10 Dishes to try at the WORLD STREET FOOD CONGRESS 2016

 

For us foodies, street food is a window through which we could experience and see the real food culture of a place. Thankfully, foodies would no longer need to leave the Philippines to experience internationally acclaimed street food.  From April 20 to 24, 2016, the Philippines would host The World Street Food Congress. 2016.

Aside from the different talks and demos of world-renowned chefs, many are interested in the Food Jamboree. This is where all the fun and food is. It is open to the public and has 25 different food stalls that would cater to all types of cravings. Listed here are the 10 stalls to try at the World Street Food Jamboree.

From Vietnam, Banh Can 38 serves Banh Xeo & Banh Can. Located at stall number 1, two different dishes all on one plate. The yellowish shell like dish is the savoury seafood rice flour pancake. You could say that this is like a crunchy egg tortilla with squid and different seafood in it. Beside it are the hor d'oeuvre like cakes that has shrimps and different greens on them. The peanut sauce on the side gives it a sweet flavor to complete the taste.

The BALI BBQ Ribs from Sunset Warung at Stall 6 gives meat lovers a different look on baby back. These ribs are borderline sweet because of the Indonesian soy sauce used. Accompanied by pickled vegetables, the contrasting flavor would get you hooked.

Seafood lovers would rejoice when they see the Seafood Platter from Keng Eng Kee at Stall 9. Accompanied by 3 distinctly Singaporean Dips,  you would enjoy the soft shelled crabs and deep fried squid.  

Because of the chilli crab, black pepper and salted egg yolk sauce, the dish is reminiscent of that first crab bite that you would enjoy in the streets of Singapore.

No food festival will be complete without a Roasted Pig. Pepita’s Kitchen took care of it by serving their SPICY PAELLA LECHON. 

Truffled flavored rice was cooked inside the belly of a roasted pig making sure that it would be moist and mouth watering good.

The skin was crunchy and the meat moist. Because of the homemade sambal sauce accompanying the dish, it could become a little spicy so be careful.

For a quick bite, the Har Cheong Kai from HK Street Old Chun Kee at stall 16 could give you what you want. Accompanied by fries, you would think that this fried chicken is like your everyday fast food. One bite in and you would be surprised that the coating of the meat is actually made from shrimps. A certain type of bagoong or shrimp paste was used to marinate the meat. It isn’t that salty compared to local bagoong rather it was a little sweet and yet has that shrimp taste.

At stall 19, Chey Sua’s Carrot Cake was pretty good. With a sweet oyster sauce on the side, the egg mixture took care of its own. Take note though, that this isn’t really made of carrots. Rather, it is a misnomer as the main ingredient of the dish is daikon.

Vegetarian foodies need not worry as Satpal Chaat Bhanda got you covered. At stall 21, they offer the Aloo Chop. This is a potato croquette version from India. Different spices and vegetables were placed on top not only as garnish but to give the dish more flavor and texture. There are hints of masala spice and even a ginger garlic flavor.  Surprisingly, the addition of sweet grapes gave this dish a refreshing experience.

Since it is pretty hot in the open field, you would be glad to know that Churros Loco at stall 23 offers Churros Sundae. Served with vanilla ice cream and topped with sprinkles and nuts, this sweet and cold dish is just perfect for the weather.

Surprisingly good, the Sticky Rice Banana of Nam Bo from Vietnam is a crowd favorite. Located in stall 2, this simple looking dish created a bee line when the Jamboree was opened to the public.

The banana is coated with sticky rice and wrapped with banana leaves while being grilled over wood fire.  A coconut milk based sauce is added generously to give a soothe texture. Roasted sesame seeds were placed on top just to give it a different feel.

The Chocolate Martabak from MAR’tabak ‘Ko’ta ‘BAR’at at stall 5 would be a great alternative for dessert. This Indonesian Chinese styled pancake has a crispy outer layer and  sofy gummy insides. Aside from that, there are a lot of flavors to choose from like Toblerone, marshmallows and green tea.

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The World Street Food Jamboree is located at the corner of McKinley Pkwy and 9^th Avenue in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Entrance is free and dishes would cost an average of 200-300Php.

April 20-22 4pm to 11pm

April 23 12noon to 11pm

April 24 12noon to 9pm

The first day was a blast. There were some stalls that closed early and there were reports that the food was sold out even before closing time. The lines would reach all the way to a couple of blocks too. The venue was temporarily closed because it reached maximum capacity last night. One tip I would give is that you go early and plan ahead.

Disclaimer: was invited to the event. wrote this based on my experience. Thank you very much Abs-Cbn News Online for the opportunity to cover the event. This article was originally posted in news.abs-cbn.com  with some edits.