The Manila Machine

It’s always a drag when a good truck goes away as this one did.
We loved their sisig, lumpia and other offerings to the point that we would go out of our way for it.
Oh Well!
Perhaps they will resurface in another form…

This time I got the Longanisa, Tocino, and Manila Dip Sliders. All for $ 8. Perfect portions and very tasty! Here’s my breakdown:
* Longganisa Sliders — inside a sweet pan de sal bread, also includes spinach, grilled onions, and sweet sauce (I think it was a sweet and sour sauce). My favorite out of the three sliders! Though… I was burping longganisa for the next 2 days. But that’s a known if you eat this filipino sausage. So beware! You could either be burping or farting this smell for a couple of days.
* Tocino Slider — inside a sweet pan de sal bread, also includes spinach, grilled onions, and sweet banana sauce. The tocino was okay. It didn’t taste like the traditional filipino tocino. But nonetheless, good.
* Manila Dip — inside a sweet pan de sal bread, also includes shredded chicken adobo, onions, and dipping sauce. I like my adobo tangy, but tangy this Manila dip was not. Overall it was okay. I’m still dreaming about the longanisa slider…

Thanks to some prodding from Herumi B., I decided to try the food of her people for the first time.
This was the second food truck I’d had in two days, so I was definitely on a roll. Seeing how small each of the sliders was, I ordered 2 manila sliders, a longanisa slider, and a beef tapa slider.
That’s pretty much the order of my liking. The shredded chicken in the manila sliders were very flavorful and worked well with the caramelized onions and dipping sauce. The longanisa slider tasted like the sweet pork you can get at dimsum. The beef tapa slider was okay, but I think it’s my preference for tastes; the sauce they used wasn’t to my liking.
Sliders — 2 for $ 5!

I have to admit that I only signed up for twitter just to follow food trucks and you were my first choice to begin my food truck eating adventure.
I ordered the 3 slider combo with a beverage:
–Longanisa slider (sweet pork and garlic sausage with carmelized onions, arugula and mango jam) all together in a warm toasted pan de sal… uh can we scream YUM?! (well I did).
–Tocino slider (sweet pork with carmelized onions, arugula and some type of bbq sauce, at least I think it was some sauce — correct me if I’m wrong) but it was delicious as well.
–The Original Manila Dip slider (shredded chicken adobo with caramelized onions) and a side of adobo sauce.
Out of those three sliders, I personally enjoyed the longanisa slider the best. I really liked the sweetness from the mango jam, caramelized onions with sweet pork flavor… yuuuum! I want another one, please?
For dessert, I tried the turon with caramel… very sticky and sweet.
There was one disappointment, you ran out of Ube cupcakes and Beef tapas sliders… boo! Oh well, I’ll try them next time. I’ll just look you up on twitter to see where you will be hehee!

What else can I say that hasn’t already been said?
Remember, you’re buying this food off a truck! Who cares if your mom makes it better, how often can you get Filipino food off a truck? Yeah, the sisig is fatty. I think I clogged up half my arteries but I still enjoyed it nevertheless! Tried three different pan de sal sliders — tocino, longanisa, and the original Manila dip — and enjoyed them all. My ube cupcakes were delicious. The order taker guy was really nice. Bring a bag with you if you plan to buy a lot of stuff — they don’t have plastic bags and you don’t want to have to carry boxes of food all the way back to the office.

Annng-​Gaaalinnng! Out of all the Filipino food trucks’ foodsss, My gawwwdd, Tyronnne! Manila Machine seriously is the best one I’ve ever tasted because their food is made from scratch!!!
Okay, at first, I tried their sisig special:
it was cool and all, but it had too much chewy fat! look.
…BUT I said to myself: «alam mo kung ano?» I will give them another try by trying another plate off their menu…
This is the very un-​greasy and very tasty longanisa with rice and an egg…
Customer service was awesome as hell and I’ll be honest… I wasn’t expecting everything to be all that good after trying White Rabbit and Tapa Boy… I was like «who are these mistisos and mistisas cooking my food??? HAHA!» but hell… they DID GOOD just like the Mexicans who perfected cooking hotdogs, hamburgers and Asian food!
Manila Machine truly lived up to it’s hype in my book!!! Give it a try, because so far, it’s my favorite Filipino food truck and it has convinced me to never try the Tito Jackson-​like greasy-​ass Tapa Boy and White Rabbit food. Manila Machine is definitely a truck that makes me proud to be Filipino, so much love and congrats! :)

I was looking forward to stuffing my face with a random assortment of greasy pig parts sisig style… sadly no sisig on the menu tonight! Guess I’ll have some processed pork substitute in a can instead…
spam?
SPAM!
SPAM and fried egg slider (2 for $ 5)
I must admit it was pretty damn tasty… as far as spam goes I guess… the banana ketchup balances the saltiness from the spam… the fried egg has a little runny yolk and its housed well by the warm, toasty pan de sal slider buns. Maybe I liked it for the sake of nostalgia… having spam and eggs at my buddys house as kids growing up… yeah, true junior gourmands, I know.
Longanisa slider
Sweet pork and garlic sausage, caramelized onions, arugula, and mango jam on a pan de sal roll. This one was just WAY too damn SWEET. The mini pork link was tasty enough but sweet enough on its own… then with the mango jam it almost tasted like dessert which was not a good thing.
Next time I’ll just bring Sriracha…
Lumpia Shanghai ($ 2)
Seasoned pork, carrots, and spicy ginger wrapped in thin eggroll skins and deep-​fried. Pretty tasty little appetizers… decent pork flavor, hot and crispy went well with their sweet/​spicy dipping sauce… I gobbled ‘em up.
All in all, I was satisfied. although in the future I would much rather see the bits and pieces of the pig I’m eating ala sisig… rather than have it in the form of a pinkish brick of so-​called «meat» surrounded by that clear gelatinous spam force field… ugh, I think I just grossed myself out.

Where: Artwalk Food Truck Lot.
Wait Time: 35min
Order: Pork Belly Pineapple Abodo ($ 6) & Original Manila Dip Slider x2 ($ 5)
Pork Belly Pineapple Abodo was ok… but it is kind of hard to eat a bone in chicken over rice at a food truck lot. By the time I struggled through to find ways to eat it, the food was already getting cold. This may just have to do with my taste buds, but I wasn’t fan of it being too sweet.
Manila Dip Slider was an absolute mess. I had one slider and my friend had another… but things just kept falling out of the buns. I think ½ a slider fell onto the floor while I was eating it. I think it tasted good, but I’m not so sure lol.
I love how LA has soooo many innovative food truck selections now. But I feel like food truck should be 3 things. Fast, Inexpensive, and Easy to eat.

I came for the Coolhaus, but hooked up some Sisig (pork cheeks with rice). Most of the people in front of me in line were Filipino and were ordering this, so I had to go for it. Also, I’m a fan of cheeks, big or small =)
I felt the dish was just ok, honestly. I wanted more flavor, maybe some salt, and a little more crisp on the outside. Dipped in sriracha would’ve been awesome too. For five bucks, I was left wanting more. Luckily, Coolhaus was there for the rescue!

Sarap! Sarap!
Yeah, we were stalking this place during my last visit to L.A. Filipino food is sort of the forgotten cuisine of southeast asia and I am always looking to supporting food of the motherland. Went with the chicken adobo over rice for 5 dollars. It was on the vinegary side but I still loved it! Also tried the spam slider which comes complete with a fried egg on it! Beware, the sunny side up egg is prone to exploding all over you as you bite in! The longinisa slider has pretty good although would probably stick to the spam slider next time. A definite gem in the L.A. food truck scene!

So I’m paying my check for dinner at Beverly Soon Tofu…
Objection! Relevancy?
Just keep reading. It will be confusing as hell like the movie Memento, but it’s entertaining!
I pull all the cash out of my wallet to sort out them out. I need $ 33 and all I have are 20’s, 2 5’s, and 3 singles. I paid with 1×20, 2×5, and 3×1. $ 33 even. Afterward I didn’t buy gum on the way home. Or get gas. Or give some bucks to the beggars.
Consider had I owned a $ 10 bill. I would have experienced one of life’s little decision point moments: «Should I use 2 fives or the one 10? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.»
Point is. All I have are Jackson 20s in my wallet now. 3 of them to be precise.
The next day: tofu, rice, and veggies have left my stomach. I seek dead animals to fill the vacancy. I pass by a food truck I’ve never spotted before. Perhaps I should try it out? My spidey sense says no. But the temptation of chicken adobo was too much.
I place an order of tocino slider, lumpia, and chicken adobo. $ 10. I hand over a $ 20. I wait for a moment, wondering where the change is. I ask about it and get the following response «You gave me a ten» X_​X
Oh I could write about how the food was good by truck standards. But all I keep thinking about is counting money at Beverly the night before and paying $ 20 for a $ 10 lunch.
SMH. Manila machine — It’s not me, it’s you.

I can not tell you how long I have been waiting to try the Manila Machine so i was quite excited that they were going to be at the Weapons of Mass Digestion event.
However the problem with seeing them there was the fact that there was 2 other trucks that I hadn’t tried yet plus 2 that I just HAVE to buy from, whenever I see them so I was very limited with what to order so as I could get all my bites in.
So instead of the longganisa slider that I really wanted, I had to settle for the lumpiang shanghai since I needed to save room for the other trucks.
The eggrolls were tasty and the perfect size for me for this event.
But now, I am still left wanting more. There are several items on this truck that I am looking forward to trying so I will be keeping my eyes out for them. Preferably when they are not surrounded by a bunch of other trucks tempting me. It would be nice to eat more than a bite. LOL

I love it when the food trucks come to UCLA’s Court of Sciences. I was really excited to try some Filipino food when Manila Machine was on campus, but was really disappointed when most of the items on their menu were sold out. I really wanted chicken adobo =(There were 2 options for sliders and maybe 2 other items on the menu available. This was the greatest upset for me for a first visit.
I ordered a Longganisa Slider and Vegetable Lumpia, but there was only 1 more left (2 in an order); however the lady was kind and gave the last one to me for free. The slider was delicious; the bread was soft and I’ve never had anything like it before. The sausage was savory and the mango jam added a bit of sweetness.
I’ll give the truck another chance; I hope it doesn’t disappoint!

I’m excited they finally made a truck like this. I was very sad that I only got taste one item but they had to cut their menu a bit because they were serving at this Filipino Festival.
I hope I get to taste more of their menu because it sounds delcious!
What I did have was their marinated beef sliders. First off, the bread is nice and soft. Hawaii bread is the way to go! Their beef was tender and intensely marinated with calamansi, which I love!!! Then their pickled veggies on top (Horacha or Haracha??) is the BOMB!!! Well I like anything pickled and this served me well! I love the contrast flavors of SWEET and SOUR… YUM!
Visit #1 = successful

Disclaimer—
These guys were parked on the same street as Greasy Wiener, and since I had just finished a great hot dog, I ordered light.
Just 1 slider today, the Beef Tapas as well as the Turon, which can best be described as 2 banana and jackfruit filled eggrolls with caramel sauce drizzled on it. Both of these were essentially perfect.
The Slider had probably 2 or 3 ounces of marinated beef on them. They use the term calamansi. The meat was a little sweet, and now that i cheated and looked up «calamansi» I learn that it is a variation of the orange. I guess that’s why I liked it so much. It was garnished with a radish slaw and was quite good. It was a little too small, but hey, it’s a slider and I ordered only one, so that’s my fault, not theirs, but the spicy mayo made all the difference. Yummy
«Gourmet Food Truck #37 on my never-​ending quest to try every truck in So Cal».

Finally got my Sisig and guess what? The portion is tad small for $ 5, I wish they would have given more. It’s pretty greasy, but I liked it. I also ordered the lumpia shanghai, still tasted awesome, I loved it. Next time I would just get sliders and lumpias.

This marks the first time I’ve seen Filipino cuisine served from a food truck, and for this reason I chose The Manila Machine over 50+ food trucks parked at the Artwalk, where the three nearby parking lots were filled with rich aromas of cuisines from all over the world. The image of a congested parking lot filled with people crazed about food truck-​hopping by circling with their gourmet tacos, meat balls, and ice cream sandwiches can be festive to bring a sense of renewal to Downtown LA, but also notable was the absence of senior citizens, families with children, and the working poor as the steep prices and small portions can be perceived as unattainable in many parts of LA. The irony stemming from this observation has much to do with the exclusion of the very communities that inspired these cuisines that have since been capitalized by today’s truck scene, and it’s something to contemplate about in terms of ways these community events can be more inclusive and far reaching beyond the limits of profit margins via an overpriced fusion slider.
As I observed the sea of people with fellow Unilocalers Jin N, Ching T and Kari E, I threw down an order of Sisig ($ 6), Longganisa Slider, and Beef Tapa Slider (2 sliders for $ 5). The Sisig came with a subtle sour and spicy kick with calamansi-​marinated pork cheeks, onions and mixed with chicharon and a scoop of rice. The thick, sticky jasmine rice was good to complement a heavy tasting Sisig that came with overlapping spurts of fatty, spicy, and sour flavors. Serving was small but the consistency was very rich that I couldn’t finish it all in addition to the sliders. The taste of the Longaganisa on the other hand was anchored in pork and garlic sausages sweetened and topped with caramelized onions, fresh arugula, and mango jam on a pan de sal roll which served to counteract the greasy aftertaste stemming from the sisig. Additionally, the Tapa Slider came with the same buns with sweet calamansi beef, achara slaw, and spicy siriracha mayo stacked in between. I thought the one-​inch sliders could use less mayo and overall the quality count ranging from meat to bread was tender, flavorful, but tiny.
I also had a chance to try Kari’s plate of Pork Belly and Pineapple Adobo ($ 6) and thought the abundance of braised pork belly with tangy pineapple chunks could be steeped in soy sauce a little longer. Overall, my experience was highlighted by a heavy meaty taste mixed with a combination of spicy, sour and sweet seasonings as the recurring themes across each dish. I thought the price was very high for the amount of food we got in return, but would only recommend the Sisig to those who is interested in giving this truck a try. Service was very friendly with the food taking some time to arrive. With a sense of optimism, I think this truck is taking one step towards the right direction in adding to the cultural fabric of LA, but my enthusiasm is also held in check by these escalating prices that correspond with the ever shrinking sizes of these few bite wonders. Clearly not impressed, 3 very solid stars for decent samples of flavors but you are likely to get more bang for your buck by going to a good Filipino restaurant.

Dude was not impressed… He says he can make better adobo.
Pork adobo with pineapple was one if the dishes they offered for foodfest. I thought it was pretty good although I don’t see myself ordering it. The lumpia wasn’t available when I got to the front of the line, so bummed about that.
Saw them before at artwalk. I might need to revisit them to try their ube cupcake.
Love that it says sarap sarap on the truck! Reminds me of the video of white dude making adobo. YouTube it

Well well well… it was only a matter of time before some Filipino food joined the game. That being said, I took the liberty to sample a little of everything. Luckily their prices are very reasonable. Turon, Lumpia, Adobo, and a slider for $ 12. Please don’t ever change that Manila Machine truck.
First things first, I am admittedly not the biggest fan of filipino food, UNLESS it’s my dad’s cooking. However, their chicken adobo is pretty legit… good balance of vinegar, garlic and soy. nothing overpowering. I’d say good enough to appeal to the filipinos and safe enough for those who have never had filipino food (I know, it can be daunting non-​filipinos… with it not being so aesthetic and our affinity towards vinegar and whatnot).
I also had their naked lumpia. Expect a chopped salad in a lettuce cup.
Their Tapa slider meat was good… but I didn’t expect the spicy mayo, I put some of my lumpia veges to neutralize that. Just my personal taste, but I’m not a fan of spicy.
Now to the dessert… Turon! I love me some turon, and this is some good turon. For those unfamiliar, it’s basically banana and jackfruit in a fried eggroll, then drizzled in caramel. Sure the banana could be a little more moist, but whatever, it’s hard to eff this dish up. Even when I took it back to the office it was still crispy, so kudos for that. I’d get it again, next time with ice cream.

I half jokingly told a foodie friend of mine that if we were ever laid-​off, we should start a Filipino food truck. I always thought it was odd that there are so many Filipinos in LA County, but we didn’t have a food truck to represent our cuisine. The foodie gods answered our prayers in the form of The Manila Macine. What’s funny is that the two co-​founders/​owners are food bloggers.
I was the very first customer served today at Manila Machine’s inaugural launch at the Downtown Artwalk. I got lucky and ended up parking near where they decided to park. I was amused as I waited at least 15 minutes for them to set up — mostly it had to do with the driver trying to properly park the food truck alongside the curb. I bet they never imagined it would be quite a challenge in itself, but they eventually got it positioned right.
I ordered their pork and pineapple adobo, lumpiang shanghai, beef tapa pan de sal slider, and 3 special desserts not on their regular menu which included an ube cupcake, bibinka, and calamnsi tart. Total cost, including a calamansi aide was around $ 21.50. The amount of food would have fed 2 people fine.
I sampled the desserts first. The bibinka was average compared to past ones I have had. The calamansi tart was overpowered by the polvoron crust. The ube cupcake was moist, fluffy and had a true ube flavor — perfect!
I then sampled the savory items. The pork adobo was expectedly sweet because of the pineapples, but not too sweet. The beef tapa slider was a little dry in the meat’s texture, and was just okay. The lumpia shanghai was perfect — not greasy at all and it had the perfect balance of meat, veggies and crunch.
I tried them again at the T Lofts, since its closer to where I live and work. They were about 30 minutes late due to traffic — I felt sorry for those of us who were waiting that were on a strict lunch hour.
I ordered the chicken adobo, longanisa slider and hopia. the hopia was the special dessert for the day — I noticed they weren’t serving the ube cupcake I had the night before, so it looks like they rotate their special desserts regularly. They also had kitsinta as one of their special desserts, but I didn’t try that.
The chicken adobo was very good. It wasn’t greasy and had the perfect balance of soy sauce, vinegar and other seasonings. I also liked the longanisa slider, compared to the beef tapa version I had the night before. The longanisa slider was moist and had a good flavor. Best of all, unlike most times when I eat longanisa, I didn’t have the side effect of burping afterward.
The hopia was average. The yellow mung beans on the inside tasted fine — not to sweet and just the right texture of chewy and moist. But the outside flaky crust was a bit on the dry side. I just afocused on eating the mung bean filling and didn’t finish the crust.
The only two items on their regular menu I haven’t tried yet is their take on fresh/​spring lumpia. Normally its wrapped in rice paper, but theirs is like PF Chang’s with a lettuce leaf. I took a pic of it.
The other I haven’t tried yet is their banana turn which for a $ 1 extra they will add ube and coconut ice cream.
I know many Pinoys tend to judge Filipino cooking based on what their mother, lola or ninang cooks for them, but I always found that to be an unfair comparison. Because unless your relative has a food truck or sit down restaurant, the rest of us won’t be able to try out your relative’s version of the cuisine. If you are going to compare Manila Machine’s food, then do it to the dozens of turo turo restaurants that litter LA. I’ve tried many of them, and Manila Machine is better than most of them, even with their limited menu.
The turo turo restaurants also tend to serve heaping portions of food, but remember that quantity does not equal quality. I actually prefer the controlled portions that Manila Machine offers since most Filipino food tends to already be high in cholesterol, salt, fat, sugar, and calories.
I have to give Manila Machine props for giving a contemporary take on Filipino food, and actually taking the time to make the food look appetizing and presentable — an aesthetic lost on most Filipino restaurants.
I hope they visit the Westside more often since there are a dearth of good Filipino restaurants in that part of LA. They would make a killing if they parked near CedarS Sinai — the Filipino nurses would swarm out to them like locusts on a field of rice.