(Second of two parts)
Hunter’s Chicken from Lazy Oeuf
Chef Miko Calo of Metronome was quick to think how to support her team in the crisis. “We launched Lazy Oeuf to provide for our staff. All profits will go directly to them, and those who volunteer to work get daily allowance,” she says. What she offers is an ever-changing menu for takeout. Over the weeks, she has cooked Beef Bourguignon, potato gratin, lamb stew and hunter’s chicken.
Lazy Oeuf, Viber 0917-1473776
Banana and Carrot Loaves from Mr. Vin Munchies
Actor and restaurateur Marvin Agustin had to play with ingredients he brought home from his bar Kondwi so they wouldn’t go to waste. The experiment produced his version of banana loaf. He watched videos online and experimented until he had a version he was happy with. He accepts only a hundred orders a week since he mixes them himself by hand and bakes them in his kitchen. He also has Kerot Cake, a carrot loaf with walnuts, choco chips and smooth frosting, and a decadent black and white chocolate cake.
@mr.vinmunchies on Instagram
Pinilipit na Bicho-Bicho from Panaderya Toyo
When it comes to innovating Pinoy breads, Jordy Navarra and his bakers at Panaderya Toyo are ahead of the game. Their Pan de Coco, Tocino Balikbayan and Potpot Pandesal prove this, much like their latest addition, bicho-
bicho that’s knotted and stuffed with different fillings—chocolate, quezo de bola and saba. They use sourdough to make their popular fried doughnut.
Panaderya Toyo, tel. 0917-7208630
Warek-Warek from Hapag
Hapag has a clever plan for you to enjoy its dishes in your home. Its chicken inasal meal kit has everything you need, including the barbecue stick, sawsawan, crispy garlic to top the rice, and a banana leaf cut-out to rest the chicken on. There’s even a QR code to see a video on how the dish is plated. If you missed their collab with Josh Boutwood, you have another chance to enjoy one of that night’s best dishes—warek-warek with adobo aioli and pickled onions on flour tortilla.
Hapag, tel. 0947-5601853
Out-Not-In Burger from Made Nice x Mamou
“We were asked by our regulars to sell the burger during quarantine, so we did and then some,” says Jack Flores, one of the chef-owners of Made Nice. They collaborated with Mammou and the result is three new sandwiches—Asian burger with caramelized onions and gochujang sauce, peppercorn burger with horseradish and fried onions, and Out-Not-In burger with veggies and animal sauce (it’s like Thousand Island dressing with pickle juice). They also came up with cookies developed by Gabbi Ramos, Jack’s wife.
Made Nice, tel. 0917-1836423
Mango Honey Cereal Cake from Cravings
When Cravings learned that farmers in Bataan had trouble transporting their ripe mangoes to the metro, they took action. Cravings bought their harvest and turned them into this delicious dessert—four layers of light vanilla sponge cake with Chantilly cream and chunks of mango. To add texture, it is crusted with honey crunch cereal.
Cravings, tel. 0908-1693422
Butter Chicken from Hainan Chicken Rice PH
They started with Hainanese Chicken Rice in tubs, followed by Soy Chicken. Now the guys from the popup brand, who cook only when their jobs allow, have a new offering. Inspired by travels to Bhutan, where they had delicious Indian food, they came up with Butter Chicken, tender pieces of chicken in a rich, mildly spicy tomato gravy. Each order comes with biryani rice.
Follow @hainanchickenriceph on Instagram
Fiesta Hamonado from Mommy Dolor
A household staple during Christmas and Malabon fiestas, the hamonado is a roll of pork stuffed with sausage, pickles and salted egg, then cooked and sweetened with pineapple juice. Mommy Dolor’s Kitchen, known for cheese pimiento and homemade bagoong, recently released its version of hamonado, using a recipe the Yang family has enjoyed over the years. It’s a dish that’s equal parts celebratory and nostalgic.
Mommy Dolor, tel. 0908-8744249.
Salted Egg Yolk Prawns from Din Tai Fung via Moment the Grocer
The Moment Group, which operates Din Tai Fung (DTF), 8Cuts Burgers and Manam Comfort Filipino, recently launched Moment the Grocer, which lets people shop online for ready-to-cook items from their brands, like Shawa Mama’s Primo Chicken and DTF’s Salted Egg Yolk Prawns. They also introduced large-format ready-to-eat meals—a slab of porchetta with red wine and tamarind gravies, and whole roasted drunken chicken with house-made beer gravy.
Moment the Grocer, tel. 0919-0845719
Ebi Hayashi from Ohayo Maki and Ramen Bar
Chef Jorge Mendez has been pretty busy churning out new dishes from his Japanese eatery. Last April, he introduced a karaage burger, chicken teriyaki salad, chashu don, and beef and tendon ramen. This month, he released his ebi hayashi, which has been getting good reviews. Perfectly cooked Japanese rice is topped with egg omelet and shrimps, and blanketed with a potent seafood-flavored sauce.
Ohayo Maki and Ramen Bar, tel. 0927-5521212
Cochinita Pibil from Chino Manila
The items we have come to love from Hong Kong resto import Chino are still available—chorizo mac and cheese, spicy chicken katsu sando, soy-braised pulled pork burrito. To add to those options are a couple of family sets, each served with rice, corn salsa and tortillas. There’s wagyu flank steak with wasabi salsa, salmon with miso kewpie and peanut matcha, a whole achiote chicken, and cochinita pibil or whole roasted pork shoulder. Their kitchen is open only on Friday.
Chino Manila, tel. 0917-5120930
Roast Rack of Lamb from A Mano
A Mano has been busy perfecting new dishes. Among them is pizza variant—the Roman-
inspired Patate e Ricotta Pizza, layers of thinly sliced potatoes topped with rosemary, pecorino romano cheese and dollops of creamy ricotta. It has beefed up its entrees, with the addition of Agnello Arrosto, Parmigiano Reggiano-crusted rack of lamb that’s been roasted to perfection and served with roasted baby vegetables. Another pleaser is Osso Buco, veal shanks that have been braised low and slow until fork tender, then served with polenta and gremolata.
A Mano, tel. 0917-5526466
Laing na Alimango from Pepita’s Kitchen
The brand known for rellenong manok, super suman and truffle rice-stuffed lechon is back in action. Dedet de la Fuente’s Pepita’s Kitchen reopened recently with new dishes, including crabs cooked in laing. She said, “Since I love laing, I thought why not cook my crab in creamy laing sauce with mushy gabi? I experimented and it was a match made in heaven.” She also has the Mamachang, her meaty take on the Chinese machang, which is sticky rice with fixings wrapped in a leaf.
Pepita’s Kitchen, tel. 0917-8660662
Party Melt from NoKal
NoKal’s comfort food includes a range of burgers, steak rice and hotdogs in a bun named Twin Pupps. It has newly released Party Melt. In between toasted sourdough bread slices is a hefty juicy burger patty crowned with provolone and cheddar cheeses, caramelized onions and homemade garlic white sauce.
NoKal, tel. 0917-3181385
Mango Crepe Samurai from Wildflour
Yummy pastries—Wildflour has good record. Two items were relaunched during enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). The Condensed Milk Coffee Cake will make you want to take a break often, even if you’re working from home. Mango Crepe Samurai is a decadent celebration of tropical fruit, with ripe slices of sweet mango tucked between delicate layers of crepe. —CONTRIBUTED
Wildflour, tel. 0917-8520950, BGC; 0917-6289572, Podium