Would you believe me if I told you some of Rome’s tastiest snacks are sold from a shopping bag in front of the Filipino Embassy? I speak the truth! I first heard about these treats from my friend Irene, who regularly passes said shopping bag on her way to her sommelier course in Montemario.

There, in front of the Embassy, a woman sells carefully prepared and neatly packages Filipino snacks like hopia and ube cake. Until yesterday, when Irene brought me samples of these sweets, I was completely in the dark about the wonders of Filipino fast food. The package of hopia–5 in all–contained flakey disks packed with sweet onion paste and pork fat nuggets. The ube (purple yam) cake was light and airy, like angel food cake meets pound cake meets crayola…but with all natural ingredients.

The vendor sells her masterpieces most afternoons. You can find her at Viale delle Medaglie d’Oro 112.