SIOMAI
One of the favorite Chinese foods of the Filipinos is the siomai. Siomai is a Chinese term which means Pork Dumplings. The traditional siomai is made up of seasoned ground pork and chopped shrimp. Before, siomai can only be eaten in Chinese restaurants but with the proliferation of the food cart businesses, it can be found almost anywhere. Kiosks normally offer variants like pork, beef, shrimp and Japanese siomai which is wrapped in seaweed. Some kiosks even offer this dimsum with rice, as Filipinos love eating everything with rice. Of course, you can’t miss the black gulaman which is also a staple offering in a siomai food cart.
STIR-FRIED NOODLES
This treat is made of semi-wet noodles fried together with bean sprout and topped with dumplings. What is unique and exciting about this is customers can mix their own sauce from a variety of sauce types such as oyster, teriyaki, toyomansi, chilli garlic, Szechuan and peanut. People love this food because it is convenient and affordable.
ICE SCRAMBLE
One of the newest entries in the food cart business is the ice scramble business. The concept of selling this in a franchise kiosk can be trace back to the younger days when children would run out of their houses to hail the manong who was pushing his rolling cart and selling his ever great-tasting ice scramble. This pink, favored crushed ice was made special with powdered milk on top and some chocolate syrup. The ice scramble now still uses the same ingredients and has the same taste as before, but there are a lot of garnishing offered to make it more enjoyable such as candy sprinkles and chocolate shaving. It now comes in nicely designed paper cup and with a little plastic spoon.
SISIG
The popularity of sisig among the Filipinos became a hit food cart business. A sisig is a dish made from parts of pig’s head and liver, usually seasoned with calamansi and chili peppers. It is a staple in a drinking session, but had also become a common viand. This treat is served as-is or with rice.
SHAWARMA
Shawarma is a popular Arab food which consists of beef or chicken, cooked over a spit fire grill, topped with onions, tomatoes, cheese and cucumber and wrapped in pita bread. Shawarma franchise was just a fad in the early 90s, but is now making a comeback through food cart businesses. It is still successful because of its great and unique taste.
WAFFLE
The waffle that is offered in these kiosks is not the usual batter- or dough-based cake that we top with fruits, syrups or ice cream. It has a special filling that makes it more special like cheese, hotdog and sausages. The waffles are stored in a heated oven to keep it fresh, hot and ready to eat.
PEARL DRINKS
The pearl drink is another variety of beverage. Given the hot climate in the country, Filipinos are drawn to cooling drinks and beverages and one of the popular coolers in the country is the pearl drink. It derived its name from the black sago or tapioca added as topping into the drink, which can either be fruit shake or tea drink.
*SOURCE: http://en.wikipilipinas.org
