Delivery Snippets: Din Tai Fung x Mendokoro Ramenba x Apero

DIN TAI FUNG

I’ve never been a big fan of the local franchise of Din Tai Fung (despite my ardent love for The Moment Group) as I find the food quality miles apart from the Din Tai Fung branches in Taiwan. However, as there aren’t a lot of on-demand delivery lunch options for Taiwanese delivery in my office vicinity, I had to give in. Similar to its sister concepts like Ooma and Manam, Din Tai Fung launched several set meals curated for solo dining. I was craving hard for Xiao Long Bao (Paradise Dynasty's is a personal favorite; but its menu offerings are still meant to be shared so I'd end up over-ordering), so I wound up booking a Pork Xiao Long Bao Dimsum Feast + Chicken Chop from Din Tai Fung for my lunch.

PORK XIAO LONG BAO DIMSUM FEAST + CHICKEN CHOP (P395)

Its packaging is highly commendable for being spill-proof but despite the relatively short distance of Megamall to my office, it failed to keep the heat in. Despite this though, I was really satisfied with the Xiao Long Bao. All delicately precious pieces managed to keep their soup fillings intact through the journey. I loved how the restaurant thoughtfully packed in fresh ginger slices and some black vinegar-soy sauce to complete the entire experience. The Chicken Chop may have lost a bit of its crunch while being delivered but pairing it with some tasty Yang Chow Fried Rice made it tons better.

Din Tai Fung

Date of Delivery: December 17, 2020 via Grabfood (also available on Foodpanda and https://momentfood.com/)

MENDOKORO RAMENBA

I couldn’t stop raving about how I’m such a fan of Mendokoro Ramenba’s ramen-to-go concept; that I shared in a previous post that even once we get through Covid-19, I doubt I’d be queuing up in any of its branches anymore since I can have one almost on-demand with the same quality! Ten minutes is all that it would take for prep time vs. a whopping 30 minutes-in-queue (or more) when dining in!

BONITO TONKOTSU TSUKEMEN (P495)

I truly admire the restaurant’s never-ending pursuit for perfection as the group continues to find ways to further improve its already amazing product. In time for the Christmas holidays, the famed ramen restaurant’s to-go boxes had an ultimate makeover: from minimalist disposable bowls with how-to sticker labels, it transformed to a gorgeous box with printed how-to cards, and I am all for it! I simply love the attention to detail exhibited in the entire box!

Also, it was my first time trying out their Bonito Tonkotsu Tsukemen, which interestingly comes paired with calamansi vinegar. Its broth marries fermented skipjack tuna flakes in pork bone broth and shoyu seasoning. As expected, this yielded a sharper and saltier broth that’s not really meant for slurping. However, with the addition of the calamansi vinegar, the acidity helps balance the taste out that I found myself slurping spoonfuls of the broth in between noodle dips. Cubes of its to-die-for signature roasted chashu, spring onions, bamboo shoots and spinach help complete the dish!

Mendokoro Ramenba

Date of Delivery: December 18, 2020 via http://nipponhasha.com/

APERO

Apero will always bring a dash of college nostalgia with it, as most of my dining experiences there were spent during my college years in Ateneo. Although it’s a sister concept of one of my favorite restos, Duck and Buvette, Apero simply doesn’t have enough pull for me to purposely go out of my way to the restaurant to take some food out.

SPINACH CAVATELLI (P380)

Fortunately, Temple Drive became a frequent meeting place of my sister and her friends during this lockdown so I requested for an order of my go-to meal in Apero, the Spinach Cavatelli. These spinach pasta dumplings are made in-house and are notable for their firmer-than-usual bite. Topped with sundried tomatoes, garlic slices and anchovy pieces, this pasta dish is tasty enough to be consumed on its own but light and flexible enough to be paired with slices of delicious Roast Chicken or some Duck Confit on the side without it getting too overwhelming. It does get a bit too greasy to taste at times, so I prefer to cleanse it down with a glass of fresh fruit juice. Unfortunately, Apero has yet to appear on food delivery apps but it does have its own delivery website https://duckandbuvette.com/ that allows for pre-orders and take-out’s by 3rd party couriers.

Apero

Date of Delivery: December 20, 2020