First Bite: The Broken Oven

Comfortable dining experience, value for money dishes and ample parking are just some of the important elements to consider for a food park to be successful. Thankfully, the newest food park in Ortigas, Industrie Food Loft got all these covered. Located on the second floor of City Golf's party (or drinking) strip, we were greeted by a colorful wall mural and bright signs. The hippie industrial interiors makes the place very young and vibrant. And our first stop here was The Broken Oven, under the same owners of Olive Treat. 

Hello, The Broken Oven.

It was quite tough to restrain one's self from ordering all the offerings of The Broken Oven as everything sounds delicious. But we had to limit ourselves to three dishes as we planned to try another stall or two.

We decided to go with Sisig Kaninballs (PHP100, 2 balls | PHP160, 4 balls), Sisig by the Gram (PHP180, 200 grams) and Slow Roast Pork Belly (PHP250, 250 grams | PHP450, 500 grams | PHP800, 1 kilo).

It took The Broken Oven quite some time before the dishes were served. It was understandable though as they had to prep the food from scratch. Though the wait might be a bit too long for those in a hurry, it was definitely worth the wait given its superb taste. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I first indulged in the Pinoy version of risotto balls and I was blown away. The beautifully deep fried rice balls stuffed with spicy sisig and covered in herbed crust was genius! I loved the contrast of textures and flavors. The mix of spicy and salty tastes makes this a great beer match.

Though it would have been nicer if the balls were bite-size to easily enjoy it, its humongous size gives an impression of it as a bang for the buck find.

The sisig was just like the filling of the sisig kaninballs sans the rice. Great for those avoiding carbs but not really the fats.

If you've tried Olive Treat, you'd definitely be familiar with the Slow Roast Pork Belly. This gorgeous crunchy and succulent treat is served with chimichurri and vinegar. But I like eating it as is as the pork is flavorful enough.

Mark, the owner of The Broken Oven (and Olive Treat), joined our table and offered that we try Chicken Iberico Melt (PHP240).

This is my second favorite, next to Sisig Kaninballs. The pulled chicken with cheesy chorizo rice, topped with mozzarella and cheddar was heavenly. Cheese lovers would love to have this for lunch or dinner. Heck, even as an afternoon snack. I might be biased though as I really love cheese and anything cheesy.

Overall, it was a superb meal and I'd definitely go back for more Sisig Kaninballs and Chicken Iberico Melt. I wouldn't mind paying for a kilo of slow roast pork belly as well for potluck events.

The Broken Oven is located at Industrie Food Loft, Second Floor, City Golf Plaza, Julia Vargas, Ugong, Pasig City.

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