Delivery Snippets: Ono Poke x Hotel Chefs and Bakers Outlet x La Flannai
ONO POKE
One thing I miss about working in Makati CBD is its convenient access to so many good food options. Ever since Ono Poke opened up a kiosk just across the old BPI Head Office building, it quickly became a work lunch staple for me and my friends. I remember texting the purveyor in advance so that I can simply do a grab-and-go during my lunch break. Fortunately, its branch in Mandaluyong can cater to my poke bowl cravings now in Ortigas!
SPICY MISO SALMON POKE BOWL (P320)
One thing I loved about Ono Poke was that the bowls were reasonably priced given the quality and quantity of the fresh tuna and salmon sashimi each bowl comes with. The base is highly customizable (greens, brown rice or white rice) and I loved that this option has also extended to its delivery service in Grab! I opted for the Spicy Miso Salmon Poke Bowl and appreciated that they separated the saucy raw salmon topping from the rice. I opted for the brown rice base, and was surprised to see that it was already flavored with some furikake seasoning! The salmon pieces can’t really be seen from this angle as the bowl's loaded with bonito flakes, nori and scallions! That first bite was definitely nostalgic as the taste of its extremely flavorful spicy miso sauce brought me back to my Makati lunches, almost three years ago! The best way to eat this is of course to simply empty the salmon topping unto the brown rice and toss it just a bit to ensure that you’d be able to get a bit of everything in each bite! The medley of textures (soft, dry, coarse, cold) and harmony of flavors (spicy, sweet, umami) will definitely liven up your office work lunch!
Ono Poke
Date of Delivery: June 17, 2020 via Grabfood
HOTEL CHEFS AND BAKERS OUTLET
CHINESE STEAMED SPARERIBS WITH BLACK BEANS (P299)
One of the greatest food finds I discovered during this lockdown would be the Steamed Spareribs from Hotel Chefs and Bakers Outlet. Without exaggeration, it effortlessly beats out all the dimsum Spareribs I’ve had in restaurants and hotels in Manila. An order for sharing comes at a reasonable price of P299. Served frozen, they recommend steaming it for 45 minutes; but our household steams it for a little bit more to get that perfect tender bite. Just writing about it is enough to make me salivate about it! Order some to stock up in your freezer in anticipation for those random dimsum cravings!
MAPO TOFU (P299)
Other must-try frozen items would include their take on the Steamed Shrimp Har Gow Dumplings (Hakaw) (P299), Cantonese Pork Siu Mai (P199) and Steamed Kuchay Dumplings (P199), which all come with their killer complimentary chili oil! Their Mapo Tofu is another favorite; as its silky tofu and large chunks of pork comes stewed in an extremely tasty and mildly spicy homey sauce which make you want to bathe your rice in it!
Hotel Chefs and Bakers Outlet
Date of Delivery: June 26, 2020 – Contact them via 09153633493
LA FLANNAI
Another delightful find is a home-based purveyor of delicious cream puffs, La Flannai! It offers three variants: Classic, Cocoa, and the Éclair. Since I wanted to try all of them, I ordered half dozen boxes for each of the variants! However, if you’re not as much a glutton as I am, they do offer a sampler box which allows you to order two pieces of each.
CLASSIC (P99 – Half Dozen), COCOA (P99 – Half Dozen), ÉCLAIR (P149 – Half Dozen)
The Classic is filled with a perfectly luscious cream filling with just the right amount of sweetness. Admittedly, I would have preferred a little less dusting of confectioners’ sugar as I’m not really fond of eating messy things; and I actually found the sweetness of the puff itself sans the confectioners’ sugar perfect already. This is quickly addressed by the Éclair which swaps the confectioner’s sugar with a beautiful glaze of glossy dark chocolate. The slight bitterness from the chocolate gives a nice balance to the sweet treat. However, my personal favorite among the three would be the Cocoa flavor. Admittedly, it’s the farthest from what a traditional cream puff should be, but I love its indulgent chocolate filling. It's a perfect antidote to any bitter feeling you may have! Again, they go a bit over board with topping the puffs; however, I don’t really mind extra helpings of their cocoa powder! This pairs perfectly with a cup of warm black coffee!
La Flannai
Date of Delivery: June 27, 2020 via their Facebook Page
