Smoke plumes billowing from the Skyline Drive-In and the surrounding traffic chaos made the site look a bit like a war zone. As you slowly inched your way closer, the aroma of inihaw—Pinoy BBQ—clued you in that it was celebratory smoke rather than catastrophic. On August 27, The Philippines Heroes Day Market took over about half of the regular Blacktown Markets spread. More than just a food market, the stalls celebrated Pinoy culture, language, music, clothing and handicrafts. The event was geared those missing their country of birth, or keen to connect to their family heritage, as well people looking to take a virtual trip to the Phillipines without leaving Sydney.
Smoky Cravings are well known in the mobile food circuit, adding a bricks’n’mortar store in Parramatta with another on the way. Their stall sees you select your own skewers—we chose chook, lamb and pork ($4/apiece)—which you pay for then hand to your favourite grill master for basting, regular flipping then eating dipped in spiced vinegar sauce (sawsawan). From Lugaw Queen, a shiny food trailer, a bowl of lomi ($15)—or chicken egg noodle soup—is made more interesting by shredded seafood sticks, fish and pork balls, fried siomai, a boiled egg, pork crackling, a spring roll and half-moons of pork liver. Better when dressed up with the on-table sauces in their eating tent. The bicol express ($18) from Filo Eats and Treats outdid many restaurant versions with the creamy coconut and shrimp paste-based pork stew dotted with lively red chillies. Cut the richness with sips of the accompanying sinigang, a light, tamarind-based soup.
Chicken empanadas ($3.50/each) from Patricia’s Sweets were flaky and flavoursome, further improved by their tasty chilli sauce. The friendly Chick En Chook team produced a mild chilli-chicken kransky on a pillowy soft bun ($7.50). And for the sugar-focused visitors, the biko ($7/tub) rice cake from Biko ni Lolo was amazing (we took that one home and heated it gently. I was also pleased to try rice cakes wrapped and cooked in coconut in leaves (suman moron) from J & J Kakanin sa Highlands. The enthusiasm of Pinoy Sydneysiders and the rapid expansion of restaurants and events catering to this community really makes me think Filipino food is Sydney’s next big thing.