Delivery Snippets: Cargofish x The Chow Men x Pilya’s Kitchen

CARGOFISH

Cargofish allows you to build-your-own fish and chips – wherein you get to choose your meat of choice, sides and sauces. For the beer-battered meat options, you have the standard dory, tilapia, and cobbler choices; however, for some treat-yo'-self moments, amp up your meal by opting for some cod or salmon. For those who aren't into seafood, chicken and sausage are also available.

A standard build-your-own set comes with two sides – I opted for some proper chips and slaw - to keep things 'traditional'; but you may mix it up and opt for some sweet potato fries, cargo rice or onion rings. A wide selection of sauces are available, which includes the classic mushy peas, but as I’m not a fan of peas, I opted for some tartar sauce.

COBBLER + PROPER CHIPS + SLAW + TARTAR (P340)

I was pretty excited for this – as it looked pretty amazing – both the fish fillet and the crisps boasted of beautiful golden-brown hues ; but I did find the fish fillet slices to be on the scrawny side. Fortunately, the quality and flavor of the ingredients were noticeable – from the fish, to the sides and the sauces. I did have an issue with how it was fried though – as I felt it was still a bit too greasy. It's important to note though that fried food really don’t fare well in delivery conditions so I’ll give them a pass for this. It’s probably best to give it another go, in-person.

Cargofish

Date of Delivery: August 26, 2021 via Grab Food; also available via direct order through their IG: cargofishph

THE CHOW MEN

The Chow Men is now one of the latest additions to The Grid’s swanky food court line-up, but before its Rockwell stall, it was a delivery-only concept. What initially caught my eye was an ad they had featuring their Crab Dip with Fried Mantou – as it boasted of how packed with real crabmeat their dips are!

CRAB FRIED RICE (P580), SINGAPOREAN CHILI CRAB DIP WITH MANTOU (P520), CEREAL PRAWNS (P660)

They do offer dip bundles of 2 flavors (P680) and 3 flavors (P820), but I decided to just get the Singaporean Chili Crab Dip (P520). Other dip options include salted egg aligue dip, and white pepper cream. True to their advertising, the dip boasted of a generous serving of actual crab meat – assuring you that you get what you paid for – but the dip was so far from the Singaporean Chili flavor I’m looking for. It was good, but it was definitely not Singaporean Chili. Admittedly, the only Singaporean Chili dish that passed my standards in Manila would be Tao Yuan’s Chili Crab - so yes, I may be just extremely picky.

Fortunately, the Cereal Prawns fared better – as they were able to achieve the tricky balance of sweetness and saltiness of the cereal coating. I found the serving quite small though for the price we paid it for. My favorite dish from what we ordered would be the Crab Fried Rice, especially once you mix in their deliciously viscous signature sauce. Apart from their standard Crab Fried Rice, you may also check out their seasonal fried rice offerings for the month.

Date of Delivery: September 12, 2021 (via thechowmen.cococart.co) but also available via https://thegridfoodmarket.com/

PILYA’S KITCHEN

Any avid viewer of Mike Chen’s Youtube channels will notice how he frequently features biang-biang noodles on his foodie adventures - and I've always just drooled over his features. Fortunately, Pilya’s Kitchen makes this dish accessible to us through its stall inside The Grid Food Market in Powerplant Mall.

TAIWANESE BEEF NOODLE SOUP (P470)

I decided to start with their best-seller, the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup and it was love at first slurp. I love how it was proudly different from the beef noodle soups traditionally served in Manila – which have been adjusted to suit the Filipino palate – Pilya’s unapologetically flaunts its excellent command of spices and herbs that each slurp delivers a knockout punch of flavor. Honestly, it became a personal comfort food favorite!

TINGLY CUMIN LAMB (P490)

Eventually, I decided to try out the other items from its menu – next up, the Tingly Cumin Lamb. Even if I'm a spice and heat lover though, it was a bit too much for me to handle. Personally, I have a high tolerance for cumin, especially since I used a lot of it for my thesis project in Senior Year – but admittedly, Pilya’s use of cumin was a bit overwhelming. The lamb pieces themselves were amazingly tender and flavorful – but the dish as a whole, was definitely not for me.

MAPO TOFU BIANG (P420)

One of its later menu additions would be the Mapo Tofu Biang – this was a no-brainer for me – given my absolute love for Mapo Tofu and noodles, it seemed to be like a matchmade in heaven for me. However, again, my taste buds seemed to not be sophisticated enough for the Mapo Tofu Biang – halfway through it, and my mouth was on fire! Fortunately, I ordered a side of the Spicy Smashed Cucumbers and the refreshingly sweet cucumbers (despite swimming in chili oil) lent much needed respite to my burning tongue.

As much as I’d like to explore its other dishes, I think I’d stick to its classic Taiwanese Beef Noodles for now.

Pilya's Kitchen

Dates of Delivery: March 3, 2021, May 27, 2021 and September 16, 2021; via Grabfood and The Grid Food Market Online