lalafood – Jellybeans in the City

Before the community quarantine and the need to isolate ourselves in our homes began, I’m glad I was able to try something that will surely be a blessing in the days ahead.

LalaFood is a food delivery app that guarantees delivery of food orders within forty-five minutes or less with no minimum order required. (Note: Since the community quarantine was implemented, LalaFood has adjusted its delivery times in light of the increased demand for food delivery and its skeletal crew of riders.)

One busy workday, my friend and I could not find the time to get out of the office for our #HappyLunch. Not wanting to limit ourselves to the choices available in our office building’s food court, we grabbed our phones to look at the options available through the LalaFood App.

As luck would have it, one of the restos that deliver via LalaFood is the Pares Retiro branch nearby. Wanting a taste of Pinoy comfort food, we ordered ourselves variations of Beef Pares.

This dish is basically braised beef stew paired with garlic fried rice (hence the name pares) and usually served with clear soup. The beef cubes are simmered in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and other spices, resulting in tender meat and flavorful sauce that go so well with the garlic rice.

My friend ordered the Classic Pares (Php155) while I got myself a Pares Tendon (Php165), which is basically beef pares made even better with the addition of tender litid (tendon) that seems to melt into the sauce and provide a contrast in texture to the beef and rice with every mouthful.

I even got myself a can of Sarsi from the Ministop store across the street to complete my meal.

We ate our comfort food bounty at our desks, not exactly the way I’d like to enjoy my food, but at least I had some time to eat and get ready for my meetings after our midday break.

All things considered, I’d say it was still a happy lunch. Wouldn’t you?

This meal was ordered from the Pares Retiro branch located at 205 Tomas Avenue, Barangay Laging Handa, Quezon City via LalaFood. Download the LalaFood App and get a free delivery coupon when you use my code: BEINGJMR53.

Other Pares Retiro branches are located at:

P. Tuazon corner 17th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City
SM Hypermarket, EDSA corner Main Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City
344 Visayas corner Congressional Avenue, Pasong Tamp, Tandang Sora, Quezon City
Food Court, Fourth Floor, Market! Market!, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

Tiger Sugar has been in the country since last year but I haven’t been able to have a taste of this much lauded milk tea brand. The long lines when its first stores opened as well as my busy schedule precluded me from going out to get myself a cup or two.

Until now, that is.

I recently downloaded the LalaFood app which opened up a world of possibilities when it comes to food choices. Whether I’m at home, at work or out with friends, I can satisfy my cravings just by having my food delivered to me.

I’m on a mission to taste milk teas with cheese foam topping (yeah, milk tea plus cheese, can anything be yummier?). One particularly hectic day at the office, I decided to order a Brown Sugar Boba + Pearl with Cream Mousse (Php120) through the LalaFood app which I recently downloaded on my phone.

Tiger Sugar is famous for its brown sugar boba milk drink which is easily identifiable thanks to the “tiger stripes” along the sides of the cup. These come from the brown sugar in which the boba are cooked, giving the pearls a more intense caramelized flavor.

My drink, for instance, was made by lining the cup with brown sugar syrup, dropping the bobas at the bottom of the cup, adding fresh milk and topping the drink with the non-salty cream mousse.

Tiger Sugar usually advises buyers of this to shake the cup 15 times to make sure that the brown sugar is well distributed in the drink and to cool the still warm boba so they achieve that signature chewy texture.

I think the trip from the Tiger Sugar branch in Trinoma to my office in Tomas Morato may have already shaken my drink up as the brown sugar stripes were already faint by the time my drink arrived no more than 40 minutes after I placed my order.

The milk drink was creamy and refreshing, made even richer by the cream mousse, with the chewy bobas adding some bite and texture to each sip.

If I’m not careful, I just might find myself just keying in my orders for my foodie adventures soon! (I can really get used to the convenience that LalaFood brings!)

Want to give in to your food craving without having to leave your home or the office? Download the LalaFood app on Google Play or App Store today. Use my code BEINGJMR53 and get a free delivery coupon.

This Tiger Sugar branch is located at Food Choices, Second Floor, Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 9pm.

Other branches are located at: