I can't say enough good things about Filistix. As a half-Filipino customer, it has a place very close to my heart.
When the truck first opened a few years ago (stationed right outside the BMO on 100A Street), I became a frequent visitor. It started out very simply: green onion cakes, and a rice bowl with a meat skewer (your choice of chicken, pork or beef), as well as an asian-style slaw with slivered pecans and dried cranberries. Alternatively, you could get the slaw and your skewer on a sweet sticky-bun. The best part - you could also buy small cans of mango juice, which was something I hadn't seen around since I would visit my Lola's house when I was younger. When they moved out of that space and were waiting on a permanent location, it broke my heart.
Their business and menu has certainly flourished since then. They are now stationed in the main quad on the University of Alberta campus, and just like it was downtown, the lineup is long, but so worth the wait. Their menu is now on a weekly rotation, with two main "meat" options (one of which is generally a rice bowl, sometimes both), and the other is a vegetarian option (that is still delicious, and would be enough to convert a meat-eater). The signature slaw is still included with each meal, and there is now the option of a half size ($7) or full size ($11) portion.
"The Standard" is a chicken adobo, which is a Filipino chicken dish that could be made with either a soy sauce or coconut milk base, and served with rice. Filistix uses the soy base, which I find leaves less of an overwhelming aftertaste (my Lola was partial to the coconut milk version) while still giving a very distinct and robust flavor to the meat. I would also guess that they probably use a low-sodium soy sauce in their recipe, as it doesn't have the same bitterness that you would usually get when cooking with regular soy sauce. They have huge portions (I got a full sized box, despite seeing everyone else in line getting the half size), delicious and fresh food (which if I recall, is also as locally-sourced as possible), and is overall a much better meal than what you'd get at the Edo inside of the Student's Union building (and at a cheaper price). read more