

Their meals are perfect for nights when you stagger out of the bar tipsy, or any other night when you think you need to eat through your stress and sorrows.

 

Amazing Cones

It was only a matter of time before people served anything in a cone. And at Amazing Cones, they’ve done just that. They have their pizza in a cone selection which features different combinations of ingredients you’d usually find on your favourite thin crust. The supremo Italiano, for example, pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, Italian tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese is a pleaser. And then there’s “everything but the sink” a delicious concoction of pepperoni, Italian sausage, beef, mushrooms, pineapple, bell pepper, onions, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

 

Big Bite Avenue

They had me at poutine fries. While Big Bite Avenue’s French-fry concoction of melted cheese, ground beef, and gravy can never compare to the original Canadian poutine, it’s still a worthy alternative. Their burger, meanwhile, is a great pair for deep-fried fries. It’s a ground beef patty served in a sesame or wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, onions, bell peppers, and good ol’ bacon. While all these are normal food market fare, their Longga-Bacon meal isn’t: it’s a bacon-wrapped longganisa served on rice with a side of egg. Because, really, everything is better with bacon.

The Cheese Steak Shop

There really is only one thing you should try from The Cheese Steak Shop, and that’s their, well, cheese steak. Served in a classic Amoroso roll, the classic variant has thin slices of beef loin, sweet grilled onions, melted cheese, and both sweet and hot peppers. They also have it in chicken. The bacon cheese steak adds a touch of bacon to the already beef-ridden sandwich, and mushrooms add some earthy flavor to the mushroom cheese steak.

Mio Gelati

For dessert, head on over to the petite Mio Gelati food truck for some homemade Italian ice cream. They have your usual pistachio, cookies and cream, or chocolate flavors. But for those looking for something new, their cookie butter, chilli chocolate, or banoffee pie variants provide a sweet ending to a meal at the food truck park. – Rappler.com

 

For more information and schedules, visit the Food Truck Park Facebook page.

Read our other #FoodTrip stories:

• #FoodTrip: A feast of flavors in TriNoma
• #FoodTrip: Oriental fare, Filipino flair
• #FoodTrip: Magnificent noodle mania
• #FoodTrip: Sweet tooth treats
• #FoodTrip: Moveable feast at BGC Eats
• #FoodTrip: Variety, affordability at Market! Market!
• #FoodTrip: Flavor Fusion at Edsa Central

Peter Imbong is a full-time freelance writer, sometimes a stylist, and on some strange nights, a host. After starting his career in a business magazine, he now writes about lifestyle, entertainment, fashion, and profiles of different personalities. Check out his blog, Peter Tries to Write.