Crystal Wise
The homemade Spam bowl at Ober Here
Not that long ago, Mark Guatelara was very much a part of corporate America, helping open hotel restaurants — and sometimes working in them as a chef — around the country, including Live! by Loews in Arlington and the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine.
When the pandemic hit, he had a change of heart and a change of plans.
“When COVID happened, it reminded me of how I grew up in the Philippines,” says Guatelara, who was born and raised in the Philippines, then came to the U.S. as an exchange student 15 years ago. “I came to the United States to live the American dream, and I did. But there’s a sense of community that was missing from my life. I just felt like I wasn’t making any contributions to the community I live in.”
Guatelara traded in his career in the corporate restaurant world for a more intimate outing: Ober Here, a Filipino food truck he launched earlier this year in the Near Southside area. Parked behind Wabi House, near the intersection of Eighth Avenue and Magnolia, the truck offers rice bowls made with Filipino-inspired ingredients.
“The best way to describe it is, it’s my twist on Filipino food,” he says. “There’s really no such thing as Filipino rice bowls. That’s not what we eat. But Americans are used to eating rice bowls. I thought rice bowls would be a good way to introduce people to Filipino cuisine.”
All entrées come with rice, a fried egg, a pickled papaya called atchara, and your choice of meat. Favorites include slow-cooked pork butt basted with banana ketchup (tocino) and honey shrimp. But Guatelara’s most popular protein, he says, is housemade Spam, a mix of freshly ground pork, ham, and special seasoning (there’s also a vegan version). He also serves lumpia, a Filipino-style egg roll made with pork, carrots, and onions.
Currently, Ober Here is parked behind Wabi House. But Guatelara will soon graduate to a brick-and-mortar location. He’s one of two vendors signed up for a new food hall, slated to open this winter at 1229 Eighth Ave., in the space underneath Wabi House.
Ober Here will be joined in the food hall by boba tea chain Sharetea and a still-unnamed third vendor (Rack Attack BBQ was originally going to move in, but those plans fell through). The venture comes from developer Trey Neville, who also developed the nearby Hotel Revel and other businesses.
Like the truck, the brick-and-mortar version of Ober Here will keep late hours. Guatelara will also add lunch hours.
“Having the brick-and-mortar location will free us up to take the truck wherever we want,” he says. “People are always saying, ‘Come to Arlington, come to the North Side.’ Now, we’ll be able to.” 1165 Eighth Ave., oberhere.com
