Yellowknife’s newest food truck on the block is serving up Filipino cuisine for hungry diners on the move.
The Mantle Restaurant Food Truck will hold their official, regular unveiling on July 5 when they’ll set up on 48 Street in front of the First Nations Bank at 11 a.m. and serve food until 3 p.m. They plan to be there Monday to Friday until early October.
The truck is a mobile format of the Filipino dining that Rodil and Analie Liviano offered when they ran their Mantle eatery in the Days Inn.
It operated from 2016 and closed permanently in November of 2020.
“It’s too expensive to open a restaurant in the pandemic so we’re doing a food truck this summer instead,” Rodil said. “I know most Yellowknifers love Filipino food, and we’ll cook some Western food too.”
Among traditional Filipino dishes the Livianos will prepare, such as spring rolls, adobo (chicken or pork marinated in vinegar and spices) and pancit (rice noodles), Rodil is excited to bring pork sisig back to Yellowknife.
The dish is made with minced pork - sometimes with pig parts like ears and face - and chicken liver with onions, chili peppers and other spices added.
“That’s the number one dish that Canadians like,” Rodil said. “People were upset when we closed because they couldn’t have that anymore.”
They’ve been doing deliveries since June and did pop-up appearances at the Multicultural Festival in Somba K’e Park on June 27 and at the baseball diamonds by the Racquet Club July 2 to 4.
Thus far, Yellowknifers have lined up to welcome the Mantle back.
“We served more than 150 people at the Multicultural Festival. People have been waiting many months for this,” Rodil said.
At the baseball games, they served more than 260 customers over the three days.
The Mantle will also be at Folk On The Rocks on July 16.
For now, the Livianos are happy to head in a new direction with their food truck but a return to a bricks and mortar restaurant isn’t off their map yet.
“A food truck is in my budget,” Rodil said. “If we do a restaurant it would be very expensive. Maybe in the future we’ll open one.”