hainanese chicken – Jellybeans in the City

Let’s #ChooseTheSarapEveryday with Chewsarap

Despite the pandemic that still rages on, life continues.

Amid the trials and challenges we face, and continue to encounter, there are moments that we choose to savor, and milestones that we celebrate. Those are the times when we choose the sarap out of life.

One such moment is the birthday of my eldest. My unica hija – whom I usually refer to in this blog as #ExhibitA – is now a young adult, and I wanted to mark the day with a special meal.

However, with my busy work day, I didn’t have time to shop for ingredients, let alone spend time in the kitchen putting together various dishes.

Fortunately, I won’t have to, thanks to Chewsarap!

Operating on the philosophy that good food need not be expensive, this cloud kitchen offers a well-curated menu consisting of Chinese, Korean and Filipino cuisines, affordably priced and available in portions ranging from solo to family and party trays.

#ExhibitA’s birthday feast consisted of:

Hot Prawn Salad (Php350 for 2-3 persons | Php600 for 4-5 persons | Php900 for 7-8 persons).

Succulent prawns tossed in mayonnaise and cream then topped with sweetened fruits.

Salted Egg Chicken Wings (Php240/3 pcs | Php900/12 pcs).

Juicy chicken wings covered in Chewsarap’s special salted egg sauce.

Roast Beef (Php450) half portion | Php850 full portion).

Beef belly cooked sous vide for forty-eight hours and served with gravy and barbecue sauce.

Hainan Chicken with Curry Rice (Php300 for 1-2 persons | Php500 for 3-4 persons | Php900 for 6-8 persons).

Chicken cooked sous-vide on top of curry rice and served with ginger and soy dipping sauces.

The fam loved the varied dishes I served for my baby girl’s birthday dinner. Our intimate feast included old favorites as well as new flavors that broadened our culinary horizons, all made fresh on the day of delivery.

Plus, ordering this feast was so easy. Here’s how:

Visit chewsarap.com.
Select your orders.
Upon checkout, fill up your delivery details and choose your shipping option (pickup or delivery).
After getting the total bill, make your payments (cards/e-wallets, bank deposit and GCash are accepted).
Send proof of payment via Viber or by messaging Chewsarap on Facebook or Instagram.

Want to cook show-stopping viands such as these without the work of food prep?

Order Chewsarap’s Ready-to-Cook Meals such as:

Chicken Tenders
Beef Tapa
Japche Noodles
Pork Sisig
Beef Stew

Why should we choose the hassle, when we can #ChooseTheSarap, everyday?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided.

The Jelly List: Order in for your holiday feast from these online food sellers

There’s no doubt that the holidays will be a very busy time.

With all the preparations and trips for gatherings (which, thankfully, we are now allowed to do) and family meals fit for a holiday spread, we moms sure could use all the help we can get to serve our loved ones a fabulous Christmas feast.

So why deny ourselves the convenience of simply tapping our phones to have mouthwatering dishes delivered right to our doorstep?

Check out these online food sellers to get the show-stopping dish on your holiday spread.

Chef Resty’s Roast Beef

If, like me, you’ve been missing the roast beef carving station in the hotel buffets you used to frequent, then Chef Resty’s is your best bet for tender, juicy and, oh so flavorful slices of roast beef for the fam!

Chef Resty’s Roast Beef are priced at:

half kilo (Php950): sliced only, serves four people
1 kilo (Php1,700): whole or sliced, serves eight people

To order, 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.

Fira’s Kitchen

Before, I thought the only way I can get another taste of Chicken Galantina is if I attended a party hosted by a very patient cook. I,m happy to discover that Fira’s Kitchen specializes in this dish.

Chicken Galantina 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.

A whole Chicken Galantina with gravy can be ordered for Php850 while a Galantina Roll with gravy is priced at Php180.

To order, email firaskitchen29@gmail.com or text +63 927 5192810.

The Happy Kitchen

Want the deliciousness of a good home-cooked meal without having to spend all day in the kitchen?

Call The Happy Kitchen and enjoy flavorful ulams you would be craving for again and again such as Beef Caldereta (Php650 half tray | Php1,100 whole tray) and Korean Chicken (Php520 half tray | Php880 whole tray).

To order, text +63 917 6510981 your name, contact number, your orders and your preferred delivery date, time and address or your preferred date and time of pickup.

Salmon HQ

Planning a party at home? Grab your centerpiece dish from Salmon HQ and make a lasting impression on your guests and family members.

Imagine serving up shrimps, scallops and salmon in soy butter glaze with a tray of Seafood Wafu Pasta (Php500 small | Php1,000 medium | Php1,200 large) or unveiling an impressive Salmon Sushi Cake (Php1,200) to your guests!

Text your orders to Salmon HQ via +63 922 8943679.

Heavenly Spiced

Comfort food elevated is what you can expect from Heavenly Spiced where Chef Edmond Dannug brings his considerable skills to bear in enhancing the flavors of his all-time favorite dishes.

A tray of Heavenly Spiced’s Hainanese Chicken (Php999) comes with wonderfully flavored Chicken Rice, as well as sweet soy, ginger and chili sauces, while its Bourbon BBQ Pork Ribs (Php1,599) consists of two whole slabs of grilled pork ribs along with umami fries. Both are good for four to five people.

To order, text +63 939 2373383 or Viber +63 929 4514998 your name, contact number, delivery address, list of orders, delivery date/time and mode of payment.

Kuki’s Fudtrip

While most pasta dishes are easy to whip up, lasagna may be a bit of a challenge.

Well, just get a tray of Lasagna Special (Php800) from Kuki’s Fudtrip and you’ll have a hearty and mouthwatering pasta dish for your holiday dinner with none of the hassle.

Text your orders to +63 906 4330991.

Epic Cravings

Every great holiday meal should be capped with a sweet ending.

What sweeter way to end a lovely repast than with a box of Assorted Cream Puffs (Php230) from Epic Cravings. With such delectable flavors – Sugar Glazed, Powdered Sugar, Belgian Dark Chocolate, Butterscotch, Cookies ‘n Cream and Matcha – all family members can find their own special cream puff.

Click here to order from Epic Cravings.

So, mommies, if you find yourself getting harried over your holiday feast preparations, know that help is just a few phone taps away!

Photo credit: Header image by Jed Owen on Unsplash

Chef Edmond Dannug brings back-to-basics comfort food via Heavenly Spiced

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:

Fresh changes at BOA Kitchen + Socials

Always changing is so integral to BOA Kitchen + Socials’ concept, it’s actually written on the wall.

Well, the collaborators behind this resto decided to change things up yet again by focusing on Southeast Asian cuisine.

“We decided to take a space,” says owner Joey Manuel. “We decided to niche down where we are strongest. Our chef, Julius Necor, is really good in regional Southeast Asian, so we positioned ourselves as comfort Asian.”

Comfort Asian, as Joey defined it, is the traditional regional favorites with some modern twists.

“For example, the authentic Beef Rendang would be really dry. But we (Filipinos) don’t like dry Beef Rendang here so we made ours a little saucy.”

Along with the change in menu, they also decided to cater to women, to give these titas a place to have fresh gastronomic adventures and enjoy chill time with their friends, whether as a brunch get-together or a night out drinking.

These decisions did bode well for Joey and Julius, with BOA Kitchen + Socials being recently hailed by Spot.PH as one of Metro Manila’s Top 50 New Restaurants.

Want a preview of BOA’s new menu? Check these out:

Laksa (Php425). A Peranakan dish made of shrimp, boiled egg, tofu, bean sprouts and fish cakea in a spicy curry coconut milk soup. I split this order with a friend so this is actually good for two.

Chicken Rice (Php325). Inspired by the Singaporean dish, this consist of Sous-vide ginger chicken, chicken rice, served with cucumber slices and sprinkled with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), ginger-scallion oil and chili sauce.

Nasi Lemak Rice Bowl (Php245). The fragrant Malaysian rice dish cooked in coconut cream and pandan leaves, served with sambal (Indonesian chili sauce), dilis (dried anchovies), peanuts and soft-boiled or fried egg. You can opt for either Beef Rendang or Thai Fried Chicken to accompany this rice dish.

Deconstructed Banana Pie (Php175). A fresh take on the banana pie, this dish is made with caramelized banana strewn with streusel crumbs and served with vanilla ice cream.

House Blend Iced Tea (Php80). BOA has its own blend of iced teas which you can have as the classic or infused with mango or peach.

So, if you feel up for a change, drop by BOA Kitchen + Socials, and feel right at home.

Did you know that if you and a friend ordered 2 drinks at BOA Kitchen + Socials, you can get the same 2 drinks free via Zomato Gold?

Zomato Gold provides members with 1+1 (Buy 1 Get 1) deals on food or 2+2 (Buy 2 Get 2) deals on drinks. All you have to do is sign up for a Zomato Gold membership here. Use the code JELLYB to get 45% off the membership fee.

BOA Kitchen + Socials is located at Mezzanine Floor, 45 ABDC Building, Scout Rallos corner Scout Tuazon, Bgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 11am to 11pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 11am to 1am.