If we all eat our way out of this pandemic, we might survive, thanks to everyone selling whatever version of food craze online. Under this extended lockdown that seems to have no end, many food trends are popping up all over social media.

I wish I could cook and present something to sell, but I’d rather support several new local food entrepreneurs. Now that we are on the sixth month of quarantine and still fearful of dining out, here are some of the deliciously interesting online food offerings with curbside pickup, takeout or delivery.

Top of the food craze online is sushi bake, almost as exciting as the caviar pie when it started. I don’t really know who invented this recipe, but there seems to be quite a number of young sellers on Instagram offering their casserole version.

A take on the Japanese staple that’s been around for a long time, sushi bake is essentially a DIY deconstructed sushi roll that’s baked like a casserole. The dish comes in a foil container and has the usual ingredients like salmon, fish roe, crab sticks, Japanese rice with vinegar and nori wrapper. After it is baked for a few minutes, it can be scooped onto the roasted seaweed and enjoyed.

Sushi bake variants

So far, I have enjoyed sushi bake by Spoonfull Manila (Instagram @spoonfull.mnl) and they have two variants at the moment. The Salmon Miso is the crowd fave, but they also have a lot of orders for the Cheesy California.

Good friend Ria Malvar started her Salmon Sushi Bake version on her new Instagram @riascookeries. Her casserole is made from fresh Norwegian salmon, seasoned Japanese rice, Kani crab sticks and secret creamy sauce.

One of the favorite chefs specializing on Pinoy food is chef JP Anglo. Owner of Sarsa Kitchen (Instagram @sarsakitchen), chef Jayps has been busy preparing and serving food for our front-liners during the early months of the quarantine.

Starting last week, Sarsa Kitchen brought back their chicken inasal sisig and offers so many food menu combos for takeout and hassle-free dinner parties. The resto also has a yummy Filipino spaghetti with grilled tomato sauce, Tuguegarao longganisa and kesong puti. We recently enjoyed batchoy, one of his signature dishes.

For pork lovers, check out this very crispy dish by e-SAW (Instagram @e_saw.mnl). Serving only the crunchiest, e-SAW offers crispy pata, a Pinoy comfort food and crispy chicken and pork isaw. If you are able to enjoy this, try their special peperoncino oil that is homemade by them.

New in the food bandwagon is good friend Tim Yap. Recently launched, Wok with Yap (Instagram @wokwithyap) is savory Asian rice bowls with an array of hearty, flavorful and healthy options. Try their Beef and Broccoli with tender stir-fried beef and fresh high-quality broccoli with oyster sauce. Other options are Soy Ginger Tuna with brown rice, Kani Mango with crab sticks, Kung Pao Chicken with chili, Hainanese Chicken with brown rice and many more.

There are so many other food entrepreneurs that we should all support, especially now that the local economy is almost at a standstill.

25 years

For everything else in between, there is the Milky Way group of restaurants. Celebrating 25 years, they now have takeout at their restaurants—Milky Way Café, Cirkulo Restaurant, Azuthai Thai Restaurant and Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant. They’re open from Tuesday to Sunday; call tel. 0966-6345792 or 88174042.

Chef J Gamboa happily reopened Cirkulo Restaurant’s kitchen. You may once again enjoy freshly prepared Cirkulo dishes in the comfort and safety of your homes.

The takeout menu of your Cirkulo favorites, with Paellas, Tapas, Lengua, Callos, the Slow Roasted US Beef Belly with horseradish sauce, Cochinillo Asado and Sangrias may be found here: www.elcirkulo.com/Cirkulo-Take-Out-Menu-052020.pdf. Simply message your order to tel. 0966-6345792 and await confirmation with deposit details. Payment may be made online to BPI and Metrobank.

Your order will be ready for pickup at the appointed time at the basement of the Milky Way Building at 900 Arnaiz Avenue corner Paseo de Roxas in Makati. Please enter via the exit sign on Paseo de Roxas. Place your orders at least three hours before your pickup time. Advance orders are appreciated with at least 24-hour notice for the Cochinillo Asado.

Be safe and eat well!