Delivery Snippets: Elephant Grounds Manila x Gochugang x Made in Bangkok

ELEPHANT GROUNDS MANILA

Despite it being essentially a coffee shop, it’s the rice bowls (and sadly not the coffee selection) of Elephant Grounds Manila that made me a regular customer. I frequently alternate between its Bacon Steak and Eggs Donburi and its Salmon Mentaiko bowls for quick happy office lunch deliveries.

SALMON MENTAIKO (P535) and BERRY FIELDS ICED TEA (P160)

Its Salmon Mentaiko features a generous salmon fillet layered with mentaiko mayonnaise and unagi sauce and topped with tobiko, nori strips and crunchy salmon skin. I usually opt to pair it with some multigrain rice for that extra ‘bite’ to each spoonful but Japanese rice may be an alternative grain option. Each bite is a delight as you work through the various textures and flavors of the bowl. The best part of this? It’s a cheaper alternative to Your Local’s Torched Salmon Donburi! The Berry Fields Iced Tea is a perfect refresher during the summer heat, but its hot Flat White is a good option for rainy days. Don’t worry as Elephant Grounds takes its take-out packaging seriously! I’ve never experienced any spills with my food and drinks when ordering via Grabfood!

Elephant Grounds Manila

Date of Delivery: March 17, 2022 via Grabfood

GOCHUGANG

I know that the Parasite movie broke out and broke barriers in 2019 – and yes, I fell victim to those who wondered what the visually mouthwatering Steak Ramdon tasted like – but admittedly it took me three long years before having a taste of it – courtesy of Gochugang at The Grid. Yes, I’ve seen countless recipe videos and recipe hacks of the famous Steak Ramdon but I’m not the biggest fan of Korean instant noodles (save for Jin Ramen which I’m currently addicted to) so I was never excited to make one for myself.

STEAK RAMDON (P490)

I’d like to think that Gochugang’s version is a more spruced-up version which is why I didn’t mind ordering it all the way from Powerplant Mall. At first glance, the hefty price tag is justified by the amount of beef tenderloin cubes it came with (of course, it wasn’t as tender as I’d like it to be but it had to travel all the way from Makati to Ortigas so that's to be expected). The noodles were wonderfully firm and soaked up that spicy marriage between gochugang sauce and black bean sauce it came with. I would have loved the sauce to be stickier and thicker to better coat the noodles though. Ultimately, I did enjoy the Steak Ramdon – but I don’t find myself craving for it anytime soon.

Gochugang

Date of Delivery: April 23, 2022 via Grabfood

MADE IN BANGKOK

If you’re looking for fun and colorful Thai food, consider Made in Bangkok! For its main offerings, solo sizes and for sharing sizes are made available.

THAI CRISPY CHICKEN CURRY BOWL (P680) and STICKY MANGO RICE DRINK (P180)

Its Thai Crispy Chicken Curry Bowl is served atop fragrant coconut infused rice – its creamy curry is served on the side so that its chicken strips would maintain their crispness. It’s served with a side of fried shimeji mushrooms (which pair perfectly with their curry sauce as well). Watch out though - a solo serving of this is pretty hefty that despite having a big appetite, I could barely finish it! Its Sticky Mango Rice Drink is essentially a bottled version of the famous Thai dessert – that you can conveniently just sip through. I don’t recommend you going through both in a sitting – I had to move down the Sticky Mango Rice Drink as my merienda/dessert instead as I was bursting!

WAGYU THAI STEAK BOX (P980) and TROPIC THUNDER (P180)

As Made in Bangkok is a sister concept of Ginza Gyu, you can bet that they know their way around their wagyu dishes. Lightly-salted thinly sliced wagyu are carefully laid on a bed of tasty Steak Fried Rice that's flavored with a lip-smacking tamarind-based steak sauce. Compared to the Thai Crispy Chicken Curry Bowl, a solo order of this is just perfect for one person – I don’t think you’d want to share even a single precious bite of this amazing dish with another! I paired this with the Tropic Thunder which is a refreshing blend of passionfruit and mangoes – this drink is a bit on the heavy side as it makes use of coconut milk.

Made in Bangkok

Dates of Delivery: November 4, 2021 and December 15, 2021 via IG: madeinbkkph