Soy Happy with Happy Soy

I like taho—sweet silken tofu with syrup and tapioca balls peddled on the street in the morning. But, even before this whole covid mess, I rarely got to drink (or is it eat?) taho because I was seldom out on the street early. Now that covid has kept me in the house most of the time, the chances of finding taho was very slim. Until I saw a friend's facebook story of taho and we got a taho conversation rolling which led to her suggesting I try Happy Soy for the reason that it was located in my city (Mandaue City). (In other words, the delivery fee won't, hopefully, be more than the taho itself. She herself hadn't tried Happy Soy!)

Taho peddled on the street can be had for 5 or 10 pesos a cup. A very small cup. Happy Soy's classic taho costs Php 60, are in 12 oz cups, and organic to boot! The dark brown sugar syrup is not too sweet, the taho oh so silky.

Classic taho in a 12 oz. cup

They also sell taho in even bigger servings. A 900-gram tub (good for 5-6 persons) of classic taho costs Php300. It includes a 330ml bottle of dark brown sugar syrup and 12 oz. cup of sago. Plus a free 12 oz. cup of good-to-go taho. 900 grams not enough for you? They also have a bucket of taho good for 8 to 10 persons for Php450!

900-gram tub of taho and a free 12 oz good-to-go taho

Happy Soy also has taho in other syrup flavors for Php 70 per 12 oz. cup. The syrup flavors are strawberry, blueberry, banana, and wintermelon. (I have yet to try these.)

The shelf life of Happy Soy's taho is one week (in chiller). But, I don't think you have to worry about that, because I guarantee, a tub won't last a day. Case in point: My family and I consumed three tubs of taho in less than three days! It was so good!!

QuaranEats: Pater Boy

Pater is a Maranao dish of rice topped with chicken, beef, or tuna, and eaten with palapa (a very spicy condiment made with scallions, ginger, and chili). The first and only time I ate pater was when I visited Iligan in 2014.  But I never forgot how good it was that I would always be on the look out for it in Cebu. I don't know how long Pater Boy has been serving the Maranao dish, but I only discovered them while hiding from this pesky corona virus.

Clockwise from top: tuna, beef, chicken

Pater Boy's menu is very simple. Just three kinds of pater (chicken, beef, tuna; Php 40 each) and palapa (Php 95 for a 118 ml jar). The pater comes with a serving of palapa. The pater looks small, but my eyes are bigger than my stomach. One serving was actually enough for me. My mouth wanted more, my stomach said stop. (Warning! Eating pater with palapa will make you want to eat more!) I have always been partial to chicken so if you ask me which of the three I prefer, you know the answer.

Pater Boy has three branches: J. Urgello Street, Leon Kilat Street, and in Bacayan (Talamban). You can go to any of these branches or have it delivered—send them a message in their facebook pages: Pater Boy / Pater Boy Talamban. Delivery is through a third-party service, so there is a separate delivery fee. For deliveries, they accept cash on delivery or payment through bank transfer (BDO) or GCash.

QuaranEats: Indonesian Food by MitaBelle

During the community quarantine, I traveled to Indonesia without ever going out of my house. I traveled through my tastebuds!

I found Indonesian food by MitaBelle's New Cuisine through a facebook group. On the menu are three kinds of boxed meals, two types of desserts (the other, not mentioned in the photo below since it is a new offering, is Nastar, which are pineapple tarts—Php 100 for 20 pieces), and party trays.

We tried the boxed meals and desserts. Each of the boxed meals included yellow rice, mie goreng, and vegetables. The shrimp and tofu boxed meal came with a potato fritter, while the beef and chicken came with sambal (chili sauce). Of the three, I liked the shrimp and tofu best! I also liked the sambal and mie goreng. My brother deems these boxed meals worthy of its price! For dessert, we tried the nastar and dadar gulung. Nastar are delectable one-inch pineapple tart balls. I could eat the pack of 20 pieces in one sitting! Dadar gulung are pandan crepe with sweet coconut inside. The sweet coconut stuffing is just like our bukayo.

Top, left to right: Nasi Kotak Shrimp and Tofu, Nasi Kotak Chicken

Bottom, left to right: Nastar, Nasi Kotak Beef, Dadar Gulung

If you're craving for Indonesian food, contact Mita Fatmarasi through facebook messenger. One day advance notice is required for orders. The orders can be picked up near Sunny Hills/Gaisano Grandmall in Talamban, or you can have it delivered through Maxim or Grab (Mita will arrange the delivery). Mita accepts payments through BPI or cash on delivery. Happy travels (through tastebuds)!

QuaranEats: Lucas Homemade Ice Cream

My mother, who is very picky with her food, approves of Lucas Homemade Ice Cream. She especially loves the Dutch with Cashew. I liked both Dutch with Cashew and Blueberry Yogurt. It's so good, it's bad—very bad for our blood sugar! Hahaha!! 

Dutch with Cashew (left) and Blueberry Yogurt (right)

This very smooth and creamy ice cream is made with love in a Talisay home. People with a sweet tooth from the north (Mandaue, Lapu-lapu, etc) will definitely think the delivery fee might cost more than the ice cream. But, no need to worry about the delivery fee, it can be delivered from Cebu IT Park!

Ordering was very easy: I just sent a message on facebook, paid online (through BPI or GCash), and my tubs of Dutch with Cashew and Blueberry Yogurt Lucas Homemade Ice Cream were delivered to my doorstep the very next day (I paid the delivery fee in cash since it was delivered by a third-party).

There are almost a dozen flavors to choose from. Now which flavors should I try next?

QuaranEats: GenRis

Well, well, well. This community quarantine, imposed since the end of March 2020, sure brought out the cooks, bakers, gardeners, crafters, etc. in us. Or at least most of us—not me: I have no talent for cooking, baking, gardening, DIY-ing. I only have a talent for eating. Eating good food. And good food is meant to be shared. If not physically, then the good news of good food.

GenRis's brownies and egg pie

And here's the good news for your sweet tooth: GenRis makes very soft, chocolatey, melts-in-your-mouth brownies (box of 25 for Php 380) and fluffy, not-too-sweet, you-know-they're-not-scrimping-on-eggs egg pies (Php 350). And that's just among other dessert stuff from their menu. (I only tried these two, so these two are the only ones getting the special mention.)

Head on over to GenRis's facebook page to check out what other goodies they have. And to place your order, of course!

This is not a sponsored post. Good food is just worth writing and telling friends about.

QuaranEats: Cole's Cansi

Thanks to facebook and local fb groups, my family and I discovered some difficult-to-find eats. First find was Yogh!'s Greek yogurt. Next find was Cole's Cansi.

Cansi is a Bacolod dish which is kind of a cross between pochero and sinigang. I always make a point to eat cansi when in Bacolod because I could never find one as good in Cebu. It was only by staying home (community quarantine!) that I found one in Cebu.

Since I could not travel to Bacolod, Cole's brought Bacolod to the dining table. Mmmm...tender beef, sour soup, cholesterol bone marrow goodness! One serving (Php 350) is good for two to three persons. Or one very hungry Mustachio. Just kidding. I shared it with my siblings for lunch, and found out we wanted more! We immediately ordered another one for dinner.

QuaranEats: Yogh!

Photo grabbed from Yogh!'s facebook page

I love Greek yoghurt. But I don't love that it's difficult to come by in Cebu. And when it does become available in the supermarket, it is too expensive.

When I came across Yogh!'s post on facebook, Cebu City was still on ECQ, and delivery between cities wasn't available. Sad. But, as luck would have it, weeks later (at this time delivery service between cities has resumed), the owner bought something from my sister and gave her a tub of Greek yoghurt for free! (First time I heard of a buyer giving a seller something for free, but I'm not complaining.)

Finally, real Greek yoghurt in Cebu City! Oh, so good! My bad, I didn't have a wide selection of fruits in my fridge. You know, to add to my Greek yoghurt. But, it was just as good plain!

Greek yoghurt:
1kg Php 500
500g Php 300
250g Php 150

Yogh! also offers babaganoush, hummus, labneh, and yoghurt parfaits. Orders can be placed through their facebook page or through their online store. (This is not a sponsored post. I wanted to write about this so I will not forget that there is real Greek yoghurt in Cebu.)