(Chicago) – “Bagoong” (shrimp paste) rice is one of my all-time Filipino favorites.  Depending on what restaurant version you are eating, “bagoong” rice is generally salty, a little sweet, sour and savory.  The overall taste is strong, imposing and yet, aromatic and big in all major flavors; Perhaps, we could call it the “umami” rice.  It is hard to miss this kind of rice dish in Manila because a number of restaurants are serving it; very accessible any time of the day. However, while living in Chicago, to find an amazing “bagoong” rice in a nearby restaurant is a delicious revelation and a tasty cure to homesickness. This unpretentious corner restaurant is called Tac Quick.