flatbread – Jellybeans in the City

Goin’ low-carb with Tito Jhay’s Almond Flatitos

With the holidays just around the corner and threatening our good intentions of eating and being healthy, it’s a good thing that we can now find sources of alternatives to carbo-loaded holiday fare that taste good while being actually good for you.

John Paul Titic, also known as Tito Jhay, owns and operates a Las Pinas-based online store to help people embrace a practical keto/low-carb lifestyle.

By showcasing affordable keto-based and low-carb versions of popular desserts, snacks, pantry items and ingredients, Tito Jhay’s Low Carb – Keto Panaderia demonstrates that it is possible to make eating low carb and keto meals part of one’s everyday lifestyle.

Take its Almond Flatitos, for example.

This flatbread is made using almond flour, which, aside from being low on carbohydrates, is also a good alternative for people with allergies to wheat flour or suffer from Celiac disease.

Almond flour is also a good source of manganese which helps the body heal after injuries through proper blood clotting, and assists in breaking down carbohydrates and cholesterol.

It is also rich in magnesium which helps regulate the body’s sugar levels, monounsaturated fat which keeps the body’s cholesterol levels under control and reduces the risk of heart disease, and prebiotic dietary fiber which leads to good gut health.

Would you believe that something so good for you can be part of a great meal?

It’s a great replacement for pita bread, naan or tortilla for your meat wraps, shawarma or burritos. You can even use it as a crust for your mini pizzas.

I used it as a replacement for pita bread when my family had beef kebabs for lunch. The texture may feel different at first but it still served as a good complement to the Mediterranean dish of savory grilled beef and roasted vegetables.

Check it out and see how you, too, can incorporate low carb and keto items into your meals.

Each pack of Almond Flatitos (priced at Php295) contains five pieces of 8-inch sugar-free flatbread. To store, keep the packs in the freezer. Allow to thaw for ten minutes before reheating using a non-stick pan, oven or air-fryer.

Order your Almond Flatitos and other low carb and keto items from Tito Jhay’s online store on Shopee. For more details and updates about Tito Jhay’s Low Carb – Keto Panaderia, follow it on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate this feature story.

Sourdough Cafe + Deli, Tomas Morato

Sourdough bread is a new food trend that gaining traction in the metro. It is made by fermenting dough using naturally occurring lactobacilli and yeast producing a sour taste compared to breads made with baker’s yeast. It also keeps longer, owing to the lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli.

For the health-conscious, sourdough may be used to improve the quality of gluten-free breads by enhancing their texture, aroma and shelf-life. Its glycemic index is lower than other types of bread which is good news for people watching their sugar intake.

It’s a good thing, then, that a cafe specializing in sourdough recently opened near my workplace.

With such an exciting item in its menu (in fact, the central item in it!) as well poshly designed yet comfy interiors ideal for quiet lunches or intimate dinners tucked away in an office building along Tomas Morato, Sourdough held an irresistible appeal to titas like me.

This is why during one of our lunchbreaks prior to the Christmas break, my co-titas in the office and I decided to have our meal at Sourdough Cafe + Deli.

This tita meal consisted of:

Complimentary Flatbread Slices. Dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with some parmesan cheese, these gave our tastebuds a good preview of Sourdough’s offerings.

Prosciutto Arugula Flatbread (Php345). Sourdough flatbread topped with marinara sauce, mozarella, arugula leaves and bits of prosciutto.

Pasta Carbonara (Php395). Al dente noodles tossed in a creamy sauce made with eggs, pecorino cheese, parmegianno reggiano, guanciale (Italian cured meat made from pork jowl) and pancetta (Italian salt-cured pork belly).

Grilled Cheese Sandwich (Php295). Four cheeses – gouda, yellow cheddar, mozzarella and grana padano – sandwiched between sourdough bread slices lightly spread with mayo.

Basque Burnt Cheesecake (Php195). Also a trending food item, this cheesecake is an offshoot of Spain’s tarta de queso. Its top appears toasted but the center has a soft custard-y texture. Combined the top’s buttery taste to the tanginess of the cheesecake filling, and you have a winning dessert you would want to taste again and again.

After lunch, we also treated ourselves to Sourdough Cafe’s handcrafted coffee.

Not bad for a bunch of titas out for lunch.

By the way, since wine and titas go together so well, you might want to check out Sourdough Cafe’s unli wine at Php599 per person.

Sourdough Cafe + Deli is located at Ground Floor, JSB Building, 104 Tomas Morato Avenue corner Scout Delagado Street, Tomas Morato, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 11pm. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 85259463 or +64 917 1889463.

Check out my blog posts on breakfast/brunch joints around the metro:

Peri Peri Charcoal Chicken, SM East Ortigas

After hibernating at home since New Year’s Eve (and eating yummy leftovers!), the fam and I decided to go out for dinner on the second day of 2020.

So off we went to our neighborhood mall, SM City East Ortigas, where, as luck would have it, a new branch of Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken just opened.

Peri-peri (also spelled as piri-piri or pili-pili), is a type of chili that is grown in Southeastern Africa, taking its name from the Swahili term for “pepper.” Also known as the African bird’s eye chili, its cultivation and culinary use was spread by the Portuguese to their Indian territories.

When combined with salt, garlic, lemon, oil and vinegar into a sauce, called the peri-peri sauce, it provides a distinctive flavor to the chicken dish that also bears its name.

Peri-peri Charcoal Chicken prepares its birds by trimming excess fat and marinating for at least a day prior to grilling to achieve that tender and juicy meat that explodes with every bite.

Every order of chicken comes with your choice of mild or spicy sauce. Feel free to ask your server for their recommendation.

For our first dinner out of the year, we feasted on:

Sebastian Salad (Php210). A manifestation of Hubby’s resolution to eat healthier, this salad is made of lettuce greens topped with shredded crabsticks, wedges of hard-boiled egg and cherry tomatoes served with a roasted sesame dressing.

Chicken Group Meal (Php799, good for four persons). A fully loaded meal that includes a whole peri-peri chicken, four bowls of Java rice and four side dishes – we chose coleslaw, corn and carrots and bacon mac ‘n cheese.

Four Cheese Flatbread (Php315 family size). Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken’s version of pizza which my son immediately demanded, because, as everyone knows, he is a pizza monster.

Carafe of Iced Tea (Php130). Eating these flavorful viands work up quite a thirst so we get ourselves a family-sized pitcher of Peri-Peri’s house-blend iced tea.

As the branch is still fairly new, there were some operational hiccups such as the sudden unavailability of hummus (Hubby’s preferred side dish) and some billing concerns which were easily straightened out. That said, our family dinner here was still a yummy start to 2020!

This Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken branch is located at Ground Floor, SM City East Ortigas, Santa Lucia, Pasig City, open daily from 10am to 9pm.

Other branches in Metro Manila may be found at:

Las Pinas: Evia Lifestyle Center
Makati: Ayala North Exchange, Greenbelt 3
Mandaluyong: SM Megamall
Manila: Robinsons Place Manila
Marikina: SM City Marikina
Muntinlupa: Alabang Town Center
Paranaque: Ayala Malls Manila Bay
Pasay: Resorts World Manila
Pasig: Ayala Malls Feliz, Capitol Commons, Robinsons Galleria
Quezon City: Eastwood Mall, Gateway Mall, Robinsons Magnolia, UP Town Center, Tomas Morato, Trinoma Mall, Banawe, Brittany Square
San Juan: Promenade Greenhills
Taguig: Uptown Parade BGC, Market! Market BGC, Venice Grand Mall

Check out my posts on other chicken places in the metro:

Off-site work and good eats at 47East’s Discovery Cafe, Katipunan

Coworking spaces give freelancers or telecommuting employees environments conducive to both solitary and collaborative work.

With the concept of the “workplace” continuously evolving, coworking spaces like 47East in Loyola Heights provide workers on-the-go with a quiet and comfortable place to work as well as basic services to ensure productivity even when they’re away from their offices.

Aside from these, 47East has something more to offer. With its in-house restaurant, Discovery Cafe, 47East also provides its visitors with tasty dishes to fuel them as they hustle through their workday.

Together with my fellow bloggers, I visited Discovery Cafe to taste some of its signature offerings, all freshly made in its open-style kitchen.

Seafood Pasta. Fresh clams sauteed with garlic in oil, and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Chili Cheese Dog Flatbread. Large links of cheesy frankfurters doused in chili con carne and baked on top of a flatbread.

Porkchop with Creamy Mushroom. For those who can’t do without their rice meals, this dish combines a piece of pan-fried porkchop, buttered vegetables and gravy with a cup of steamed rice.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. Something sweet to end the meal, these chewy and chocolatey treats are best after being dunked in a cup of vanilla milk!

With these tasty dishes and more available at 47East’s Discovery Cafe, you can work with a full tummy!

Do your best work and get your best ideas here! Sign up for a 1-year membership for only Php500 for individuals and students and Php1,000 for teams.

Day passes for members are priced at Php400 for individuals, Php150 for students and Php900 for teams.

Membership entitles you to the following during your stay:

Unlimited coffee, tea or water
Wi-Fi access
Mail collection
Discounts on 47East events
Printing, photocopying and scanning services

Non-members are charged Php100 per hour of stay.

Discovery Cafe at 47East is located ar 47 Esteban Street, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, open Mondays to Fridays from 8am to 8pm, and Saturdays from 9am to 6pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 8660415.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I attended a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out another coworking space / study lounge I’ve visited: Quarks and Quills, Banawe

Comfort food elevated at ALTA by Relik, San Juan

Weekend brunches have grown popular lately, with many establishments offering hearty comfort dishes that can be leisurely enjoyed by diners.

At ALTA by Relik at Santolan Town Plaza, families can enjoy the flavorful comfort food amidst vibrant and colorful surroundings.

The restaurant is an offshoot of the popular BGC restaurant Relik. Restaurant owner Gen Mortel and Chef Jam Laboriente collaborated on a Filipino-Spanish menu to provide an elevated dining experience to San Juan’s foodies.

Last weekend I had brunch together with my fellow foodies from #WeLoveToEatPH and #SaanSaPH at ALTA by Relik where we had a taste of its comfort food elevated with fresh twists such as:

Relik’s Nachos (Php350). Homemade tortilla chips topped with meat sauce, crisp lettuce, tomato and cucumber relish, cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Chilean Mussels Croquettes (Php495). Chilean mussels topped with thick bechamel sauce and bread crumbs and served a with a lemon slice.

Pulled Pork Quesadilla (Php235). Tender pulled pork, cheddar, mozzarella, corn kernels, lettuce and source cream encased in homemade flour tortillas.

Watermelon and Kesong Puti Salad (Php265). Mixed greens, arugula, watermelon cubes, bits of kesong puti and candied walnuts tossed with balsamic reduction.

Longanisa Flatbread with Salted Egg Cream (Php375). Crisp flatbread topped with sweet pork longganisa, tomato salsa and salted egg dressing.

Seafood Chowder (Php295). Shrimp, squid and herbs incorporated in a flavorful cream soup and garnished with croutons and parsley.

Bagnet Sinigang (Php395). The classic sinigang dish deconstructed into pieces of bagnet and vegetables served with a broth made of fresh sampaloc dialed up to its asim-est level.

Lamb Pares (Php355). Slow-cooked shoulders of grass-fed New Zealand lambs in garlic soy sauce served with garlic rice.

Sizzling Bulalo Steak (Php489). Tender beef shank with its decadent bone marrow served sizzling in a garlic bulalo gravy together with fried potatoes, green beans and garlic bits.

Seafood Paella (Php995). Rich saffron-infused medium-grain rice with white shrimp, squid, Chilean mussels and roasted bell peppers served in a special paellera pan that helps it develop a nice toasty crust at the bottom. (Fun fact: that flavorful toasty crust is called socarrat in Catalan. Paella connoisseurs consider this the key to paella’s fabulous flavor).

Mango Tapioca Trifle (Php215). Fresh sliced mangoes, caramel,sauce and tapioca pearls top a layer of lady fingers.

Milo Dinosaur Cheesecake (Php195). A chocolatey frozen cheesecake flavored with Milo and garnished with sprinkled with Milo powder.

So if you feel like enjoying an elevated brunch experience or dine on an excellent selection of Filipino-Spanish fusion dishes, drop by at Santolan Town Plaza to experience ALTA by Relik!

Many thanks to Gen, Jam and the staff of ALTA by Relik for the warm welcome and the fabulous food!

ALTA by Relik is located at Santolan Town Plaza, Col. Bonny Serrano Avenue, Little Baguio, San Juan City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 8am to 12 midnight and Fridays to Saturdays from 8am to 2am. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 917 3172582.

Here are more reasons to head to ALTA by Relik:

DJ Nights every Thursday night at 8pm.
Live music every Friday and Saturday at 8pm.
All-You-Can-Eat buffet breakfast every Sunday from 8am to 11.30am.

Disclosure: Together with my fellow foodies, I attended a foodie meetup held here. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my blog posts on breakfast joints around the metro: