FoodMetroManila

Do you order food online? Dining in has been allowed again by the government as of this writing, provided that the restaurants follow a set of standards to ensure social distancing and proper disinfection is followed by everyone. It will still take a long time before everyone will be venturing out to eat again, so food deliveries will still be driving the food service industry. Actually, I think it will be a larger part of it now than what it was before the lockdowns.

Restaurant-grade food, delivered right to your home. No pressure from staff needing to turn a table, you have control of what music is playing, and you don’t need to get dressed up – you just eat.

I’m not trained or anything, but I do like to cook. When Cainta (where I live) was still under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), I would go out myself to do groceries (because it was safer). Now that that has been lifted, I haven’t left the house at all – I digress. Now I’m sure you have friends and relatives who have started online selling businesses during quarantine and that’s from whom we have mostly ordered.

I’m not just featuring these because I know them, but yes that is part of it (you have to show support), they also sell good tasting products and I want to share it.

Baked by Stella – Baked Kani Sushi

Your Instagram feed must be inundated with pictures of Baked Sushi/Sushi Bakes right now. This is the only iteration I have tried, so take me saying “this is absolutely delicious” with a grain of salt. Having said that, this Baked Sushi by Baked by Stella is indeed absolutely delicious. Baked by Stella’s is packed with Kani, creamy, and has a little spicy kick. It’s topped with a generous amount of Nori Flakes and each order comes with Nori Sheets. If you’re on the fence on whether or not Baked Sushi is a worthwhile purchase, Baked by Stella’s will be a good introduction to you.

Instagram: @bakedbystella

Tenapay Pastries – Cinnamon Tenapay

Cinnamon Rolls, a lot of people like cinnamon rolls. I personally liked Cinnabon but there is none near my area. So, when my wife told me about Tenapay Pastries, I was immediately on board. The pastry itself is always soft while the frosting not overpoweringly sweet, and Tenapay Pastries never scrimps on the cinnamon!

The Cinnamon Tenapays are good as they are, but Tenapay Pastries gives you the option of adding an assortment of nuts as toppings. I personally prefer Walnuts and Almonds to go with my Cinnamon Tenapays.

Instagram: @tenapay.pastries

Gyoza ni Otep

Remember when I declared that Ramen Yushoken had the “Best Gyoza in Town” because I was trying to start something? Yeah, I’d declare these are the best Gyoza in Cainta but I’ve only ever had these here in Cainta so take that with a grain of salt. How do they fair with the big-name Ramen places? Pretty close, and in some cases, even better.

They’re ready-to-cook Gyoza and it would be best to freeze them before cooking. How I cook them is: I pan fry one side in Canola Oil (I don’t recommend Olive Oil for them, mate) while getting about half a cup of water to boil in a kettle; pour the  water on the side of part of the pan so you don’t pour over the gyoza; cover immediately so that they’ll steam; when the water has evaporated, finish it off with some sesame oil (or more canola oil). Cooking them straight out of the freezer and steamed leads to that moist/soupy inside you usually get from Gyoza. Make sure that one side is golden brown and crisp, like what Ramen places do.\

The Gyoza are sealed properly and look like proper Gyoza. They are packed and seasoned well. The filling is not one dimensional porky, there’s some layers to the taste which (for me) makes Gyoza a unique dumpling. It would be best to dip them in a combination of vinegar and soy sauce, but dipping sauce also comes with every order.

Instagram: search for #gyozaniotep or DM @packingtep

Side-note: Otep is also a member of an awesome band, @fionaphl on Instagram. Check them out as well while you’re at it.

R/O Bakehouse – not the usual baked goodies

Have you ever had the pleasure of trying a Rum Walnut Loaf? I have, and it is amazing. It’s moist, buttery, not too sweet, and laced with just the right amount of rum that makes eating it – well quite fun, actually. How about Fudge Brownies with Kahlua? How decadent do you think brownies named like are? They are, in fact, absolutely sinful. I was brewing Coffee roasted from Poland (don’t forget that I’m a coffee fanatic), and it went well with these brownies so much you would think Audun Coffee actually knew these existed when they were roasting their coffee.

We also bought Mango Blondies, and I ate them all too quickly that I didn’t have time to think of adjectives. That is probably a cop-out, but all I have to say is that they are that good.

Instagram: ro.bakehouse

Ruminations…

Now these are small businesses and have little capacity to complete orders. They all cook from home, and have other things to do. They will give limited slots for orders, do don’t be d***’s about it and just follow the rules.

I recently had something funny happen to me: A food influencer (well they at least had more followers than me) DMed my coffee account offering a collab. In exchange for me sending them samples of my products, they will post and mention me in their feed and stories. This is funny because: I don’t sell products, just post pictures of my coffee (it’s a simple premise); and well they didn’t even bother to read my profile.

Are you eating out again? Do you like ordering food online and just eating them at home? Are you even still reading this?

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