Opening a food truck named “Adobo Kitchen” was a long time coming for business owner Ferdinand “Bong” Bumanglag.

“One night, for some reason, I dreamed about this name,” he says. “I wasn’t planning to open a truck at the time, but since no business had that name, I registered it. I got a truck in 2020, but I wasn’t consistently open. This past year, I realized I needed to maintain a consistent schedule, so you can currently find me at Residence Inn by Marriott Oahu Kapolei on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from 4 to 8 p.m.”

The food truck’s menu is based on Bumanglag’s family recipes.

“The pork adobo is my mom’s recipe,” he says. “It’s really hard to make, especially from family recipes, because we don’t measure ingredients; my mom just eyeballs it.”

As you can guess, the business’s adobo fried rice is its signature menu item. Other popular items include adobo fried rice with lechon kawali plate ($17) and adobo fried rice with steak and pork lumpia plate ($17).

“Lechon kawali comes with lumpia, crispy pork belly and my special sauce — shoyu vinegar — with adobo fried rice on the bottom,” Bumanglag says. “Our lechon is double fried and is always made to order.

“The lumpia is also my mom’s recipe,” he adds. “It looks easy to make, but it takes so much time and effort.”

Bumanglag’s previous menu focused on traditional Filipino food, like pork guisantes, but he updated it to reduce food waste.

“I added steak and shrimp, and I’ve had this current menu since the beginning of this year,” he says.

Bumanglag often recommends Da Adobo fiesta plate ($22), which includes adobo fried rice, lechon kawali, fried chicken wings, lumpia, steak and garlic shrimp.

“I initially made this plate to avoid food waste,” he says. “It comes with a little of everything, so the next time you order, you can choose what you liked most.”

Adobo Kitchen

The Residence Inn Oahu Kapolei by Marriott
731 Kunehi St., Kapolei
Phone: 808-366-6882
How to order: In person or via phone
How to pay: Cash, credit cards and Apple Pay accepted