food delivery – Page 21 – Jellybeans in the City

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.

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.

Burger + Burrito Group Meal delivery from Army Navy

Hubby’s go-to delivery resto to get his bite of burrito is Army Navy.

It is a fast food restaurant chain that specializes in freshly made and premium burgers and burritos. What makes it stand out is its military theme, which probably also explains the store’s appeal to Hubby.

While browsing through his Grab app, looking for something to snack on in between Slack meetings, he happened upon Army Navy’s Burger + Burrito Holiday Group Meal. He immediately placed an order to share the snack bundle with the fam. This group meal consists of:

Two Classic Burgers. Quarter-pound beef patties served with lettuce, onion and tomato in sesame seed buns. Quite filling for a snack.

Two Burritos. Hubby opted for steak burritos which consist of beef pieces, Spanish rice, frijoles, lettuce and cilantro wrapped in flour tortilla. I wish this had more meat in it. Other burrito variants available are chicken, pork carnitas and vegetable.

Two Orders of Freedom Fries. Thin-cut and seasoned fries with a zesty and crispy exterior.

Four Jars of Libertea Iced Tea. Army Navy’s house-brewed iced tea. These are not much on sweetness and they have an aftertaste that doesn’t appeal to me. I love the reusable jars these are served in, though.

My preferences aside, Hubby continues to be a loyal Army Navy customer. And as long as he shares his snacks to the fam, I won’t be complaining.

This Army Navy branch is located at Hampton Arcade, C. Raymundo Avenue, Maybunga, Pasig City, open daily 24/7 for pickup and delivery. Just call +63 2 83333131 or course your order via GrabFood.

BonChon lunch while working from home

It has become an all-too-familiar lament among us parents who are working from home: juggling all the tasks we are supposed to deliver for our jobs and overseeing the kiddos who are still adjusting to distance learning leave us very little time to prepare tasty meals for the fam to enjoy.

Fortunately, a solution to this quandary is just a few phone taps away, thanks to our trusty food delivery apps.

On one such busy day, Hubby decided to order our lunch from the BonChon branch nearby.

This chicken resto chain was founded on 2002 by entrepreneur Jinduk Seh. After spending two years perfecting the soy garlic and spicy glaze for his fried chicken, he opened his first resto BonChon (or “my hometown”) in Busan, South Korea. By 2010, it has made its way to the Philippines, just in time to help sow the seeds of the Korean obsession of Pinoys.

Considering the fam’s considerable collective appetite, Hubby decided to get 6 pieces (Php462) + 8 pieces (Php613) assorted chicken pieces, all with our favorite soy garlic glaze.

Giving in to his daughter’s request, he also ordered a Mandu Box Meal (Php199). Mandu are basically Korean dumplings. BonChon’s version is deep-fried and glazed with soy garlic, similar to the chicken.

All we had to do is make sure we have lots of steamed rice ready for our meal.

As luck would have it, my morning meeting extended to lunchtime so my baby girl assembled a plate for me to eat while on telecon (my brain can’t function on an empty stomach, you know!)

So that’s it: the whole fam satisfied with a tasty meal, quick and easy!

To have your favorite K-style fried chicken from BonChon delivered right to your doorstep, call +62 2 86331818.

McDo-snackin’ with the fam

A few days ago, I received a very welcome piece of news: McDonalds Shakes are back and they’re here to stay!

I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed this childhood treat.

That got me thinking: I have been working hard lately, putting in a lot of hours in telecons and drafting presentations. Hubby, too, has been pretty busy with his job, while the kiddos have been dealing with their adjustments to distance learning. Hmm… don’t we all deserve a reward?

So I took out my phone and a few taps later, my treats for the fam were on their merry way to our doorstep.

A little taste of our favorite fast food every now and then can’t hurt, right?

Check them out:

Big Mac Meal (Php207 with medium Coke and medium fries). Oh, yes… the 🎶 two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun.🎶 For those who are below forty years of age, one of McDonald’s early advertising campaigns in the country was hinged on listing the ingredients of the Big Mac in a TVC that had a whole lot of airtime. There’s no surprise, then, that many of my generation know this list by heart, and that some, like my Hubby, would consider it his go-to McDo order, inseparable from the fries and Coke.

Cheeseburger (Php62). For those of us – like me and my little boy – who can’t handle the size and the sheer commitment of tummy space that a Big Mac requires, this burger made with ground beef topped with cheese, onions, pickle slice, ketchup and mustard in a toasted bun will have to do.

McNuggets (Php123). Six pieces of battered and deep fried chicken chunks that my daughter just can’t resist.

Apple Pie (Php37). Apple pieces stewed cinnamon encased in a flaky crust then deep-fried. (Because there’s always room for dessert!)

McDo Shake (Php94 for medium). Ah, the catalyst for this snackin’ adventure. McDonald’s creamy soft-serve ice cream flavored with your choice between chocolate and strawberry syrup. My childhood treat is back and that is goooooood!

After the fam made short work of these fast food items, we were ready to tackle our work again.

So every once in a while, it’s good to give in to your fast food cravings.

Wanna have your favorite fast food delivered right to your doorstep? Order online at McDelivery or download the McDelivery App.

You may also course your orders through these food delivery apps.

Download the Grab App and get a discount on your first food order when you use my code: GRABJELLYBEANS.

Use this link to download the FoodPanda app and get Php100 off your first order

Check out my other posts on McDonald’s:

Comfort food delivery from Pares Retiro, P. Tuazon

Lately, we’ve been craving for comfort food, right?

Now more than ever, we’re looking for that feeling of well-being and fullness that comfort food brings.

An example of Pinoy comfort food that I was happy to rediscover is beef pares. This dish is braised beef stewed in a savory-sweet sauce and served with garlic fried rice, making winning combo indeed!

For me, the benchmark for beef pares is the one I tasted prior to the quarantine, when my officemate and I had our lunch delivered from the Pares Retiro near our office. I guess that’s why this resto chain was dubbed the best pares in town. I get cravings for it sometimes since then.

However, I’ve been stuck at home for the past few months and the nearest Pare Retiro is too far for delivery.

That is, until GrabFood made Pares Retiro in P. Tuazon available for long-distance delivery. Yey!

I found out about it when Hubby gave in to his late-night cravings and had some beef pares and bone marrow delivered for us to devour in between episodes of the K-drama we’re bingeing on.

(Spoiler Alert: they were gone in mere minutes that I haven’t been able to take decent pictures!)

That late-night taste intensified my craving for the dish again so I decided to order from Pares Retiro via GrabFood for our dinner.

Tonight, the kiddos and I feasted on:

Classic Pares Meal (Php208). That winning tamdem of beed pares and garlic fried rice. The slow-braised meat is fork-tender and the sauce has the right dynamic between sweet and savory that goes so well with the garlic fried rice.

Pares Tendon Meal (Php214). The classic pares dish made even more irresistible with the addition of melt-in-your-mouth pieces of imported US beef tendon that adds flavor and texture to the dish.

Bone Marrow (Php189). Roasted bone marrow flavored with herbs and spices. Add a bit of bone marrow to each bite of pares and rice and you’ll see why the fam and I got obsessed with it. I only wish there was more of it.

These dishes are not high-brow nor elaborate. Instead, they are simple dishes that give us comfort especially during these trying times.

This Pares Retiro branch is located at P. Tuazon Corner 17th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City. It delivers via GrabFood, LalaFood, FoodPanda and Pares Retiro’s website.

McDo shakes are here to stay!

Get shakin’ anytime, anywhere as McDonald’s Philippines announces that its McDo Shakes are here to stay!

Now a permanent offering alongside other McDonald’s favorites, you can get your favorite McDo Shakes anytime and anywhere! Add a little sweetness to your day with the cool and delicious drink made from McDonald’s creamy soft-serve ice cream you love, combined with sweet Chocolate or Strawberry syrup. Indulge yourself with the milky, luscious, and decadent drink that’ll surely cool your day.

Satisfy your sweet tooth cravings with your favorite Strawberry or Chocolate Shakes for as low as P69 for regular and P89 for medium. Make sure to upgrade your meal’s beverage to give it that right amount of sweetness for as low as P45. You can also enjoy your McDo Shakes paired with everyone’s favorite World Famous Fries that are crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside!

Don’t miss out on the exclusive Strawberry Shake promo on the McDonald’s App. Download the app now on the App Store or Google Play Store and to find out more about the deals offered!

McDo Shakes available in all McDonald’s stores nationwide via Dine In, Take Out, Drive Thru, Pick-up, and McDelivery. For more information, follow McDonald’s Philippines on Facebook or McDo PH on Viber to stay up to date on all McDo announcements.

Details provided by McDonald’s Philippines in a recent press release. Header image is mine.

Palm-sized cookies from Extra Butter

Have you ever had those really stressful days when nothing is going right so you just want to curl up somewhere and seek comfort from a delicious cookie?

During those kinds of days, you know that the comfort you get from a regular-sized cookie won’t be enough.

How about a cookie the size of the palm of your hand?

This monster-sized cookie (and other similar sized variants) are made by Extra Butter.

This new online food seller is a collaboration between two siblings who both have impressive backgrounds in the Pasig food scene: Ingrid and Renz Mediarito.

Ingrid is a culinary instructor and entrepreneur who also runs Buffalo Swing Cafe and Ingrid’s Sweet Haven Pattiserie while Renz is one of the managing partners behind Moonshine Pub and Union Square Pizza.

During the quarantine, the siblings decided to engage in a joint project: a dessert shop that sells palm-sized cookies.

What exactly is an Extra Butter Cookie? Well, it is 150 grams of sweetness, comfort and indulgence. It features familiar flavors enhanced by the use of premium ingredients (such as couverture chocolates) sourced from local suppliers (so it also supports local business). It’s an amalgam of moist and chewy cookie goodness interspersed with interesting textures. It has no preservatives and is baked on a per-order basis.

An Extra Butter Cookie can be one of six flavors:

Triple Chocolate Ganache. Belgian chocolate cookie batter with ganache filling and milk chocolate couverture.

Double Milk Chocolate. Batter made with nutty butter mixed with milk chocolate couverture.

70% Dark Chocolate. Batter made with creamed brown butter mixed with two variants of 70% dark chocolate couverture.

Cranberry & White Chocolate. Oatmeal cookies with tangy dried cranberries and white chocolate callets.

Matcha & Black Sesame Seeds. Cookie dough flavored with Japanese green tea with black sesame seeds and white chocolate chunks.

Salted Butterscotch. Cookie studded with caramel chocolate callets, toasted marshmallows and salted pretzel.

Extra Butter bakes on Thursdays for delivery on Fridays from Pasig to anywhere in Metro Manila. You can get a Box of 6 for Php660.

To order, fill up this form. Cashless payments via BPI, BDO and GCash are accepted.

How about indulging yourself with some Extra Butter cookies? Wallow in the sweet comfort it brings and come out from your shell ready to face life’s challenges again.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.

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

Meringues from Brownies Unlimited, SM Megamall

Brownies Unlimited may be your go-to place for various kinds of fudgy brownies, but did you know you can also pick up some special meringue desserts here, too?

Meringues are light and airy confections traditionally made with whipped egg whites and sugar baked at low temperatures to achieve a signature crisp exterior.

Variations of meringues can be found in many parts of the world.

Here in the Philippines, among of the most popular meringue desserts are the silvanas. Made of cashew meringue wafers coated with cookie crumbs enveloping buttercream, it is a decadent delight for many dessert lovers.

Sambos, on the other hand, is the twin dessert of silvanas, wherein cocoa powder and coffee are added to the buttercream before sandwiching it between cashew meringue wafers then coating the resulting confection with chocolate cake crumbs.

After a bout of shopping, Hubby brought home a box for the kids to get a taste of these desserts. I found that these differ from traditional versions by having a rounder, puffier shape as opposed to the ones from Dumaguete that are more disc-shaped.

You can get these meringues at Brownies Unlimited for Php40 a piece or get a box of 6 for Php220.

These silvanas and sambos go well with coffee for a post-meal dessert or with iced tea for a late afternoon sweet snack. These are also great for pasalubong, contributions for potluck parties or as holiday gifts for dessert lovers.

It’s best to keep them frozen prior to serving.

So, are you Team Silvanas or Team Sambos? How about Team Both? 🙂

Check them out are your nearest Brownies Unlimited outlet.

Brownies Unlimited also delivers via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

New food delivery app DeliRush launched in San Juan and Mandaluyong

With a persistent drive in widening its food partner and customer touchpoints while adapting to the new normal and changing customer habits, DeliRush is determined to showcase the flavors of home kitchens and restaurants and to offer local food choices to customers.

Actively operating in the cities of Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Baguio, DeliRush, a new food delivery service app, achieves yet another milestone as it expands a branch in the prime areas of San Juan and Mandaluyong. Launched this September 2020, DeliRush San Juan-Mandaluyong is set to acquire and empower local and small foodpreneurs and offer a wide range of food selections to its residents.

As an innovative online platform, DeliRush offers an opportunity for food partners to share their menus and for customers to conveniently order food from an array of neighborhood-favorites and have it delivered at the comfort of their homes.

The DeliRush App

The DeliRush App is a food delivery platform that allows customers to discover an array of food choices and order them conveniently from the app found in Google Play for Android users and App Store for iOS users. Catering to the customers’ cravings, users can order meals or food products and have it delivered at their homes within San Juan and Mandaluyong areas.

Upon downloading the DeliRush App, with a user-friendly interface, the customers can register and activate their app accounts. The ordering process starts with the customer entering the delivery address, selecting meals or food products from preferred home kitchen or restaurant, and placing the order. The order will then be assigned to a rusher partner, the delivery riders of DeliRush. The food partner will be notified and will prepare the order to be picked up by the rusher.

DeliRush App Download Links

For Android: www.bit.ly/DeliRushPHonGooglePlay

For Apple: www.bit.ly/DeliRushPHonAppStore

The DeliRush San Juan-Mandaluyong Difference

DeliRush San Juan-Mandaluyong believes in the potential of every deli – from home kitchens to restaurants. In a tech-driven generation especially during the current pandemic wherein people are encouraged to stay at home, food delivery has been considered as essential. “Offering services in the spirit of empowering local foodpreneurs and supporting them amidst the pandemic, DeliRush is an enabler and supporter for small food businesses and riders in the localities of SJM,” Mr. Noel Lucas, General Manager of the San Juan-Mandaluyong Operations Hub, says.

With a number of huge competitors in the food delivery app services industry, DeliRush San Juan-Mandaluyong is focused on bringing local food choices to its customers. In this way, small food businesses are highlighted and customers have the opportunity to discover new eats and support local foodpreneurs.

Partnership with Jackie Lou Blanco

DeliRush San Juan-Mandaluyong has partnered with Ms. Jackie Lou Blanco, a veteran actress, fitness and wellness advocate, columnist and women’s health supporter. With DeliRush San Juan-Mandaluyong’s official launch last September 10, 2020, Ms. Blanco also launched her new peanut butter line, Jackielou’s Gourmet Nut Butter Artisan.

Like many Filipino professionals, Ms. Blanco, as an actress, has been affected by the pandemic. Given the current situation and with Ms. Blanco’s love for peanut butter, Jackielou’s Gourmet Nut Butter Artisan has been created with the help of her daughter-in-law. Handmade at home, Ms. Blanco sports four peanut butter variants – Sugar Free, Choco Nut, Cinnamon, and Cashew peanut butter.

DeliRush is the exclusive delivery partner of Jackielou’s Gourmet Nut Butter Artisan for San Juan and Mandaluyong. Residents from San Juan-Mandaluyong can now order Ms. Blanco’s peanut butter products through the DeliRush app. For orders from other areas in Metro Manila, customers may visit Jackielou’s Gourmet Nut Butter Artisan’s official Facebook page.