Cab drivers know everything. They talk politics, act as agony uncle, give good advice on life, love, career, and the universe, and suggest an alternative route to avoid traffic. You know what else they know? Good and cheap chow. We grabbed a Brown Race taxi cab unit this morning along Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City, and instructed the cab driver, Mang Alfredo, to take us to Makati, but to first make a pit stop at his favorite turo-turo. “Duon ko na lang kayo dalhin malapit sa pupuntahan niyo,” he suggested wisely. Okay, we agreed, sticking to the first rule of this cab crawl experiment: Trust the driver.
Mang Alfredo, a native of Davao, brought us to Jolly Jeep #67, stationed on Carlos Palanca Street, where for “PHP50, busog ka na.” Jolly Jeep #67 is the second eatery-on-wheels of the operators; their first venture is on Salcedo Street.
CABBIE RECOMMENDS: Caldereta. Alas, it was sold out by the time we got there!
WHAT WE GOT: Giniling with egg and one very generous cup of rice.
WHAT WE THINK: The giniling was served swimming in tomato sauce, with a modest amount of vegetables. The hardboiled egg gave the dish an extra punch and the rice was crispy, having been scraped from the bottom of the pot, so we mixed everything together to soften the rice and take the saltiness out of the giniling. The meal was very filling, which is how cab drivers and laborers, the main clientele of this particular Jolly Jeep, want it.
COST: PHP50
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM CABBIE: Harapin mo lang ang traffic. Kung minsan, sa lalo mong kaiiwas, mas mapupunta ka pa sa mas ma-traffic.
READ MORE CARINDERIA CRAWL STORIES:
– Spaceship carinderia on 21 Kamias Rd in Quezon City
– K Meraj’s Food House along Open Canal Road in Mandaluyong
– Jhero’s Ihawan on Kalayaan Avenue in Makati
– [VIDEO] KC Tapsilogan at Lugawan on P. Noval Street in Manila
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