The morning of Oct. 25 was a rush. ManilaBoy was in the house.
At Horizon Line Coffee, Earvin Idio — the Ankeny chef behind the pop-up restaurant inspired by his homeland of the Philippines — was slinging traditional Filipino breakfast staples with a twist. The 39-year-old father of two enlisted his crew, including his wife, parents and siblings, to serve customers who piled into the downtown Des Moines shop that Saturday morning to grab items off his menu.
On the list was tocilog, a slow roasted pork belly dish paired with garlic rice and a fried egg, and tofu sisig, a plant-based alternative to the usual crispy pork dish served on a sizzling plate. Ube waffles and ube champorado — chocolate rice porridge with ube halaya, jam made from purple yam — rounded out the rest. A native vegetable in the Philippines, ube is similar to purple sweet potato and a core ingredient in many Filipino desserts, adding sweet, nutty flavors…