food delivery – Page 15 – Jellybeans in the City

GrabFood Signatures family dinner from Cafe Mary Grace

I admit: having been “stuck at home” for more than a year has got me a bit tired of the usual home-cooked ulam.

Every once in a while, I want to treat the fam to something special: mouthwatering viands that go beyond the usual gisa–sigang–prito that comprise my business-as-usual cooking repertoire.

If you have the same problem, then we’re both in luck, because Grab recently launched its newest program, GrabFood Signatures. It partnered with popular restaurants to offer amazing deals on best-selling food and drink, exclusively for GrabFood users.

One such restaurant is Cafe Mary Grace.

While this restaurant is best known for its baked goods, particularly its ensaimada and cheese rolls, it also offers hearty comfort food good for sharing and perfect for family meals.

Together with my daughter #ExhibitA, I selected some dishes that were off-the-beaten-path for the fam:

Fried Kesong Puti & Calamansi Vinaigrette (Php393). Nuggets of kesong puti which are breaded, fried and tossed in with lettuce and grilled tomatoes, then drizzled with calamansi vinaigrette.

Smoked Salmon & Cream (Php438). Smoked salmon sauteed with garlic cream, tossed with pasta and garnished with caviar.

Dory & Saffron Cream (Php414). Linguini noodles topped with cream dory fillets and covered with a light cream sauce, subtly flavored with leeks and saffron.

Grilled Chicken Couscous (Php483). Chicken fillets marinated in rosemary and grilled before topping spicy steamed couscous, with a homemade tomato concasse and blance asparagus. This dish also has a 20% off deal, coming out at just Php368!

Parma Ham & Arugula (Php624). Freshly made pizza dough, generously topped with premium mozarella, homemade tomato sauce, slices of parma ham and arugula.

This meal was a welcome break from our run-of-the-mill ulam. And thanks to GrabFood Signature Deals, the total food bill for this meal amounted to just a little over Php2,000!

This Cafe Mary Grace branch is located at Ground Floor, SM City Marikina, Marcos Highway, Calumpang, Marikina City. Other Metro Manila outlets are located at:

Antipolo: SM Masinag
Marikina: SM Marikina
Mandaluyong: Shangri-La Plaza, SM Megamall
Pasig: Rockwell Business Center, Estancia Mall, Ayala Malls Feliz, SM East Ortigas, SM Hypermart Pasig, Ayala Malls the 30th
San Juan: Unimart
Quezon City: Trinoma, SM Fairview, Gateway Mall, Eastwood Mall, SM North EDSA, Ayala Fairview Terraces, Robinsons Galleria, UP Town Center, Robinsons Magnolia, Ayala Malls Cloverleaf, Fisher Mall
Makati: Greenbelt 2, Century City Mall, Power Plant Mall, Steps Dance Studio, Enterprise Center, Makati Medical Center, Glorietta 4, Cash and Carry, SM Makati, Ayala Circuit, Waltermart
Taguig: Serendra, SM Aura, Venetian Mall, St. Luke’s Medical Center, Uptown Mall, One Bonifacio High Street, Rustans Central Square
Manila: Robinsons Place Manila, Lucky Chinatown Mall, SM Manila, SM San Lazaro
Pasay: NAIA Terminal 3, SM Mall of Asia, Mall of Asia Arena Annex, SM Mall of Asia Hypermarket, Resorts World Manila, Double Dragon Plaza
Paranaque: SM BF Paranaque, Okada, SM Sucat, SM Bicutan
Las Pinas: SM Southmall
Muntinlupa: Alabang Town Center, Fiesta Supermall

As a GrabFood Signatures restaurant, Cafe Mary Grace delivers via GrabFood and provides exclusive deals for GrabFood orders such as a Php100 discount for every minimum order of Php550.

Disclosure: A GrabFood voucher was provided to facilitate the ordering and delivery experience.

Welcome the cherry blossom season with Starbucks’ Sakura series

In Japan, the advent of spring season is welcomed by the blossoming of sakura – more commonly known to us as cherry blossoms – from the last week of March to mid-April.

Widely considered as Japan’s national flower, these beautiful and delicate, pale pink blooms figure prominently in Japanese culture.

When the blossoming peaks, usually in the first week of April, it is a wondrous sight, prompting locals and visitors alike to hold tea ceremonies called hanami and other festivities to coincide with cherry blossom viewings.

We may not be able to travel to Japan to see these lovely blooms for ourselves but we can recreate the experience at home by having these Starbucks limited-edition Strawberry Sakura drinks delivered via GrabFood.

The Sakura Blossom Strawberry Frappuccino (Php205). Fresh strawberries are blended with whole milk and ice with sweet strawberry sauce at the bottom of the glass. Petal-shaped pink chocolate sprinkles garnish the whipped cream that top this drink.

Iced Sakura Blossom Tea (Php200). Starbucks’ Teavana Hibiscus Tea is combined with strawberry sauce and topped with cold foam sprinkled with petal-shaped pink chocolate sprinkles.

A perfect partner for these drinks is Starbucks’ Cherry Blossom Cake (Php215), a light yet moist and sweet cherry cake layered with creamy filling made with crushed cherries and finished with cherry cream.

Who says we can’t celebrate sakura season in the comforts of home?

This Starbucks branch is located at Mercedes Residences, Mercedes Avenue, San Miguel, Pasig City. For inquiries, call +63 2 82450773.

Photo Credit: Sakura blossoms by kazuend on Unsplash

Check out my other posts about Starbucks:

The Bistro Group launches Bistro Delivers, its on-demand delivery app

With the shift to instant commerce brought by the pandemic, The Bistro Group launched the Bistro Delivers app to help customers get their favorite food on their terms.

The Bistro Delivers app, which houses all 17 Bistro Group restaurant brands, aims to make life for urban dwellers just a little bit easier. Offering on-demand delivery and take-out options, the app bridges decades of the company’s food and operational expertise with the convenience of today’s technology.

For those who want to order in—whether it be to binge while watching the latest Netflix show or partake in an intimate dinner with family and friends, the Bistro Delivers app is the perfect way to get food anytime, anywhere. From pasta and wings to sushi and paella, the app allows customers to order their favorite food safely and conveniently from any of The Bistro Group’s wide roster international and homegrown brands.

To give customers even more options, customers can order from multiple brands in the same vicinity, so they no longer have to choose between two good things. With a delivery radius of 8-km, customers can also enjoy access to restaurants that have typically been out of reach.

For those craving savings, discounts and offers will be exclusively available for redemption within the app. “BFFs,” members of The Bistro Group’s loyalty program, can also expect to enjoy special privileges and perks.

Through the launch of Bistro Delivers, The Bistro Group hopes to elevate its high standards of customer satisfaction even further—giving customers a hassle-free way to get the food they love from the convenience of their phones.

Bistro Delivers can be downloaded in the Play Store/Google Play and App Store.

Chicken Galantina by Fira’s Kitchen

If you haven’t encountered the dish called Chicken Galantina yet, you’re missing on quite a lot!

This delectable dish is made with a deboned chicken stuffed with ground pork, hard-boiled egg and sausages with some pickle relish and spices which is then baked until cooked.

Its origins go all the way back to France with a dish called galantine which employs basically the same method and similar ingredients. Its name may have been derived from its elaborate preparation and presentation: deboning a chicken, after all, is pretty difficult and time-consuming, and the finished dish is lavishly decorated before serving. This leads to a spread of food on the table that is urbane and sophisticated – therefore gallant.

Given the effort that goes into making this dish, it usually makes an appearance during special occasions or holiday feasts.

I remember my mom trying her hand at making this dish back when I was young and I could attest to the difficulty and care needed in making it. No wonder then, that despite the appeal of the dish among our family members, Mom rarely ventured into making this dish since then.

To my reckoning, it’s been years since the last time I had a taste of Chicken Galantina, while my kiddos have yet to acquaint themselves with it.

As luck would have it, the family of my honorary daughter – my real daughter #ExhibitA’s BFF – sent a whole Chicken Galantina from Fira’s Kitchen to us.

Established in the early 2000s, Fira’s Kitchen specializes in Chicken Galantina, making use of a family recipe that had been passed down through generations.

Honorary Daughter and her mom swear by it, and I have to say that I agree.

From its flavorful browned skin to the succulent chicken meat and delicious stuffing – thankfully not overflowing with raisins! – it is a welcome highlight at our dinner table.

It came with its special gravy which my kiddos consumed quite liberally but I quite prefer my Chicken Galantina portion without it.

The remarkable thing about this dish is that it can be enjoyed hot or cold, so what few leftovers we had conveniently became sandwich fillings for our midnight snack.

Fira’s Kitchen sells its Whole Chicken Galantina with Gravy for Php850. Galantina Rolls (a version of the Chicken Galantina rolled in chicken breast) and Chicken Embutina (the same Chicken Galantina recipe but in embotido-style) are also available for Php150 and Php180, respectively.

To order, call +63 927 5192810 or send a message via Facebook or Instagram.

Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:

Filling Japanese lunch at Yoshinoya, SM Megamall

Back when my office was located in the Ortigas area, a lunchtime sojourn to SM Megamall was a frequent occurrence.

For one thing, it’s just a short cab (or FX) ride away; my officemates and I can easily grab a quick meal, enjoy the change of scenery, and be back at our desk usually before our bosses came back from their own lunch outs.

Another reason is the sheer number of affordable and delicious dining options available, which, sadly, far outnumbers those housed in our office building’s cafeteria.

One of our favorite SM Megamall haunts is Yoshinoya, the second-largest chain of gyudon restaurants in the world. It makes Japanese rice bowls and more easily accessible to Pinoys through its affordable menu items that don’t scrimp on fresh ingredients.

Sadly, our office moved locations and a lunchtime trip to Yoshinoya is no longer as convenient.

Plus, with the quarantine restrictions still in place, I really haven’t been going out much.

That is, until my daughter #ExhibitA and I went shopping for supplies at SM Megamall.

Giving in to #ExhibitA’s request for us to eat somewhere which offers gyoza, I decided to treat her to lunch at Yoshinoya. There, we refueled after a round of shopping with these dishes:

Gyoza (Php79). Pork and vegetable-filled dumplings steamed then pan-grilled for a satisfying mix of chewy and crunchy textures and served with a dipping sauce.

California Maki (Php79). A sushi roll containing cucumber, kani and mango bits.

Pork Tonkatsu Bento (Php189). Deep fried breaded pork served in a bento box with macaroni salad, tiramisu and served with Tonkatsu sauce.

Regular Gyudon Beef (Php159 ala carte | Php189 solo meal with with red iced tea and coffee jelly). Tender beef slices are simmered in a special herb and spice broth together with sliced onions and then served on top of a bowl of steaming rice.

Green Tea Ice Cream (Php50).

Well, with these flavorful Japanese dishes that don’t burn a whole through my wallet, I am quite satisfied with my return to Yoshinoya!

This Yoshinoya branch is located at Upper Ground Floor, Building A, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City, open daily from 10am to 9pm. For delivery, call +63 2 2882888.

Other branches are located at:

Food Court, Level 1, Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas, Quezon City
Second Floor, Main Building, SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City
Second Floor, Annex Building, SM City Fairview, Novaliches, Quezon City
Valero Carpark 2, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City
Second Floor, Glorietta 1, Ayala Center, Glorietta Complex, Makati City
Fourth Floor, SM City Manila, Ermita, Manila
Ground Floor, North Wing, SM Mall of Asia, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City

To know more about Yoshinoya, visit its website or follow it on Facebook or Instagram.

Tsinoy food feast at Lido Cocina Tsina, New Manila

More often than not, a dish with Chinese origins would make its way into a Filipino’s hapag-kainan.

This is hardly surprising as the Pinoys and the Chinese have been trading since even before the Spanish colonization.

Through the centuries, various waves of Chinese migration occurred, each bringing their own cultures, especially their culinary traditions, into the country.

In the 1930s, a Cantonese chef known as Mr, Lido established a modest eatery in Binondo called Panciteria Lido. In the next eighty years, this eatery has grown into a chain of restaurants – now under the Lido Cocina Tsina brand – that are renowned for serving tasty Chinese dishes that also appeal to the Filipino palate.

Before the pandemic hit the metro last year, I was able to sample some of Lido’s signature dishes. These left quite an impression on me that when restrictions on dining out were recently loosened in the metro, I quickly grabbed the opportunity to bring my fellow foodie unnis – Jen of SandUnderMyFeet.com and Nix of IEatAndIWander.com – to the resto so they can taste for themselves what I had beem raving about for the past year.

That day, the unnis feasted on delectable Tsinoy food which included:

Yang Chow Fried Rice (Php132). I couldn’t fathom a Chinese meal without this egg fried rice made heartier and more flavorful with shrimp, pork, carrots and spring onions.

Pugon Roasted Asado (Php436). Mr. Lido’s claim to fame from his eighty-year-old recipe of pork loin basted in precise proportions of Chinese herbs and spices, and then cooked in the a wood-fired brick oven which infuses the meat with a rich and smokey flavor. It’s great as a viand for the Yang Chow Fried Rice but it’s wonderful when used as a filling for hot pan de sal.

Sweet and Sour Pork (Php374). A dish that appeals to the Pinoy penchant for the sweet and sour combination. It’s made with fried pork pieces sauteed with pineapple chunks, bell peppers and onions and served in a sweet and sour sauce.

Shrimp Foo Yong (Php468). Ever since I had my first taste of this egg omelette with shrimp, mushroom and veggies served in light oyster sauce, I’ve been obsessed with it. Taste it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean.

Buchi (Php138). Deep-fried sesame balls with lotus cream filling make for a satisfying cap for a hearty Chinese meal.

This visit to Lido Cocina Tsina has sated my year-long cravings and made believers out of my fellow unnis.

We sure are looking forward to our next Lido Cocina Tsina adventure!

This Lido Cocina Tsina branch is located at 1014-1020 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Barangay Mariana, Quezon City, open daily from 8.30am to 6.30pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 8885436, +63 2 84145436 or +63 947 4925752.

Other branches are located at:

16 Visayas Avenue, Barangay Vasra, Quezon City
Unit 6 and 7, La Fuerza Bldg., 2241 Don Chino Roces Avenue Corner Sabio Street, Barangay Bangkal, Makati City
Block 8, Lot 9 Commonwealth Avenue, Barangay Batasan Hills, Quezon City
43 Mindanao Avenue (beside Phoenix Gasoline Station), Barangay Bahay Toro, Quezon City
Upper Ground Floor, Z Square Mall, Banawe Street Corner Del Monte Avenue, Barangay Manresa, Quezon City
532 United Nations Avenue cor. Jorge Bocobo St., Barangay Malate, Manila
35 Dona Soledad Avenue, Barangay Don Bosco, Paranaque City
Ground Floor, Puregold Building, Dr. A. Santos Avenue, Barangay San Isidro, Paranaque City
262 Alabang-Zapote Road, Talon Dos, Las Pinas City

To have your Chinoy food feast delivered right where you are, order online.

Check out my reviews of other Asian restaurants:

Get “Cool for the Summer” at Moonleaf, Novaliches

Ooh, summer!

There was a time when it was the most awaited season among the metro’s denizens. It used to signal a time to take a break from the daily grind of school and work.

Now, though, with the country still in quarantine and restrictions on travel and mobility still in effect, you might think that the pervasive heat will be the only thing noteworthy about this season.

Well, the Moonleaf Tea Shop in Novaliches is all set to bring new reasons to enjoy the summer with its new line of drinks, aptly named “Cool for the Summer.” With these drinks, harried city dwellers can enjoy refreshing beverages that bring a moment of Zen while tickling their tastebuds. Plus, accompanied by chewy add-ons and topped with a dollop of thick and foamy wintercream, this drinks also provide opportunities for sheer indulgence.

Wintermelon Milk Tea with Pearls and Wintercream

Lychee Strawberry Tea with Rainwbow Jelly and Wintercream

Mango Black Tea with Nata and Wintercream

Watch out for these refreshing drinks this April!

Want something to nibble on as you enjoy your drinks? Why don’t you indulge your sweet tooth with some pastries?

Fudgy Dark Brownie (Php49)

Blueberry Cheesecake (Php110)

As the summer season rolls by, don’t sweat the small stuff. Starting this April, you can get cool for the summer at Moonleaf Tea Shop!

This Moonleaf Tea Shop is located along General Luis Street, Novaliches Bayan, Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 8pm. For inquiries, call +63 926 7007720. It delivers via GrabFood and soon, via FoodPanda, too so you can enjoy your drinks and nibbles without having to leave home!

To know about its latest offers and promos, follow Moonleaf Tea Shop Novaliches on Facebook and Instagram.

Shrimp Bucket delivery via Pick•A•Roo!

It’s been a year since the quarantine took place, and while I don’t miss the hellish commute from my home to Tomas Morato, I do miss the lunchtime foodie adventures that my officemates and I used to have around the area.

One of our favorite haunts, especially for our payday splurge, is the Shrimp Bucket branch in Il Terrazzo Mall, a short walk away from the office.

Here, we would binge on shrimps and mussels by the pound, drenched in flavorful sauces that would leave us wanting more.

It’s been quite some time since our last foodie adventure at Shrimp Bucket but today, I was able to relive that experience with the family thanks to a new app called Pic•Ka•Roo!

This new all-in-one and on-demand lifestyle delivery app features all possible essentials for the home and more, delivered in a hygienic, contactless and stress-free. Aside from groceries, medicines, household appliances and gadgets, it also delivers from the metro’s restaurants, which is how I was able to get my hands on my Shrimp Bucket faves.

White Shrimp in Salted Eggsperience (Php785). Plump shrimp coated with a creamy savory sauce made with salted egg yolks.

Mussels in Mardi Gras (Php575). Mussels coated in a flavorful sauce made with pork chorizo blended with spices.

Both dishes are tasty by themselves but together, they’re dynamite!

Have a lot of steamed rice ready when dining on this winning combination of shrimps and mussels. You’ll be reaching for more again and again!

This Shrimp Bucket branch is located at Ground Floor, Rockwell Business Center, Sheridan Corner United Street, Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City.

Other branches that deliver via Pic•Ka•Roo are located at:

Ground Floor, Bridgeway Shops, Across Connecticut Carpark Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Centre, Greenhills, San Juan City
Ground Floor, Grand Hamptons Tower 1, 31st Street Corner 2nd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Want to give Pick•A•Roo a try? Get a Php250 PICK•A•ROO voucher and have your groceries, food & more delivered when you register with my referral code: ANGE7726. Download the app here.

Bring home happiness from the north with Bantay Bread

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: