Fast food is ubiquitous with familiar chains like McDonalds, Burger King, Jack-in-the-Box, and to a certain extend even Starbucks. However, a number of international chains have arrived in San Jose, serving up fast food favorites from overseas. To the Filipino community, there is only one chain synonymous with unique Filipino fast food. That restaurant is Jollibee.

Having eaten at Jollibee in both the Philippines and in the United States — the American version is true to the original. While far from Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods, certain foods might provide a little bit of a surprise.

A Filipino favorite is Jollibee Spaghetti. What makes it different? It’s kind of like Spaghetti-O’s with slices of hot dog and carrots.  Pancit palabok is a tasty noodle concoction with a sauce that’s typically made of shrimp heads with crushed pork rinds, fried pork, shrimp, green onions with a hard boiled egg (pictured above). Another unique offering is their Chickenjoy meal - fried chicken served with brown gravy and white rice (I put the gravy on the rice). My personal favorite is the Filipino equivalent of salisbury steak served on white rice. I didn’t say it was healthy for you. Like Saab cars, people fall into two camps — people love it or they hate it….

If you’re in East San Jose, are hungry and looking for a change from the ordinary, Jollibee might be worth a trip.

Jollibee (San Jose)
2008 Tully Rd.
San Jose, CA 95122

http://www.jollibee.com.ph

A Freebie at Santana Row!

Today, what’s left of it, and all day tomorrow buy any 6-inch Subway sandwich and get another one for free.

(I didn’t ask but it is most likely: Get another of equal or lesser value for free.)

SUBWAY
377 Santana Row
San Jose, CA 95128
Ph. 408-984-7821

It’s high time I resumed the Indian restaurant series. At least Gary has been prodding me for long. And it’s good to blog about one of the best that we have — Amber.

It would be difficult to dispute its position as the best Indian restaurant out here. I should say that it’s almost on par with the top restaurants back in India.
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I stopped by the Falafel Drive-In for one of my favorite lunches. While I was ordering a Falafel Pocket Sandwich* I noticed a familiar face on the window. There was Guy Fieri, of food network, on a leaflet about an upcoming program. Guy, the host of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, paid a visit to our very own Falafel Drive-In. The episode will air October 1st at 10pm.

Falafel Drive-In at 2301 Stevens Creek Blvd - In the Burbank area.

food network

Totally Fried

*Falafel pocket sandwich: pita bread stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and falafelballs (made of deep-fried ground chickpeas) and tahini sauce.
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I love trying new kinds of food, but I always fall back on Indian food. Whichever part of the world I go, I feel it’s always good to know Indian restaurants around. In the Bay Area, you don’t really have to search so hard; but still, one needs to figure out which is good, which one should be a last resort and which one is passable.

Firstly, one basic aspect needs to be clarified about Indian food, especially for those who haven’t yet dug in deep. There are many cuisines within India, not just one. Though one can broadly classify them as North Indian and South Indian, it doesn’t really do justice. Anyway, for practical purposes, we’ll keep it that way. North Indian food is more commonly found across the world — naan, roti, chicken tikka masala, lassi and the like. South Indian food is predominantly rice-based, with sambhar, rasam and so on.
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