Although we’ve been in business for four whole months now, Team Manila Machine is still pleasantly surprised by the love and support our fans and followers give us on a daily basis. We love serving Filipino food to our hungry and happy customers, and it’s always flattering when we’re complimented on our food and service.

But we’re most flattered when people go out of their way to help us in our quest to bring Filipino food to the masses. For example, customers have done everything from holding parking spots for us (without us even asking or knowing), to suggesting new places to park, to hooking us up with certain contacts for private events. But perhaps tops on our list is when a couple of friends of The Manila Machine recently produced a Manila Machine video as well as wrote and composed a Manila Machine theme song.

You read that right folks, there is now a Manila Machine video and theme song. The video below was produced by our friend A.J. Calomay of Xylophone Films, and the song you hear in the video was written and performed by the Los Angeles-based soul/funk/R&B band, Elson and the Soul Barkada.

The footage in the video was cobbled together from the past few months, and includes some background information about the origins of The Manila Machine–Southern California’s First Filipino food truck.

We would like to give a huge THANK YOU to A.J. and Elson, who volunteered for this project and took time out of their busy schedules to work on it. Thanks so much A.J. and Elson!

For more information about A.J. Calomay and his editing skills, check out his editor showreel here, or go to Xylophone Films.

For more information about Elson Trinidad and his music, check out his website here. Elson and the Soul Barkada performs regularly around Southern California. You can check ‘em out on Twitter: twitter.com/soulbarkada and on Facebook www.facebook.com/soulbarkada.

Enjoy the video and music:

In addition to our dinner and lunch stops this week on Wednesday and Thursday (see our schedule over there to the right of this page —->), The Manila Machine will also be having a monster weekend as we will be slingin’ our brand of SARAPNESS all across Southern California.

On Friday October 8, The Manila Machine will be parked on campus at UCLA. We’ll be serving both breakfast and lunch as we’ll be parked at the Court of Sciences from 7:30am-2:30pm.

It’s a little known fact that Filipino food makes you study/work harder. So if you’re a hungry Bruin on your way to class or work on Friday, make sure to stop by The Manila Machine for some Filipino grub.

If you’ll happen to be in the city they call Long Beach on Saturday October 9, you’ll be able to find The Manila Machine at the Long Beach Street Food Fest from 10:30am-5:oopm.

To purchase tickets to the LB Street Food Fest, click here.

“Manila and Long Beach, together now you know you in trouble”

And finally, we’re closing out this week in style as we’ll be taking part in L.A. Beer Week. On Sunday October 10, The Manila Machine will be parked and serving at Verdugo Bar from 3pm-7:30pm for the L.A. Beer Float Showdown II as presented by Food GPS.

This year’s Beer Float Showdown will feature four teams (Boneyard Bistro, Ladyface Alehouse, Simmzy’s and Tony’s Darts Away) that will each create a single beer float. Attendees of the Showdown will get to taste each float and vote for a winner. Hmmm, if The Manila Machine were entering a beer float (and we’re not), I’d say a Maui Coconut Porter/Ube Ice Cream Float sounds mighty fine (and if anyone jacks that idea, know that it originated here, unless the float turns out terrible, in which case I disavow any knowledge of said Maui Coconut Porter/Ube Ice Cream Float).

The L.A. Beer Float Showdown II starts on Sunday, October 10, at 5:30 PM. Tickets cost $25 in advance via PayPal or $30 cash on the day of the event, including admission and all four beer floats. 50% of all proceeds benefits Share our Strength.