Because of the pandemic, many cooking hobbyists have made their specialties into a full-blown business. I am blessed to have tried the dishes of these new cooks.
But my nightmare starts when friends or even relatives make me try something they made. If I feel it’s worth sharing with my readers, I either post it or even write about it. But if I feel otherwise, it breaks my heart to let the cook know of my feedback. Some appreciate the feedback, others are hurt.
I got a message from my friend Mone about her coworker from Saudia Air wanting me to sample her deli products and a cake. I was initially apprehensive but excited.
Winnie’s Deli makes tasty and high-quality sausages. I boiled the Hungarian and Hungarian with Cheese variants and both were very good. They tasted clean; no taste of chunks of fat, which I hate. The skin snapped when I bit into the sausages, which I liked. But the biggest discovery for me was the bacon.
Bacon is good almost anywhere because it has a lot of fat, but this one simply stood out. It was crisp, lean, salty, smoky and so much more. Best bacon I’ve tried. I had to order 2 kg for my kids. Plus, I wanted to experiment on making an authentic Italian carbonara so I also ordered a slab of this delicious lean bacon. Winnie’s Deli, tel. no. (0966) 801-6363
Chocoholic’s dream
This moist, deep dark chocolate cake made me dance. It was very good. It was a chocoholic’s dream come true!
The creator is the well-traveled Jnet Santos, from Saudia Airlines. One of the best I’ve tried. I know when it’s a hit with my kids; it doesn’t last very long in the fridge. IG and FB @jnetfsantos, tel. no. (0917) 513-1869
Another winner was “midnight baker” Gem Maramba’s Caramel Pretzel Cookie Bars. They’re unique and delicious. You must try them. Tel. no. (0918) 852-442, @bakerafterdark, FB: bakerafterdark
Tito Dhe’s Kitchen makes delicious longganisa. The pork steak was also perfectly seasoned with soy and citrus calamansi. I liked that the fat melted in the mouth. Tito Dhe’s Kitchen, tel. no. (0917) 366-6669 or IG @terdycabrera
Young chef Katrina Rodriguez Arriola makes a baked spaghetti that looks deceptively simple but is actually creamy and savory. My kids and I enjoyed it. Tel. no. (0917) 526-7000 IG @tonkieskitchenette, FB Tonkie’s Kitchenette
Sandy Daza writes about his food finds for his weekly column Word of Mouth. He also owns the Wooden Spoon restaurant.
