FOOD FOR THE SOUL AT J&S FILIPINO MARKET
by: Gabby Torreon (soshelMAG intern + niece)
Today, I had the pleasure of visiting J&S Filipino Market, located on Ogden Avenue in Aurora, Illinois. J&S Filipino Market is part of a strip mall alongside many other businesses, situated right between Dairy Queen and the CPR (Cell Phone Repair) service store.
I started with the lumpia, a type of spring roll filled with ground pork and vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, garlic, and ginger. Lumpia is considered an appetizer. For one of the main dishes, I had sisig. Sisig is made from various parts of the pig and stir-fried with vegetables like peppers and onions. It’s a classic street food in the Philippines. With sisig cooked on an iron plate, you can crack an egg on top and stir-fry it with the meat. The egg adds more flavor and pairs well with the pork.
Lumpia
Sisig
Filipino BBQ Pork Skewers
My second main dish was Filipino barbecue pork skewers, which consist of sliced pork marinated in a special soy sauce marinade. My last main dish was batchoy, a noodle soup consisting of sliced pork, egg noodles, chicharrón, green onions, and boiled egg. Batchoy is one of my comfort foods. For dessert, I had a classic Filipino treat called halo-halo. Halo-halo translates to “mix-mix” because it involves mixing various ingredients together. These ingredients include shaved ice, condensed milk, ube ice cream, mixed fruit, and more (such as leche flan, flakes, etc.). Halo-halo is one of my favorite Filipino desserts.
J&S Filipino Market is a cute, low-key place to eat. They offer not only dine-in options but also carry-out, catering, and they function as a mini grocery store. One side is a grocery, and the other side is a dine-in restaurant. The place is very chill most of the time. The workers at J&S are very kind and easy to talk to, making the market even better. Overall, J&S is a very nice space to be in. A definite takeaway from the food at J&S is that it never disappoints. The food always looks amazing and tastes even better than it looks.
Whenever I eat at J&S, I reminisce about how I’ve been eating there since preschool. I basically grew up in that environment, always remembering eating the barbecue pork with some pancit or rice. The workers have known my entire family for years, and we’re all like family to one another; we are tight-knit like that. One memory I will always cherish is when my brother and I would lay on the rice bags and watch YouTube. J&S Filipino Market will always hold a special place in my heart.
I would 100% recommend J&S Filipino Market. They have authentic Filipino food, all made with love and care. It reminds me of home-cooked meals that my mom or Lola (grandma in Tagalog) would make for my family and me. All in all, it’s an amazing place, and you should definitely try it!