Delivery Snippets: Manam x Kohi121PH x Xin Tian Di

MANAM

I’ve always been a fan of Manam; but it’s incredibly difficult to enjoy a solo meal from the restaurant as most of their food items come in sharing sizes. Opting for the small sizes of their viands is actually pretty good enough for one person; but often times these don't come with rice. This means you’d have to add an ala carte order of plain/garlic rice which is usually served in a cup that’s good enough for two Steffi’s.

HOUSE CRISPY SISIG SILOG (P280)

The best options for solo dining would be to select something from its Silog menu or opt for a small order of their noodles such as the Pancit Palabok. I naturally gravitate towards its House Crispy Sisig Silog, which pairs its famous Crispy Sisig with fragrant garlic rice, perfectly scrambled eggs, and a much needed citrus tomato salad that helps to balance out the grease. It’s still pretty a hefty serving size even for someone with a huge appetite like mine; but it’s the best option for solo dining until Manam launched their best idea yet: the absolutely perfect Benta Boxes.

CRISPY PATA WITH GARLIC CHILI BITS WITH GISING GISING (P238.4*)

Manam has a wide selection of Benta Boxes which pairs its bestselling dishes with your choice of Gising Gising or Tomato Salad at filling solo portions! I was definitely most excited about trying out its Crispy Pata Benta Box. Crispy Pata will always be a guilty pleasure of mine. However, these beloved deep fried pork knuckles often come at family size servings; which was why I almost teared up in excitement when I ordered my personal size Crispy Pata Benta Box. Finally, Crispy Pata on demand (without having to find people to share it with)! It’s definitely not the best Crispy Pata out there (a personal favorite would always be Lazat’s, followed by Abe’s), but considering that the knuckles went through delivery and still managed to maintain its crisp skin, I can easily forgive its borderline-dry meat, especially as it's packed with flavor!

CRUNCHY SALT AND PEPPER SQUID BENTA BOX WITH GISING GISING (P249*)

Another Benta Box I've been itching to try would be the Crunchy Salt and Pepper Squid. It’s another dish that’s not really suited for delivery as the batter quickly toughened up when it came to eating time. The squid pieces themselves were tastefully tender; and came topped with delicious garlic bits. The chewy tough batter may have been my only issue with the dish; but it definitely made for an unpleasant dining experience.

Manam

Dates of Delivery: March 9, 2020, July 28, 2020 and August 10, 2020 via Foodpanda (*items were availed during special promotions). Grabfood and MoGo (in-house delivery of the Moment Group) are other alternatives.

KOHI121 PH

From my Frappuccino days in college, I quickly transitioned to enjoying my coffee black when I started joining the workforce. Initially, it was a feeble attempt on my end to shed extra calories by skipping on the extra milk/cream and sugar; but eventually, it became my drink of choice.

COLD BREW SAMPLER (P350)

However, Starbucks coffee, without the fluff, isn’t really that great (save for the Italian Coffee Via sticks that I actually really enjoy). I used to opt for their Warm Americano; but often times, it tasted too watered down. An alternative would be their brewed coffee, which isn’t always readily available; and when it is, it’s served piping hot. As someone who takes her coffee warm or iced, drinking hot coffee becomes synonymous to nursing a burnt tongue for the rest of the day.

When their Cold Brew was rolled out, it seemed like the perfect answer to all my coffee prayers.

It’s black.

It’s more consistently brewed well.

It’s readily available.

It doesn’t burn my tongue.

However, as I do sometimes work – from -home, ordering Starbucks via GrabFood becomes too costly for my comfort (as you have to figure in the delivery fee). Fortunately, home-based purveyors have stepped up to address this demand. Thanks to my mom, I discovered Kohi121PH whose Cold Brews can easily rival Starbucks’. They offer three concentrated cold brew blends: Medium, Medium Dark and Dark (a personal favorite is the Medium Dark). Just add cold water or milk and you’re good to go. A sampler box comes in 3 x15mL vials; which can be stretched to six to eight servings! I personally recommend you NOT to follow its recommended ratios as I find these too watered down.

Instead, here are my prescribed ratios:

Medium – A glass full of ice + a third or half of the vial

Medium Dark/Dark – 1:1 ratio

Kohi121PH

Date of Delivery: August 6, 2020 (special thanks to Marjorie Villacorte for sponsoring this)!

XIN TIAN DI

Amidst the lockdown, Xin Tian Di has continued its partnership with Deal Grocer; giving hungry diners the opportunity to avail of the hotel restaurant’s fine Chinese cuisine at a discounted price. I’ve always been fond of Xin Tian Di’s noodle soup bowls and unbelievably crunchy Sweet and Sour Pork; while their Ampalaya Buchi never fails to bring a nostalgic smile to my face.

However, thanks to my sister’s Deal Grocer credits, we’ve been enjoying trying different things out from Xin Tian Di’s limited ‘lockdown’ menu. The Hong Kong Style Roast Duck (Half – P800) is a dependable bet as you’d be served with juicy duck meat clothed in delectably roasted thin skin. Pair it with the Chinese Roasting Combination Platter (P800) which boasts of endless layers of smoked meats neatly layered on top of each other. It was definitely fun unearthing them layer by layer!

The Scallop in Szechuan-Style Mapo Tofu (P620) was an instant hit; especially as Xin Tian Di definitely did not skimp on its scallop serving. Its thick sauce comes with just the right amount of heat that can be tolerated by most diners. A cup of plain rice would be the perfect pair for this. Its Stir-Fried Chinese Noodle with Prawn and XO Sauce (P550) tastes as good as it looks. Its saucy firm noodles promises a tasty bite on their own as the XO Sauce they use is simply divine. Of course, I wouldn’t mind helping myself to one of the many juicy plump prawns that come served with it. I'm not really a fan of Deep-Fried Taro Puffs (P200), but my sister and mom thoroughly had a kick out of these.

Xin Tian Di

Date of Pick-Up: August 8, 2020 (special thanks to Jem Chua for sponsoring this)!