How joyful was your last meal? A new Asian fast food joint in Earls Court promises to be the happiest place you’ll ever eat. The queue is made up of Filipino customers visiting from around the world. One woman compares the experience of eating here to the birth of her first child. A group visiting from Newcastle wave me to their table and ask how it feels to be the only “foreigner”.
They grin as I tuck into my “crispylicious” fried chicken and Jolly spaghetti – with hotdog in a sweet sauce. “We like sweet food,” they beam. We’re interrupted by shrieking as a giant Jollibee walks out onto the floor. Smartphones light up, pinging selfies across the planet. I sit and grin and try to think of an experience I’ve had like this within my own city. The food may not hold quite the same magic for me as it does for my new friends (“it’s the taste of home,” they smile wistfully). But this jolly Filipino reunion is hard to beat.
By Sara Conway
