Canada’s best comes to the Philippines

There is no sincerer love than the love of food. —George Bernard Shaw

Canada is a second home to many Filipinos. Every Filipino family has at least one member of their family in this Promised Land of maple  syrup and good food. And when one thinks about it, nothing comes as close to being in Canada as dining at the iconic White Spot restaurant. Among the wide array of family restaurants that feature the finest in Canadian comfort food, White Spot is known as a British Columbian legend with a passion for using fresh, quality, local ingredients. White Spot has been around for over 85 years. Should any Canadian feel a craving for home-cooked food, he or she would head straight to a White Spot restaurant. It is simply that good. Since White Spot’s signature product is its legendary burger, the owner decided to create a “spinoff” QSR brand and named it Triple-O’s by White Spot. The menu is focused on burgers, fries and White Spot’s revered shakes that come in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.

I was introduced to this legendary restaurant by one of my closet friends, Pinky Yee of the Goldilocks brand. She used to rave about how her family trips in Canada would not be complete without a trip to White Spot and how a must-eat is the burger with Triple-O’s sauce. It was their dream to be able to bring in the Canadian goodness of their legendary burgers drenched with Triple-O’s signature sauce to the Philippines.

Pinky’s started when, during one of their family trips to Hong Kong in the early 2000s, she and her husband Richard saw that a Triple-O’s by White Spot had opened, and, much to their delight, there was a long queue of customers at the counter. It was Richard’s idea to bring Triple-O’s to the Philippines and he asked Pinky to come up with the necessary research and business plan. With Richard’s vision, Pinky made it into reality since she believes so much in the product. Listening to someone who knows food talk about it the way Pinky was talking, I was curious, to say the least.

Setting a gold standard in hamburgers is not as easy as you think in the midst of all the competition in the Philippines. Triple-O’s had their work cut out for them but after eating their Monty Mushroom and Bacon Cheddar burger, I had no reason to worry. I had to find out how this epic melt-in-your-mouth burger is possible, and I was happy that they obliged.

The story begins with the beef. A dish is really only as good as the quality of its ingredients. Their beef is sourced from an all-natural premium cut (chuck), and doesn’t have additives, preservatives, extenders or fillers, just 100-percent Canadian beef in its purest form.  They use only 100-percent high Oleic Canola Oil for frying their Sweet Potato French Fries so it never tastes rancid.

The word “Canola” came from “Canada oil,” another Canadian original. Their chicken burgers are from 100-percent breast and their fish burgers are from cod — again, all-natural ingredients with no synthetic additives.

There are two chicken burgers that are cooked differently: the Chicken Supreme, which is grilled; and the Spicy Ultimate Crunch, which is fried.

When Triple-O’s opened in Megamall, I could tell it was going to be a hit. It was a place for the discerning customer. I was happy Pinky was able to make her dream come true by bringing this multi-awarded company franchise here to the Philippines. Triple-O’s menu and product lineup have evolved over the years, and their presence has never been more recognized as it continues to be a consistent recipient of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies.

I believe that timing is everything and Triple-O’s has arrived at the perfect time. If you believe in a product, go for it. With Triple-O’s impressive lineup of premium Canadian food, you don’t have to take a 12-hour flight just to get a taste of the best that Canada has to offer.