Cucina Andare

January 25, 2013. Friday.

Cucina what?

The past 2 years has been the boom of the weekend food bazaar scene. To keep the concept fresh, the people behind Mercato brings us Cucina Andare. It means kitchen on the go. It's basically a weekend food bazaar, highlighted by food trucks. Food trucks have been around for a while in the US, particularly in NorCal and SoCal and it has provided our western counterparts some great food on the go. Locally, we can have our own food truck experience with Cucina Andare which happens at the Glorietta Park (middle of Glorietta 3, Makati Shang, and 6750) every Friday to Sunday from 4PM to 3AM. Yes you read that right, it is open until 3AM!

Just like with Mercato and almost every other nighttime food bazaar, be prepared for lots of people during peak hours (dinner time up to midnight), to have a hard time looking for seats and to be walking from one end to the other just looking at all the food! We tried to sample as much as we can by eating early dinner at 5PM, then taking a break at 7PM and coming back at around 930PM to try some more food!

ROUND 1!

We first ordered from the Hungry Rover. It's actually not a food truck, but more of a food bus (mini- bus) that can actually seat 6 people inside. It's the first time I've seen one, both locally and in the US. Kim ordered their highly recommended US Beef Tapa with Chili Rice.

US Beef Tapa with Chili Rice. 150php.

This is one of the most tender beef tapa's we have ever tried. Kim loved it. The sirloin, which had a good amount of fat, was sliced very thinly and cooked until it was really tender. It really went well with the chili rice and the garlic yogurt sauce. Those who are looking for the usual tapsilog fare might as well go look elsewhere because for one this didn't have any fried egg, and the beef isn't the usual cured beef that is sour and salty. It actually tasted more like how sirloin steak would taste like. Once you get over the tapsilog notion, this is really a great meal.

Hungry Rover
https://www.facebook.com/HungryRover/


While Kim was ordering her tapa, I was ordering from Food Truck by Chef Broosy. This food truck which serves Filipino- Japanese dishes is from the people behind Robot and Sensei Sushi. Don't get the them confused though, it's more of like they serve both Filipino and Japanese dishes. Sisig tacos, anyone? Yep they serve those, but I ordered their Chicken Pops on rice.

Chicken Pops on rice. 165php.

The Chicken Pops are deep fried breaded small pieces of chicken, covered in their own sauce and then topped off with pickled veggies and sesame seeds. The chicken is fried to a nice crisp on the outside but still tender on the inside. The sauce which is sweet has a nice contrasting flavor together with the pickled veggies on top.

Food Truck by Chef Broosy
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Food-Truck-by-Chef-Broosy/421414714591684


ROUND 2!

After finishing Round 1 of our food truck experience, I went around looking for more food we can both share. I first saw the Crunchy Belly by Carlo's Kitchen when we walked in, and I knew then that I just had to try it. Carlos Kitchen isn't a food truck, it's located in the middle of the park where the food stalls are.

Crunch Pork Belly. 130php.

Crunchy Pork Belly! How can you go wrong with that? Well, for one it really didn't go well with the rice so we didn't eat it with this. But this makes for a great snack, just not as a viand. Grab a Red Horse and you're all set. As for the rice, it didn't go to waste...

Carlo's Kitchen
https://www.facebook.com/crunchybelly?fref=ts


It didn't go to waste because I ordered from Chef Resty's Roastbeef. This is also not a food truck and is also located in the middle of the park.

Roastbeef (100g grams). 100php.

I got 100 grams of fatty, tender, juicy and great tasting roastbeef. It came with sweet gravy, but we really didn't bother to use it much since the beef brisket was already seasoned very well. We ate it with the rice from the previously mentioned Crunchy Pork Belly. The beef is pinkish rare but it is not chewy since it has probably been cooking for a long time. 100grams for 100php seems just right, since it's really rare you see good cooked roastbeef at this price. You can also get rice, pasta, sandwich, or potatoes from Chef Resty's and if I remember correctly, the most expensive set meal on their menu is at 180php. Pretty affordable for something you won't get to eat everyday.

Chef Resty's Roastbeef
https://www.facebook.com/ChefRestys?fref=ts


That's the end of Round 2. We walked around Glorietta to get some wiggle room for more food, and bought a couple of things. After about 2 and a half hours of shopping and window shopping, we were back at Cucina Andare for one last round.


ROUND 3!

This is one of my target when I first read about Cucina Andare, Schmidt's Gourmet Hotdogs. I saw they had a US Ripper in their menu. A ripper is a deep fried dog that is called as such because (supposedly!) the skin rips apart from the high heat, and it provides that snap as all great dogs should do.

US Ripper. 130php.

 First thing I noticed when my dog was being prepared was, "Where the heck is the deep fryer?!?!" Safe to say I was disappointed from the beginning and it doesn't get any better. The hungarian had circular cuts made by a knife, further deviating from the "ripper" standard, and it didn't snap! It tasted okay, nothing special. Angel's Hamburger's 60php Hungarian would kick the living hell out of this. Don't call it a ripper if it's not a ripper!

Schmidt's Gourmet Hotdogs
https://www.facebook.com/SchmidtsGourmetHotdogs


Our last food stop for the night was the most popular food truck in the lot (based on how many people queue up for the food), Shawarma Bros. Good thing this was the last thing that stuck to my mind that night, as it tempered my disappointment with my ripper dog. This is one of the best looking trucks in Cucina Andare, and I dare say it wouldn't look out of place in a lot full of authentic SoCal Taco Trucks. Instead of serving Mexican fare, this one serves some good ol shawarma dishes. But instead of ordering shawarma, Kim ordered their Lamb Steak Plate.

Lamb Steak Plate. 200php.

You might think it would be tough to eat lamb with just a plastic spork and knife, then you haven't tried Shawarma Bros version of it. Very tender and succulent lamb that is seasoned very well. You can taste the herbs and spices from the smell of it! You can choose 2 sauces to top off your dish, and we chose the garlic yogurt and cheese. We were apprehensive of this combination at first, but it worked really well. The garlic flavor blended with the slight saltiness of the cheese which complimented the grilled flavor of the lamb. All in all, this was the best meal we had in Cucina Andare. A perfect end to the night.

Shawarma Bros
https://www.facebook.com/ShawarmaBros

Our thirst-quencher for our food trip that night was Bayani Brew, a Gawad Kalinga project brewed from lemongrass and pandan leaves with a hint of calamansi.

Bayani Bre. 35php.

Curious of what a Filipino tea would taste like, we immediately took a couple of gulps. Kim and I exchanged looks because it tasted bland. I ended up finishing the whole lot of it until Kim read the descriptions of the bottle and told me that we forgot an important step. Shake before drinking. No wonder the taste has gotten stronger when I reached the bottom. Too much of being a foodie, right? No worries, we’ll surely be coming back to Cucina Andare and we’ll remember to shake our next Bayani Brew bottle.

Bayani Brew

https://www.facebook.com/Gkenchantedfarm

As we were leaning back on our seats with bellies probably perplexed on what to digest first, Kim wanted to end the night with a cooling dessert. We both looked at the MioGelati ice cream truck behind us but we shook our heads. Instead, we got a cheaper ice cream at Amazing Cones: Pizza in a Cone.

Bubblegum ice cream. 35php.

We got the bubblegum flavor, as Kim insisted. And to her dismay, it tasted like a regular vanilla ice cream with pink swirls. We'll just probably try their pizza cones next time since it's their specialty afterall. But at least it was a good finale for us to cool down as Kim and I started planning on our next food targets. Haha!

Amazing Cones
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amazing-Cones/214766597649?fref=ts


If you're searching for cheap eats and great variety, go and visit Cucina Andare! There's a lot to choose from! From rice meals to sandwiches, from international to local fare, from heavy meals to light snacks, it got you covered! We're definitely coming back to try out the other interesting stuff we saw. Chicken in a waffle anyone?

Cucina Andare
https://www.facebook.com/CucinaAndare?fref=ts