Delivery Snippets: Aca’s x Relish Hello Happiness x Bun Appetit

ACA’s

During the start of the 2020 lockdown, Aca’s was one of the first delivery-only purveyors we decided to try – my sister was craving hard for Lugang Cafe’s Scallion Chicken, and Aca’s provided a cheaper and more delivery-friendly option through its Spring Onion Chicken - so it was a match made in heaven!

HALF SPRING ONION CHICKEN (P390) and HALF CHAR SIU (P700)

A year and half later, I found myself craving for it – and wanting to try its other house specialty, its Char Siu. Its Spring Onion Chicken still came with its killer addictive ginger-spring onion sauce but the chicken slices themselves were a bit on the dry and tough side. Fortunately, the Char Siu – which boasted of a nice meat-to-fat ratio was juicy. Taste-wise though, it felt that it lacked the smoky char flavor I look for in a good Char Siu.

Looking back, now that most purveyors of really good Scallion or Spring Onion Chicken and Char Siu have convenient delivery options available now in the Metro, I believe that Aca’s would have to step it up in terms of its quality to be top-of-mind.

Aca’s

Date of Delivery: February 13, 2022 via IG/FB: @acachancooks

RELISH HELLO HAPPINESS

One of the casualties of the pandemic was the Pasig branch of Relish – I’d usually rotate among its killer sisig, baked salmon and gambas for my office lunches so I do sorely miss it. Fortunately, its Quezon City branch – the more laidback and casual Relish Hello Happiness is still operational and is conveniently available via Grabfood!

BAKED SALMON (P628) and RELISH SPECIAL SISIG (P358)

Relish hasn’t been cheap – but I was pretty surprised at how small the serving sizes appeared when placed in microwaveable plastic containers. Fortunately, both dishes were immensely flavorful that you’d end up pairing each morsel with spoonsful of rice. Its Baked Salmon is a personal favorite – and easily beats Conti’s famed Baked Salmon. Yes, it was a small fillet of fish for a hefty price of P628 however the meat was cooked perfectly – and lovingly topped with an incredibly rich cheese layer. Its Relish Special Sisig is the sole sisig-with-mayo combination I truly enjoy –always crunchy and never oily – you’d always crawl back for more of this sinful dish!

Relish Hello Happiness

Date of Delivery: February 20, 2022 via Grabfood

BUN APPETIT

This is only my second time trying out Bun Appetit as each bun really comes with a steep price tag. Don't get me wrong - I believe you get your money’s worth with the amount of seafood they stuff in your buns – but it’s definitely not something I can afford to have regularly. Fortunately, this time, they do offer half/half’s, in case you want to mix your seafood meats up and they have expanded to other dishes apart from their famed buns ever since they set up shop at The Grid. A welcome upgrade from their market days.

HALF LOBSTER/SHRIMP ROLL (P980) and GARLIC NOODLES (P170)

Naturally, each bite came with a substantial fill of juicy and succulent lobster and shrimp – drizzled with a light and zesty mayonnaise inside a crunchy potato bun. Its Garlic Noodles does not hold back on its umami flavor – opening the lid is enough to fill the room with its strong aroma it definitely makes a perfect (and affordable) pair to your indulgently expensive rolls!

Bun Appetit

Date of Delivery: February 22, 2022 via https://thegridfoodmarket.com/