Toyo Eatery pays homage to the inventor of banana ketchup through its summer pop-up
Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2023's Sustainable Restaurant awardee invites everyone to its summer pop-up Orosa.
By John Legaspi
After its wins at A[sia's 50 Best Restaurants 2023](https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/28/toyo-eatery-and-metiz-are-among-asia-s-50-best-restaurants-in-2023), Toyo Eatery continues to champion Filipino food heritage with its newest project. This month, the team behind the Filipino restaurant, led by Chef Jordy Navarra, launches its summer pop-up at The Balmori Suites, Rockwell Center, dubbed Orosa.
The name of the pop-up is an homage to Filipino food technician Maria Orosa. According to the New York Times, she “pioneered methods of canning and preserving native fruits” and fed "the guerrillas fighting the Japanese occupation during World War II and smuggling food to starving American and Filipino prisoners of war,” which made her not just a strong force in innovating Filipino food landscape but also an unsung war hero. But what many people do not know about her is that she invented the beloved Filipino food condiment—banana ketchup.
“Naming the pop-up Orosa is due to our respect and admiration of Maria Orosa, and her work in the field of local food innovation,” Toyo Eatery wrote in a caption. “We’d like to thank the Orosa family for giving us permission to use this name, and allowing us to honor her in this way.”
*Orosa is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. until May 14 and operates on a first-come-first-served basis. To know more about it visit @*[*toyoeatery*](https://www.instagram.com/toyoeatery/?hl=en) *on Instagram.* *Hello, readers! Do you have a story you want us to feature? Send us a message on* [*Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/ManilaBulletinLifestyle)*,* [*Instagram*](https://www.instagram.com/manilabulletinlifestyle/)*,* [*Tiktok*](https://www.tiktok.com/@manilabulletinlifestyle)*, and* [*Twitter*](https://twitter.com/MBLifestyle) *and let’s talk about it.*
The name of the pop-up is an homage to Filipino food technician Maria Orosa. According to the New York Times, she “pioneered methods of canning and preserving native fruits” and fed "the guerrillas fighting the Japanese occupation during World War II and smuggling food to starving American and Filipino prisoners of war,” which made her not just a strong force in innovating Filipino food landscape but also an unsung war hero. But what many people do not know about her is that she invented the beloved Filipino food condiment—banana ketchup.
“Naming the pop-up Orosa is due to our respect and admiration of Maria Orosa, and her work in the field of local food innovation,” Toyo Eatery wrote in a caption. “We’d like to thank the Orosa family for giving us permission to use this name, and allowing us to honor her in this way.”
According to the restaurant’s post, the pop-up features casual dishes and quick bites in solo and family-style portions as its way of “recalling and reimagining the diner days and clubhouse afternoons of Manila.” As seen in the stories of @[syndromicgirl](https://www.instagram.com/syndromicgirl/) and @[angelasua](https://www.instagram.com/angelasua?hl=en), Orosa serves on the table its take on classic Filipino eats such as prawn and rice lumpia, pork longganisa sandwich, choco bicho-bicho, among others.
*Orosa is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. until May 14 and operates on a first-come-first-served basis. To know more about it visit @*[*toyoeatery*](https://www.instagram.com/toyoeatery/?hl=en) *on Instagram.* *Hello, readers! Do you have a story you want us to feature? Send us a message on* [*Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/ManilaBulletinLifestyle)*,* [*Instagram*](https://www.instagram.com/manilabulletinlifestyle/)*,* [*Tiktok*](https://www.tiktok.com/@manilabulletinlifestyle)*, and* [*Twitter*](https://twitter.com/MBLifestyle) *and let’s talk about it.*