Tita Carinderia – a cheeky slice of Filipino street food in Marrickville
Meet Tita Carinderia Marrickville’s new street-food eatery serving casual Filipino fare with a slice of fun
Tucked in a shady forecourt off Marrickville’s bustling Illawarra Road – a spot locals will recall was once the old Marrickville RSL – is the home of Tita Carinderia, a new project from Inner West stalwarts, the Donut Papi team. True to its name, a Filipino carinderia being a street eatery serving casual meals, Tita Carinderia is an informal diner, there’s even a sign announcing they’re ‘take-away’ only. But don’t let that fool you. Pull up a chair or stool and eat at any of the colourful vinyl-covered tables out front – just be sure to place and pick-up your order inside.
On the weekday morning we arrive we easily snag a table for brunch but when we try Tita Carinderia again on a weekend, every is table is occupied, a queue snakes out the front, and on entering we’re told there’s a 45 minute wait on all cooked food. Moral of the story: get in early and on a weekday if you’re after a quick bite, otherwise be prepared to wait. Perhaps grab a cold Manila Latte if you end up at Tita Carinderia at food rush-hour aka lunch – made with cold brewed Gabriel coffee and condensed milk, it’ll keep your tastebuds occupied whilst you wait for the food. Because the wait is worth it.
Tita Carinderia’s short menu is divided into Breakfast Sandwiches, Filipino Breakfasts, Rice Bowls, Sides and Drinks, all served throughout the day. There’s also a cabinet of treats including a generous slice of Bibingka Basque Cheesecake made with salted egg, coconut and butter, baked in banana leaf. If you’re lucky you might chance upon head baker, Luisa Brimble (lifestyle photographer-cum-baker-cum-foodie creative) bringing out a freshly baked batch of pandesal – fluffy Filipino bread rolls made for savoury fillings (like fried Spam, yes this is a thing in the Philippines) or sweeter offerings like decadent coconut jam. Be sure to pick up a dozen – you won’t be disappointed.
We’re well and truly in brunch o’clock on the day we visit Tita Carinderia so we order the hearty Charsiu Tocilog and Patty Longsilog meals. But before we digress into the moreish garlic spiked fried rice, how the house made sweet and sour papaya atchara (pickle) cuts through the smoky flavours of the pork, and how the fried egg brings everything together, let’s talk about Filipino words. Filipinos love combining words. Silog is a perfect example – those six letters stand for the most classic of Filipino breakfasts made up of sinangag (fried rice), itlog (fried egg) and your protein of choice. For example, add longanisa, a garlicky pork sausage, and you have Longsilog. Or tocino, a sweet Filipino style bacon, you get Tocilog. Get it? No. Head over to Tita and it all might make sense.
Our Charsiu Tocilog is an ample serve of pork belly cooked in a fusion of Cantonese char siu sauce and Filipino tocino marinade braised to unctuous softness. Several lolly-red portions of pork arrive – so brightly coloured my dining companion wonders if someone had been heavy handed with the red food dye. I reassure him the colour is the same vibrant hue as the home cooked tocino we enjoyed as kids, albeit in a larger, almost dinner-sized serves compared to the thinly sliced pork strips we were served for breakfast.
The Patty Longsilog, a burger like disc of pork, garlic and spices, arrives hot and fragrant. Whilst it’s far from traditional in appearance – longanisa being a pork sausage – the flavour is spot on and would make a Filipino Lola (grandmother) proud. We help ourselves to the DIY sauce counter and fill up on spiced vinegar to sprinkle over the longanisa. Vinegar not your thing? Don’t fret, it’s perfect with the pickled papaya which comes with every ‘silog dish.
We realise we can’t finish our meal because, let’s be honest, with serves this large who needs lunch (or even dinner). But we easily take it away as all meals are packaged in sustainable paper cartons to go.
Tita Carinderia’s colourfully fun Instagram feed say they’re not your typical ‘Tita’ – ‘Tita’ meaning aunt in Filipino. We think they’re not your average carinderia either. Fun and family-friendly, with large outdoor tables perfect for groups, this is a casual eatery where you can sample something different – a hearty Filipino style brunch or lunch, freshly baked treat or even an Uber (purple yam) soft-serve ice-cream.
Tita Carinderia
Open: Wed – Sun
📍 Shop 4/359 Illawarra rd, Marrickville
🌏 www.instagram.com/tita.carinderia/
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