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I’ve found my new favorite food truck — Manila Machine!

It’s a surprise to me that I enjoy Filipino food so much considering my only real experiences with it have been lumpia, or the Filipino version of egg rolls, and few tastes of other dishes here and there. But Manila Machine has continued to pleasantly surprise me each time I’ve eaten at the truck; I have yet to taste a dish that I don’t like.

I recently had a couple of the pan de sal sliders (thanks for coming to USC at lunchtime!), made with pan de sal, a bread similar to Hawaiian bread but with more substance. The Original Manila Dip, with shredded chicken adobo and caramelized onions served with an adobo dipping sauce, was my favorite. The chicken was tender and flavorful, and the sauce was a nice touch. The longganisa slider, with a sweet pork and garlic sausage, caramelized onions, arugula and mango jam, was also good, though it was much sweeter than the Original Manila Dip. I preferred the savory sandwich, but that’s just my personal preference.

Longganisa (left) and Original Manila Dip (right)

I also had an order of the lumpiang Shanghai made with seasoned pork, carrots and spicy ginger wrapped in thin eggroll skins and deep fried. These were tasty, and even though they were mini-size, they were more than enough served alongside the sliders I had. Next time I’ll try the vegetable lumpia for a comparison.

Lumpiang Shanghai

I’ve also had the sisig over rice, made with spicy calamansi-marinated pork cheeks, onions and chicharon over steamed jasmine rice. There was also a tiny lime or kumquat that came with my dish; it was so cute and lended the perfect citrus note to the food. This was delicious! If you like pork, this is the dish for you.

And for dessert, the ube cupcakes are a great treat. The purple yam cake topped with coconut frosting is a complementary combo, even though I find the frosting just a tad too sweet for my taste. But many of my friends haven’t complained, so I think I’m just sensitive. In any case, the cupcakes are delicious.

My only real complaint is the prices. I find them a little high for the portions given. The sliders are $3 each, though you can get two for $5, which is a much better deal, considering their small size. And the cupcakes, which are also on the small side, are $3. Nevertheless, I have to give props to Nastassia Johnson (Let Me Eat Cake) and Marvin Gapultos (Burnt Lumpia) for starting their own business and serving up good food. Kudos!