November 2020 – Page 2 – Jellybeans in the City

KFC delivery for Sunday lunch

When I was young, my parents used to reward my good grades with a meal at Kentucky Fried Chicken. (Oh, those simple joys!)

This ubiquitous fried chicken fast food chain’s history began during the Great Depression in the US with Colonel Harlan David Sanders who started selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. Having perfected his original recipe that made use of eleven herbs and spices, he then franchised his fried chicken recipe to restaurant owners.

Today, KFC is a global presence, with presence in 150 countries.

It offers its “finger-lickin’ good” fried chicken to Pinoys along with a wide fast food menu which includes pastas and rice bowls that appeal to the Filipino market.

As a busy, currently working-from-home mom, KFC is a way for me to escape from cooking duties while still providing the fam with a delicious meal.

This is why my family came to have KFC for our Sunday lunch.

Feeling bone-tired from a hectic work week, I was in no mood to plan and prepare a meal.

Thankfully, I saw Mommy Ojie of PiggingOutOnSundays post a Php100 discount code for FoodPanda. I grabbed the code and ordered a Bucket of 10 (Php720).

I asked my yaya to cook lots of rice because, yeah, it’s an unli-kanin kind of meal.

Biting into finger-lickingly flavorful fried chicken in between spoonfuls of rice is more than fine by me.

I just wish that KFC start offering coleslaw as one of its fixins again. It stopped offering my favorite side dish since the pandemic started and hasn’t yet brought it back to its menu. (Note: I used to make a scene at KFC checkout counters when informed that coleslaw is not available.)

This KFC branch is located at Ground Floor, Robinson’s Place Cainta, Santo Domingo, Cainta, Rizal. To order for delivery, call +63 2 88878888 or course it via FoodPanda.

#QuarantineCookbook: Basque Burnt Cheesecake Cups

One of the food items that trended during quarantine is the Basque Burnt Cheesecake.

An adaptation of tarta de queso which was popularized by the cafe La Viña located in San Sebastian in the Basque region of northern Spain, it is characterized by its parchment paper wrapping, scorched top that dips into a gooey, almost molten-like, center.

I had my first taste of Burnt Basque Cheesecake last year during lunch with my officemates at Sourdough Cafe and again this year when I had a whole cake delivered to my home from Sweet Samthings for my birthday celebration.

What I love about it is the buttery caramel-like taste of the top layer that gives way to the rich tanginess of the cheesecake filling.

This decadent dessert makes use of easily accessible ingredients: cream cheese (of course!), sugar, eggs, flour and cream.

I’m considering giving some away as gifts to family and friends so I decided to try making this dessert as mini cups.

I also used fresh cage-free eggs for this recipe. This type of eggs are grown in farms that provides environments that allow egg-laying hens to exhibit their natural behaviors unlike those with battery-cage systems which provide no space for the hens to stretch their wings, perch, or forage. Cage-free eggs have been found to be of higher quality and have a healthier nutritional profile than other eggs such as less saturated fat and cholesterol, higher levels of protein, vitamins and omega fatty acids. You can read more about the virtues of cage-free eggs here.

Ingredients:

Two 225g bars of cream cheese
One cup granulated sugar
Three cage-free eggs
Two-and-half tablespoons all purpose flour
One-eight teaspoon of salt
One cup whipping cream
One-fourth teaspoon melted butter

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 250 deg C.

Using a mixer on medium speed, soften the cream cheese for three minutes then add the sugar until well combined.

Add in the eggs one at a time and beat for a minute until the mixture is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the salt and continue to beat for another minute until the ingredients are well incorporated into the mixture. Set aside.

Place the flour in a separate bowl and whisk in the whipping cream a little at a time, making sure that there are no flour lumps.

Pour the cream mixture into the cheese mixture while mixing at slow speed.

Line the cups of two muffin pans with cupcake liners (or you can use two square pieces of parchment papers placed on top of each other such that the corners alternate with each other). Brush the liners with a bit of melted butter.

Fill the cups two-thirds of the way, then bake for thirteen to fifteen minutes until the tops are slightly scorched (I prefer that over totally burnt) and the centers are still wobbly.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool up to ten minutes to allow the cakes to set.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

I was able to make twenty-four mini cakes and one (thin!) cake in an eight-inch round tin.

These cakes have my kiddos seal of approval, and my mom’s as well, as I sent the tin cake over to her as a present.

So if you’re on the lookout for something new to bring to your Noche Buena table, or to give away as gifts to your nears-and-dears, do give this recipe a try.

Looking for other easy-to-cook dishes to try out while in quarantine? Check out my other kitchen adventures:

Hot soothing goto from Goto Believe, Kapitolyo

We’ve been inundated with quite a lot of bad hits lately. Faced with the pandemic, still raging across the globe, and the spate of typhoons that battered our country, we sometimes want to curl up somewhere warm and comforting.

That is what goto brings: the comforting warmth that fills the tummy and soothes the soul.

During a particularly rainy day, Hubby decided to have goto for our merienda.

Also called arroz caldo con goto (which roughly translates to “rice soup with tripe”), goto is made with glutinous rice infused with ginger. Afterwards, thin strips of boiled tripe and other proteins are added to the porridge before the dish is garnished with a hard-boiled egg, toasted garlic and diced scallions. It’s great for chilly rainy days or for chasing away a hangover.

In our case, our goto snack is something to slurp on as we binge-watch some K-dramas during a rainy day.

Hubby ordered our snack from a relatively new goto place called Goto Believe which reinvents the classic porridge.

Our meal consisted of:

Goto Heaven (Php108). Hot ginger-infused rice porridge with strips of tripe, beef tendon, innards and meat.

Grilled Chicharong Bulaklak (Php126/2 sticks). Crispy and flavorful ruffled pork fat in skewers.

These are not the healthiest of food combinations but that’s why they’re comfort food, right?

If you want to have your own bowl of comforting goto delivered right to your doorstep to chase away the rainy day blues, order online or via GrabFood or FoodPanda.

Pinoy-style fried chicken delivery from Max’s Chicken

In this blog, I’ve covered various ways to enjoy fried chicken: from Korean- and Japanese-style then all the way across the globe to Southern US-style.

But particular attention should also be given to the fried chicken that’s near and dear to many a Pinoy’s heart: the fried chicken from Max’s Restaurant.

This restaurant had its beginnings in post-WWII Quezon City, when Stanford-educated teacher Maximo Gimenez befriended the American troops stationed nearby and would invite them to his home for a drink or two. This led to Maximo opening a cafe catering to the GIs.

The fried chicken recipe which would become the restaurant’s claim to fame across generations was created by Maximo’s niece, Ruby, who managed the kitchen.

Today, Max’s Restaurant is The House That Fried Chicken Built. It is where people go to for a taste of simply delicious juicy and flavorful fried chicken, as well as other Filipino dishes.

And luckily for me, it delivers!

One Saturday when I was in no mood to cook, I decided to cook for the fam’s lunch, I decided to just order our ulam from Max’s Restaurant via FoodPanda.

So, having asked my yaya to cook lots and lots of rice, the fam and I lunched on:

Regular Chicken (Php575). A whole chicken cooked the Max’s way. At first look, the chicken looks quite small, but don’t worry; it packs a lot of flavor. As in, sarap to the bones, as they say. Of course, this dish would not be complete without its perfect complement: Max’s house banana ketchup!

Vegetable Kare-Kare (Php425). Max’s vegetarian take on the classic Pinoy dish. Lightly blanched veggies immersed in a rich peanut sauce and served with Max’s house bagoong. Since the sauce is quite flavorful, this dish is a great way to induce the kiddos to eat veggies.

While it was a simple meal, it was quite delicious, one I’m looking forward to having again soon!

To have your Max’s Pinoy-style fried chicken and more delivered to your home, call +63 2 88879000, order online or via Food Panda.

Outback Steakhouse, MOA Complex

Are you a steak lover? I know I am!

A big hunk of beefy steak, grilled to tender and juicy perfection, can do wonders for my mood.

A place to be for good steaks is Outback Steakhouse.

Outback Steakhouse is an Australian-inspired steakhouse with a global presence. True to its inspiration from Down Under, it has a casual and easy-going vibe which translate to boisterous fun while enjoying great-tasting and hearty fare with family and friends.

Prior to the lockdowns brought on by the pandemic, I was able to have a lunch date with Hubby at the Outback Steakhouse branch in the Mall of Asia Complex.

First, we were served a loaf of freshly baked brown bread and butter to nibble on while waiting for our orders.

Then, we gave in to out steak cravings with:

Appetizer Platter (Php649). An appetizing combo of Kookaburra Wings, Crispy Fried Calamari and Crispy Volcano Shrimp. The variety of flavors and textures will whet your appetite for more!

New York Strip (Php1,499). A 284g cut of New York strip steak flavored with Outback’s special blend of seasonings then grilled to medium doneness. To go with this, we ordered freshly made sides Coleslaw (Php99) and Aussie Fries (Php129).

Outback Steakhouse halted its operations during the enhanced community quarantine but re-opened in May for takeout and delivery, and, by June, started accepting dine-in guests to sate the steak cravings of the metro’s denizens.

So if you feel like having a hearty hunk of perfectly grilled beef for your meal, do drop by a branch.

This Outback Steakhouse branch is located at Blue Bay Walk, Macapagal Avenue Corner EDSA, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City, open daily from 11am to 8pm for dine-in, takeout and delivery. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 88931026.

Other branches in the metro are located at:

Eastwood Citywalk 1, Libis, Quezon City
Ground Floor, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Glorietta Complex, Makati City
Ground Floor, ATC Corporate Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City

Got my #YabuAtHome, finally!

One aspect of pre-COVID-19 life that I miss the most is dining out.

The excitement as I step into one of my go-to restaurants, the anticipation for my favorite dishes and the joy of biting into familiar flavors and textures… all these are part of the enjoyable experience of dining out.

Some of the dishes I enjoy most when eating out are the katsu sets from Yabu: House of Katsu.

Yabu takes pride in its tokatsu. Thick cuts of premium meat from local farmerd are coated in panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and deep-fried at precisely 165 deg C then allowed to rest. The result: brightly golden katsu with crispy panko coating giving way to juicy and tender meat.

Aside from the freshly-made tonkatsu, each Yabu katsu set consists of refillable steamed rice, miso soup, shredded cabbage and slices of seasonal fruits.

The fam and I enjoy dining at Yabu for the delicious katsu and the unli rice and shredded cabbage. Being able to eat our fill at this resto makes for great value for money.

However. the pandemic made itself known to the world in quite a big way, and with all the restrictions resulting from the quarantine, dining out will never be the same.

There was a time when I despaired of ever getting to enjoy the katsu sets I craved for.

Then, Yabu introduced the notion of enjoying its signature katsu sets without having to leave the house.

Thanks to #YabuAtHome, now available via GrabFood’s long-distance delivery, I had my family’s katsu faves delivered to my home, where we can enjoy them in comfort and safety. These included:

Rosu (Pork Loin) Set (Php460). Thick and juicy pork cutlet with a trimming of fat.

Hire (Pork Tenderloin) Set (Php425). Thick and juicy cutlet with no fat.

Chicken Set (Php430). Thick chicken breast fillet.

Each katsu set comes with pre-packaged katsu sauce, miso soup, shredded cabbage with dressing, and a serving of steamed rice. While we had to waive the unli rice refills, we were able to make do by cooking additional rice at home. Problem solved!

I’m so glad that I won’t be deprived of my katsu faves during quarantine.

This Yabu: House of Katsu branch is located at Lower Ground Floor, Ayala Malls The 30th, Meralco Avenue, Ugong, Pasig City, open for dine-in and takeout Sundays to Thursdays from 11am to 9pm, and Fridays to Saturdays from 11am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 87293872 or +63 915 5130094.