Swabe Foodtruck

Filipino Food Truck Swabe Opens in Queens With Chao Long

"I found the plastic bowls of chao long Palawan packed with crunchy bean sprouts, mint and scallions, a whole lot of rice noodles, and tender cuts of beef shoulder; the broth is sweet and beefy from time well spent on the stove, reflecting the Palawan-style adaptations (tomato sauce, annatto, or beef stew) that turned Macky Mendoza from hating the soup as a child into a fan. Opened in Elmhurst at the end of the summer by Mendoza and partners Alexander Mendoza, Jericho Ensoy, and John Fuentes, the truck serves just eight straightforward Filipino dishes—highlights include pares mami (egg noodles and brisket braised with garlic, onion, ginger, star anise, and soy sauce), fried pork belly, lumpia, and a beef tapa marinated in soy, sugar, and calamansi that arrives garlicky and almost caramelized, either plated traditionally with rice and a fried egg or as a messy sandwich. You can eat on the side of Queens Boulevard, where the truck parks Monday through Saturday outside an old church with a nice green lawn; the wide sidewalk, a few camping chairs, and squat folding tables make it feel less like a food truck and more like a street restaurant. For John Fuentes, who struggled professionally after the pandemic, cooking on the truck has been redemptive—"it's for the common good," he says—and watching friends hunched over their chao long makes clear the soup is doing people good." - Chris Crowley