The declaration of general community quarantine may have relaxed quarantine rules, but it isn’t an invitation for everyone to go out. We suggest staying in (unless you have very pressing reasons for leaving your house), ordering food and supporting small businesses in the process. It’s a delicious way of helping people bounce back. Here are some options.

Melleecious Kitchen

Melleecious Kitchen is named after the lady who runs it, Mel Lee. She serves her take on the traditional Thai dessert—mango, ube and durian sticky rice. Loved the mango, loved the ube, but we weren’t brave enough to order the durian. Maybe you might be. Order throughout the week for pickup on Saturdays. Pay via BDO or GCash or book your favorite pickup service.

Based in Quezon City; Viber 0925-3126868, follow @melleecious_kitchen on Instagram

Ninja’s Pantry

Ninja’s Pantry, which started just three months ago, sells Saikoro Steak from Japan (yes, those wagyu cubes you love eating at Little Tokyo or Tori Tori), imported jumbo scallops, chori burger, Angus beef tapa, baby back ribs, pork and shrimp siomai, and XO sauce from Taiwan. They also offer easy-to-cook food sets such as Sweet and Sour Pork (marinated pork with sauce) and Gyudon (1 kg of premium beef with sauce). We’ve ordered the Saikoro steak (perfect for a quick meal) and the XO sauce (so, so good) and we’re eyeing the scallops next. Orders can be placed via Viber and they deliver using Grab or Lalamove (buyer shoulders the delivery fee). Pay through Gcash or BDO bank transfer.Viber 0917-5346953; follow @ninjas.pantry on Instagram

Le Petite Chef

It was Kendrick So’s daughter Madeline who inspired him to start Le Petite Chef. “She helps me cook and she’s our official food taster,” he said.

Le Petite Chef offers trays of baked spaghetti in three sizes: small (P300, good for 1-2 people), medium (P650, good for 3-5) and large (P950, good for 6-8). They’re great for celebrations and on days when you want to enjoy some comfort food. They sell garlic parsley baguettes, too—a perfect match with the spaghetti.Order using their order form (you can find the link on their Instagram bio) and pay using bank transfer (BDO, BPI, AUB), GCash or Paypal. They deliver on the same day—they have morning and afternoon slots each day, just in time for lunch, merienda or an early dinner. And if you feel like sending someone special their own tray of spaghetti, no problem. They come in gift-ready boxes, and Le Petite Chef has gift tags, too—no extra charge.Based in Mandaluyong; follow @lepetitchefph on Instagram

Gubat QC

Gubat QC did something beautiful in response to the pandemic—they started offering binalot meals for delivery, and coowner Cereb Gregorio hired tricycle drivers from the area to do the job, tricycle drivers who lost their means of livelihood during the quarantine. The full delivery fee goes to the drivers. They deliver to Katipunan, Krus na Ligas, Sikatuna, Teachers’ Village, UP Village and UP Campus. For areas they don’t cover, you can book third-party services.

Choose from lechon kawali, piniritong isda, piniritong manok, adobong baboy, tuyo, tapa and Hungarian sausage. Their rice meals come with adobo rice, salted egg and pipino salad. They serve merienda, too. Gubat is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They accept GCash, BPI transfer or cash on delivery and they offer 10-percent discount to health workers and front-liners.Despite the challenging times, the restaurant has stayed true to their commitment to sustainability—their takeout packaging is completely biodegradable.

Based in Quezon City. Viber 0966-627-1522; follow gubatquezoncity on Facebook, @gubat_qc on Instagram