Dubai: Get Filipino street food for Dh10 in this winter night market

From Iloilo province’s famous beef shanks sour stew with jackfruit known as kansi; to the north’s exotic papaitan, a spicy beef or goat bile soup; to bulalo (beef stew) from Batangas, to balbacua (a stew of collagen-rich beef parts) of southern and central Philippines, and Manila’s unique street foods, one can find them all freshly served nightly at affordable prices in one place: Al Rigga in Deira, Dubai.

Al Rigga, like Satwa, is a lively community with a large concentration of Filipinos. “This place makes me feel happy...parang perya (like a fair or festival),” Czarina Garcia, 23, who came to Dubai just a year ago, told Khaleej Times in her vernacular.

She added: “I don’t feel homesick anymore. It’s like you’re in the Philippines. So many Filipinos come here to have dinner and enjoy Filipino food with their friends and families.”

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The young woman, who is originally from Antipolo, Rizal, a city east of the capital Manila, works as a cashier at the night market that opened in Al Rigga last month. She said the place is a good way to promote the unique Filipino cuisine, which has a rich history and diverse cultural influences.

“I see a lot of foreigners come here with their Filipino friends to have a taste of food from different parts of the Philippines,” said Garcia with a smile.

Pinoy bestsellers at Dh10 each

Filipina Santos, 42, who works part-time as a seller at a food stall at the Winter Night Market, said street food is among their bestsellers, even among other nationalities.

Their store sells skewers such proben or proven, which is made from part of a chicken’s proventiculus or stomach and then mixed with cornstarch or flour before being deep-fried. It also offers isaw (grilled, marinated chicken intestines), calamari (squid rings in crispy batter), and more. And the best part is: Everything is sold for just Dh10 per order.

Santos told Khaleej Times: “We get a lot of foreign nationals trying Filipino street foods for the first time. Most of them like proben. Arab nationals, however, prefer the corndog because it has mozzarella. I sell about Dh2,500 of these street foods on ordinary weeknights and even better during weekends.”

Serving best dishes

Virginia Padilla, 51, owner of Lutong Bale, a restaurant that sells traditional cuisine, said she’s delighted to serve Filipino food to Filipinos and foreigners alike. She used to work at a bank, but turned restaurateur about 18 years ago.

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