If the warm weather is any indication, summer is slowly but surely encroaching upon the metro.
The approach of summer, however, need not be a downer, even when most of us are stuck at home with no way to travel to destinations we dreamed about.
Instead, we can bring the essence of summer right where we are with the newest dessert creation from Chef Jessie – the Summer Berries Light Cheesecake!
Chef Jessie Sincioco began her illustrious career when she won the grand prize in The Great Maya Cookfest in 1983, followed by becoming the first Filipina pastry chef in 1990. She later on set up her own company, JCS Gastronomie Inc. to manage several upscale reataurants.
When His Holiness Pope Francis visited the country in 2015, Chef Jessie was handpicked to cook for him.
This summer, Chef Jessie once again flexed her baking muscles and crafted this beautiful cheesecake.
It’s an eight-inch dessert masterpiece made with alternating layers of strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and blackberry light cheesecake interspersed with slices of fresh berries nestled on a thin cornflake crust with crispy sponge discs and undercoated white chocolate.
It is a show-stopping dessert, fit for any season, but definitely a hit for the summer!
Truth be told: my fam and I polished off the entire cake in less than a day. We just couldn’t resist it!
Want to bite into your own summer sweetness?
Place your order two days in advance for pick up or delivery. Text or call +63 917 8967880, +63 917 8330797 and +63 977 0976649 or email chefjessiesplace@chefjessie.com. Pick up is at Chef Jessie’s Place located at 1997 Pililia St. corner Obrero and Tanay Streets, Makati and is open everyday for pick up and delivery from 9am to 6pm.
For more details on Chef Jessie, visit her website. Follow Chef Jessie’s Restaurants on Facebook and Instagram to get a sneak peek of her latest culinary creations.
Disclosure: A product sample was provided to facilitate my honest feedback.
If you’ve been watching your favorite influencers on their Shopee Livestream, you might have noticed something new lately: co-streaming!
This feature allows Shopee Livestream hosts to co-stream with one of their viewers for a more interactive experience.
This new feature is one of the exciting innovations that Shopee introduced to make online shopping more fun and engaging.
Here are what some of Shopee’s livestreamers have to say about this feature:
For Miccolo Solis, Shopee seller and influencer, the poll feature is what he uses the most. “It helps me engage with viewers. I can check their opinion on certain topics, especially about the products,” said Solis. Polls also allow him to inquire about his customers’ specific requests, budget range, and preferred styles. In addition, Solis also hosts games on Shopee Live to keep his viewers interested.
For fellow influencer Quinito Villarosa, it’s the latest ‘Mine’ feature that gives him feedback on what content customers want to see next, or what items they want to see featured or reviewed. To maintain a strong relationship with viewers, Villarosa connects with them even after the live stream ends. “I do a lot of ‘OffLive’ engagement. I still interact with them after the live streams, usually inside the many group chats we have on Facebook Messenger and even Instagram,” said Villarosa.
Solis is excited to utilize the new Shopee Live Co-streaming feature as it gives him the opportunity to interact directly with viewers, making the live stream session more fun, enjoyable, and engaging. Villarosa, on the other hand, is already prepping for his next live stream. “I’m already asking my viewers what they want to see during my live stream so I can order it ahead of time. Being able to hold the items personally makes for a more interactive live stream experience,” he said.
For Apol Juanillo, also an influencer and Shopee livestreamer, the live interaction with her audience makes the experience extra special. “I don’t feel so alone. Sometimes, as a streamer, you feel it’s all you, aaliwin mo din sarili mo. At least this way, you can see other real people.”
With in-app features like Shopee Live, Shopee continues to improve the platform to make e-commerce more accessible and engaging for everyone.
Shopee 3.3 – 4.4 Mega Shopping Sale
The Shopee 3.3 – 4.4 Mega Shopping Sale, which runs until April 4, 2021, will feature up to 70% off on authentic brands such as Havaianas Philippines, Huggies Philippines, Realme, P&G Beauty, Pampers, Nestlé, Garnier, Enfagrow, Unilever Beauty, Vivo, and Xiaomi, on Shopee Mall.
For more information on the best deals during the 3.3 – 4.4 Mega Sale, visit https://shopee.ph/m/3-3.
Don’t forget to shop, buy load, and pay bills with ShopeePay to enjoy discounts and rewards. Top up at least ₱300 on March 2 for a chance to win ₱20,000! Check out https://shopee.ph/m/shopeepay-3-3-top-up-promo for more details.
Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.
Baked goods do tend to elicit a feeling of happiness. From their appetizing scents wafting to our nostrils, the sight of them laid out on the table to their sweetness as we bite into them, baked goodies sate our hunger while also calling to mind fun memories from our childhood.
These kinds of baked goodies are what Ilocos-based bakery Bantay Bread specializes in.
This family business started out in 2010 as a local panaderia supplying morning pan de sal to its patrons.
In response to the changes brought about by the pandemic and its resulting community quarantine, the family behind Bantay Bread set about pivoting their business to operate in their new business environment.
First, they expanded their product offerings to include much-loved Pinoy desserts, some of which my family and I were recently able to sample. These include:
Kabayan. Bite-sized butter muffins shaped like the Pinoy salakot. My daughter – a middle-aged Asian tiger mom trapped in the body of a Gen Z girl – developed a liking for it as it is not too sweet.
Hopiang Baboy. A Filipino pastry, that contrary to the name, actually does not contain pork meat. This flaky pastry is actually filled with onions caramelized in pork fat and combined with flour, sugar and milk. Hubby likes to munch on these during his coffee break.
Pianono. Interestingly, this pastry is actually named after Pope Pius IX whose nickname was Pio Nono. Of course, we Filipinized its name to pianono. It is a sponge cake roll with a sweet buttercream filling. I recall having this as my baon for recess when I was in grade school. My son – a sweet tooth like me! – likes having this for dessert.
Another way Bantay Bread was able to pivot its business is by expanding its availability beyond Ilocos. In Metro Manila, for instance, Bantay Bread fans can just contact these local resellers to order the objects of their baked good cravings.
Marikina: +63 916 7760087 or +63 927 8657119
Parañaque: +63 917 8438012
Alabang: +63 917 8068027
Pasig/Fairview: +63 908 8887417
So if you’ve got a hankering for home-grown Pinoy baked goods for merienda, dessert or for munching on anytime of the day, bring home some happiness from the north and get a box of Bantay Bread.
Bantay Bread’s main branch is located at Buquig, National Hi-way, Bantay, Ilocos Sur, open daily from 8am to 7pm. For inquiries or to apply to be a reseller, call or text +63 917 7007696. For more details on its product offerings and availability in your area, follow Bantay Bread on Facebook and Instagram.
Disclosure: Product samples were provided to elicit honest feedback.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
Whether you’re trudging in from a busy workday, or amping up for a hectic one, you need some comforting and nourishing food to rev you up.
Some tasty feel-good food would be just the thing, right?
Well, if you happen to be at the Eatogether Food Hall in SM Megamall, you can just head over to the Recovery Food stall.
Recovery Food is a casual dining concept that offers a variety of comfort foods which range from Asian-inspired hot noodle soups, home-style pressed sandwiches and to simple rice bowls.
During a recent meetup with my fellow foodies, we were able to sample first-hand Recovery Food’s signature dishes, which include:
Balbakwa (Php195). Extra tender beef skin in tomato-based broth, great for warming up our tummies!
Doc Sisig (Php155 for regular | Php235 for full recovery). Recovery Food’s house sisig – the Kapampangan dish made with various pig parts flavored with calamansi, onions and chilis – served with fried egg and garlic rice.
Tapa de Morning (Php185 for regular | Php265 for full recovery). Home-made tapa – tender slices of salt-cured beef – served with fried egg, garlic rice and ensalada, one of my personal breakfast faves.
Tomarrow Never Dies (Php235). RF’s newest offering: roasted bone marrow topped with garlic served on a sizzling plate along with beef bits and rice. Food for the fearless!
Champosandro (Php99). Recovery Food’s version of the champorado, a chocolate-rice based porridge served with milk and salted fish on the side. Whether for breakfast, a snack or as a dessert, it sure hits the spot.
So if you want some real good, feel-good food to power you up for all you need to accomplish, make a pitstop at Recovery Food!
This Recovery Food branch is located at Eatogether Food Hall, Second Floor SM Megamall Building A, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.
Other branches are located at:
Ground Floor, Crossroads Building, 32nd Street Corner 8th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
BGC Stopover Pavilion, Rizal Drive Corner 31st Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Molito Commercial Complex, Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Disclosure: I attended a food-tasting here together with fellow foodies. All food items mentioned here were served for us to sample the fare and elicit our honest feedback.
There are only a handful of things that can match the ability of freshly baked bread to evoke feelings of warmth and comfort.
At the newly opened branch of Nords Bread Hub at the SM Megamall’s Eatogether Food Hall, comforting and delightful baked goods are what you’ll find in abundance.
Nord’s Bread Hub is a new dining concept managed by the Vikings Group. This particular restaurant brand specializes in producing artisanal breads from Asian and Western culinary traditions.
During a recent foodie meetup with my fellow foodies, I was able to check out some of its menu items.
Silvanas (Php78/pc). The Pinoy version of a frozen cookie sandwich, it consists of a layer of buttercream cashew-meringue wafer and coated with cookie crumbs. Available variants include Classic and Ube.
Dark Choco Messy Bread (Php58/pc). If you’re a fan of munching on pastries during your coffee break, then this flyffy Danish bread flavored with dark chocolate and cocoa powder should be right up your alley.
Craving for a hot meal? Nord’s got you there too with tasty appetizers and rice dishes for you to enjoy, like this Crispy Pork Kare Kare (Php280) which features Nord’s signature crispy pork belly in the rich peanut-based kare kare sauce and vegetables served with shrimp paste.
So come on over to Nord’s for a bit of comfort food!
This Nords Breadhub branch is located at Eatogether Food Hall, Second Floor, SM Megamall Building A, Ortigas Center, Mandaliyong City
Third Floor, The Block, SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City
Disclosure: I attended a food-tasting here together with fellow foodies. All food items mentioned here were served for us to sample the fare and elicit our honest feedback.
It may very well refer to the ripples of gastronomic pleasure you experience when you bite into the sushi rolls made at the new sushi place in SM Megamall named Sazanami.
If you haven’t been to Eatogether Food Hall, I suggest you visit it stat because here you can take part in a new wave of dining experiences like the one at Sazanami.
It offers, not your run-of-the-mill sushi rolls, but ones that use various (and even surprising!) ingredients and make them into tasty combinations that tickle your fancy, not to mention your tastebuds. This is in large part thanks to Sazanami’s in-house sushi chef who’s been servin’ up these sushi rolls since the 90s.
During a recent foodie meetup at Eatogether Food Hall, my fellow foodies and I were able to sample some of its delectable sushi creations. Each sushi roll order is served with pickled ginger, wasabi and Japanese soy sauce, as well as Sazanami’s signature creamy and savory sauce that go so well with its sushi variants.
Ready for a run-down of your delightful sushi options at Sazanami?
Take for example its Sazanami Maki (Php265/8pcs). This is the house specialty baked sushi with salmon, sesame seeds, scallions, spiced garlic mayo, unagi sauce, mango bits and kani.
The Yin Yang Roll (Php265/10pcs), on the other hand, is one of the store’s best sellers. It’s a deep-fried and crunchy shrimp tempura roll with cream cheese and umagi sauce.
The Special Roll (Php295/8pcs) is a treat: it’s ingredients vary every week, making it a real foodie adventure. So if you want to have a sushi surprise, go for this sushi roll!
With such a tasty sampler, I just knew I had to take some home to the fam who are all certified sushi lovers.
All I had to do was give my order at the stall where servers selected my choices from their menu screen, a bill was run up automatically and I just had to pay via GCash! What a safe and contactless way to get your food, huh? (By the way, other contactless payment options are available or you can just get a Vikings Card at the Eatogether Food Hall reception and load it up every time you visit.)
Curious on what I took home? Check these out:
First, I got an order of Ripple Roll (Php260), Sazanami’s own version of the classic California Maki, with crabstick, mango, tobikko and black sesami fried kani stick.
Then, I got a cute Caterpillar Maki (Php195), a sushi roll made with kani, cucumber, avocado, sesame seeds and unagi sauce.
And thanks to Sazanami’s ongoing promo which gives four Sazanami Maki pieces free for every sushi order, I was able bring home an additional eight Sazanami Maki pieces!
Well, the fam devoured the sushi as soon as I got home so I could pretty much say these were met with their approval.
If you’re on the lookout for your next sushi adventure, do give Sazanami a try!
Sazanami is located at Eatogether Food Hall, Second Floor, SM Megamall Building A, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.
Disclosure: I attended a food-tasting here together with fellow foodies. All food items mentioned here were served for us to sample the fare and elicit our honest feedback.
Now more than ever, we harried denizens of the metro look for comfort whenever we can, right?
Well, what’s more comforting than feeling the warm welcome of home?
That’s what it felt like to enter this newly opened restaurant in Anonas, Quezon City.
Sure, the hustle and bustle of the city may stay just outside its doors, but inside its premises is a haven for your spirit.
“We want this experience to be like going home to your lola’s house in the province,” shares co-founder Lucien Aquino. “You’re with your family, your lola is cooking your favorite food in the kitchen, and you feel right at home.”
The place certainly calls to mind the familiar comforts of our beloved ancestral homes in the province that we enjoy spending time in again and again.
Its outdoor seating area is surrounded by lush greenery. Sheltered by a large mango tree from much of the sun, it affords diners a comfortable al fresco setting for their meal. In the evenings, lighted lamps adorn the mango tree giving diners whimsical lighting for their dinner.
The two-storey residential house was renovated by builder/contractor Lucien and his co-founder Roman Ignacio, updating the structures and finishings to current standards and for use as a restaurant. Its dining areas are furnished with heavy wooden tables and chairs, shipped all the way from Ilocos. The walls, on the other hand, are decorated with artworks by local artist Ronan Rosacay as well as other homey bric-a-bracs.
Completing the transformation of this space into a homey Filipino restaurant is Chef Severino Palunday. He brings with him a considerable thirty years’ worth of culinary experience as a sous chef in a European cruise liner.
From his kitchen, Chef Sev whips up traditional and home-style Pinoy dishes, that make use of fresh local produce, just like the ones your lola makes, but infused with the techniques and methods of an internationally trained chef.
His menu includes:
Soup of the Day. Usually a cream-based soup that the chef whips up from choice ingredients. It is served with every meal.
Creamy Tofu (Php135). A savory appetizer made by combining crispy fried tofu, aromatics with cream.
Dinakdakan (Php315). An Ilocano dish in which pig parts such as ears, liver and face are boiled until tender, then grilled and sliced thinly. Flavorings and chilis are then added to complete the dish.
Fried Lumpiang Ubod (Php195). A Filipino appetizer (or ulam in my case) which julienned ubod (or heart of palm) are sauteed with chopped meat and vegetables, encased in lumpia wrapper and then deep-fried and served with a spiced vinegar dip.
Gising-gising with Shrimp (Php275). Otherwise known as ginataang sigarilyas, this Kapampangan dish is made with chopped winged beans in coconut milk spiced with siling labuyo, garlic, onions and shrimp paste. Chef Sev serves it with plump shrimp.
Pork Belly Roll (Php380). Pork belly is seasoned and stuffed with aromatics and flavorings, then oven-roasted until the skin becomes golden brown and crispy and the meat is tender. Chef Sev serves it with mashed camote and a buttery gravy.
Kare-Kare Ox Tail (Php480). A viand made with stewed ox tail, tripe and other offal in a sauce made from roasted peanuts, onions and garlic, colored with annato seeds and then thickened with ground rice.
Turon Ala Mode (Php160). A dessert made with fresh ripe banana slices encased in lumpia wrapper and then deep-fried until golden and crispy. It is then topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Mango Shake (Php120).
Avocado Shake (Php120).
Ampalaya Apple (Php120).
Whoever said that Filipino food lacks color and character obviously has never encountered Chef Sev’s takes on Pinoy food classics.
So if you’re looking for a place where you can come home to good food and a good homey vibe in Quezon City, Anonas Bistro is your best bet.
Anonas Bistro is located at 145 K-6th, East Kamias 1102 Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 995 1200969 or email anonas.bistro@gmail.com.
Disclosure: I attended a food-tasting here together with fellow foodies. All food items mentioned here were served for us to sample the fare and elicit our honest feedback.
I’ve always considered roast beef as similar to lechon.
To me, it is a show-stopping food that can serve as the central dish of a feast. In fact, when I dined at eat-all-you-can buffets, I usually make a beeline for the carving station to fill my plate with roast beef slices.
I also find it a dish of many possibilities: aside from being a main dish in itself, leftovers can be made into all sorts of dishes. These can range from roast beef sandwiches, beef salpicao, beef stroganoff, roast beef burrito and roast beef cottage pie. Imagine, from one dish, you can have several tasty iterations!
This past New Year’s Eve, I decided to have Chef Resty’s Roast Beef as the centerpiece of my family’s Media Noche Feast.
Fortunately, there’s another way to get my fam’s roast beef: instead of heading west from my home to SM Pasig, I instead looked to the east!
Chef Resty has opened a dine-in restaurant at Sitio Elena Events Venue in Cainta. I simply had to call my order in the day before, pay for the roast beef and the in-house delivery fee via GCash and await my slab of beefy goodness the next day.
It arrived way too early from Media Noche, but that’s ok. I just had to reheat it in a 250 deg C oven for ten minutes. It came out piping hot and ready for the fam’s New Year’s Eve feast. It was also accompanied by Chef Resty’s signature gravy which completed the dish.
Each slice was tender, juicy and so flavorful. Clearly, it was the highlight of our celebration!
(Unfortunately, my 1 kilo order of Chef Resty’s Roast Beef was just enough of my small family – who apparently have huge appetites – so no leftovers.)
I can’t wait for the next celebration with Chef Resty’s Roast Beef! How about you?
To order your Chef Resty’s Roast Beef, send a text or Viber message to +63 917 4329953 or +63 919 0985448 with your name, mobile number, address (including barangay), date and time of delivery and order quantity.
Chef Resty’s Roast Beef are priced at:
half kilo (Php900): sliced only, serves four people
1 kilo (Php1,600): whole or sliced, serves eight people
Allow at least one day lead time. Cut-off for orders is at 7pm.
You would think that after honing his craft through stints at upscale hotel restaurant Amber in Hong Kong and as head chef of Enderun Events in Davao, Chef Edmond Dannug will bring his considerable skills to bear in whipping up complex French dishes when he decided to go into business.
But no.
Instead, he opted to offer comfort food – his personal favorites, actually – through the online store that he co-manages with his fiancee Jasmine Guillarte. They named it Heavenly Spiced.
“My cooking mentors always taught me that the best food are the simplest,” he shares.
Still, the dishes on offer at Heavenly Spiced are no run-of-the-mill viands. Their flavors have been enhanced through careful preparation and cooking techniques ingrained into culinary professionals, such as Chef Edmond. They come in large party trays that can serve six to eight people and are perfect for small gatherings or for a special family meal that you don’t want to slave over in the kitchen.
He started out with the Hainanese Chicken and Rice (Php850), widely considered as one of Singapore’s national dishes. Based on the Wenchang Chicken, a well-known dish in South China dating back to Qin Dynasty, this dish is painstakingly made by poaching a whole chicken in sub-boiling temperature, with some of the resulting stock combined with ginger, garlic and other flavorings to cook the flavorful rice that will accompany the dish. Chef Edmond completes this platter with bright green bokchoy and the three traditional dipping sauces for Hainanese Chicken: a red chili sauce, a thick and dark soy sauce, and a paste of freshly ground ginger.
Another of the chef’s comfort food faves is the Bourbon Glazed Barbecue Pork Ribs (Php1,400). Meat lovers would love to get a hold of this dish! Slow-smoked, falling-off-the-bone meat flavored with a sweet-savory bourbon glaze and partnered with umami corn cobs made for a finger-licking dish! It’s messy eating but there’s really no better way to enjoy it.
Chef Edmond recently expanded his menu to include Chicken Wings (Php900). Inspired by his favorite chicken chicken place Frankie’s, this dish is made with large pieces of chicken wings which are deep-fried then coated with a vinegar-based cayenne pepper glaze. They are then served with bleu cheese dipping sauce which made for a well-balanced combination of sweet, spicy and tangy flavors.
The chef’s newest creation which also joins Heavenly Spiced offerings is the Angus Burger (Php1500). Six hefty quarter-pound patties made with ground Angus beef are lightly seasoned and then grilled to medium doneness to bring out their beefy goodness. These are then placed in grilled brioche buns along with lettuce, tomato, battered onion rings and cheddar cheese then coated with the chef’s Bourbon Barbecue Glaze and served with a side of umami fries.
Aside from these party trays, Heavenly Spiced can also cater your Zoom parties via its gift boxes made with solo servings of especially curated dishes from Filipino, Chinese, Japanese and Western cuisines. Prices range from Php450 to Php600 per box.
Now we know where we can get tasty and wholesome comfort food that’s been meticulously prepared by a professional chef!
To order, text or call +63 939 2373383 or Viber +63 929 4514998. To know more about Heavenly Spiced’s latest offerings, follow it on Facebook or Instagram.
Disclosure: I attended a food tasting of Heavenly Spiced dishes together with fellow foodies. Items mentioned here were served to let us sample the fare and elicit our honest feedback.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
We’re down to the last few days of February, and if you haven’t gotten a taste of Chef Park’s Truffle Honey Chicken, I suggest you get down to it pronto! 😋
The Korean invasion is going strong in the country with K-pop acts dominating the airwaves, K-dramas dominating the playlists and K-barbecue not letting go of its hold of the dining public.
However, another Korean item has been steadily making its presence known: K-chicken!
This style of cooking and enjoying fried chicken is characterized by crisp boneless chicken pieces with tender and juicy meat smothered in flavorful glazes, giving rise to new chicken possibilities.
This month, for example, online fried chicken store Chef Park’s released its limited-edition flavor: Truffle Honey!
This new chicken variant adds the sweetness of honey and the earthiness of truffle oil to the Korean Fried Chicken.
It’s perfect as a meal with steaming-hot rice, or as something to munch on while binge-watching your favorite K-dramas.
Enjoy it as a Single Happy Rice Meal for Php325 or in a Chicken Sharing Box good for two to four people for Php545.
But like I said, you better hurry up and place your orders stat since this flavor is available only within February.
In case you missed this limited-time offer, you may still opt for Chef Park’s regular flavors: Yangnyum, Soy Garlic and Garlic Parmesan, each available for Php295 as a rice meal or for Php495 as a sharing box.
Chef Park’s is a cloud kitchen that operates from #23 9th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City (between Col. B Serrano Avenue and Liberty Avenue), accepting orders from 10am to 7pm daily.
To order, call +63 977 8030111, email chefparksph@gmail.com or visit its website.
Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:
