Though we have a sizable Filipino community here in SoCal, we don’t have a commensurate number of Filipino restaurants. Some two decades ago Filipino restaurants were scattered around town, with a fair number gathered around MacArthur Park and another bunch down in the South Bay. But now most are gone. There is hope yet for those who long for the pungent flavors of Manila, however: This has been the Summer of the Filipino Food Truck, with not one but three trucks plying their wares from Ventura County to Orange County – and drawing long (or at least curious) lines wherever they park.

There’s Tapa Boy, whose motto is “Filipino Food on Filipino Time” and whose name comes from the thinly sliced, marinated beef used in the beloved breakfast dish tapsilog, served here in a “Tapa Bowl” flavored with a taste bud–curdling vinegar sauce. There’s also a “Tocino Bowl” (sweet cured chicken or pork), a “Pork Longanisa Bowl” (Filipino sausage), a “Crispy Adobo Bowl” and, for the veggies among us, a “Tofudobo Bowl.” Don’t miss the banana and jackfruit egg rolls for dessert. And the melon juice to wash it all down (follow on Twitter or Facebook).

The menu is considerably larger at The Manila Machine Truck, where the specialty (or more specifically, one of the several specialties) is sisig – a dish of spicy marinated pork cheeks, onions and chicharron served over steamed rice or in a sandwich with a fried egg.  Or you can opt for adobo, available two ways – with chicken, or with pork belly and pineapple – and served over steamed jasmine rice. Also on the menu are jumbo lumpia in pork and veggie renditions, plus sliders on authentic pan de sal filled with shredded chicken adobo, sweet longanisa sausage or grilled tapa beef. Oh, yeah, and one with Spam, a fried egg and banana ketchup (follow on Twitter or Facebook).

Finally, there’s The White Rabbit Truck, whose creators include Cordon Bleu graduate (and Gordon Ramsay veteran) James Du. The concept of The White Rabbit is Filipino fusion – mostly Filipino mixed with Mexican – which translates into chicken adobo tacos, pork tocino burritos, and pork sisig “Fili” cheesesteaks. Naturally, you can trick up any of the dishes with fried eggs (follow on Twitter or Facebook).

– Merrill Shindler