Our Kitchen: Let Manila Catering Do All The Cooking

With today's fast-paced world, I'm sure a lot of you don't have time for cooking. You may either be too tired from work or like me, you're probably both lazy and unconfident with your culinary skills. And when my four-piece family find ourselves in this situation, we'd usually just eat out or order food for delivery. However, consuming food from restaurants too often isn't doing anything good for both your wallet and your health.

Recently, I've come across a brilliant solution for me and my mom's seasonal laziness to cook for the family. In West Triangle, Quezon City, there's a food shop offering Ready-To-Heat Meals as well as Food-To-Go. And if you're familiar with the famous Manila Catering, then this is their answer to mothers and independent individuals' need for ready-to-eat foods without sacrificing the taste and the nutrients.

Our Kitchen by Manila Catering is a one-stop food shop offering warm, hearty and thoughtfully-prepared dishes that don't require cooking. Their Ready-To-Heat Meals use the blast freezing technology where the food is frozen while keeping the flavors, freshness and nutrients all locked in. The best part is, these very affordable RTH meals can be stored for 3 months! And when you want to finally eat the food, you can just heat,serve and enjoy. If you have parties, company meetings or just have the need for large serving of dishes, you can opt for Food-To-Go good for 5, 10 or even 20 people.

Aside from Ready-To-Heat Meals and Food-To-Go, Our Kitchen also has salad dressings, pasta sauces, condiments, breads, pastries and other confectioneries.

Aside from the convenience of having ready-to-eat food, Our Kitchen is also a good answer for foodies who have fallen in love with Manila Catering's flavorful and nutritious dishes but don't want to avail of the group's catering just to satisfy the craving.

The Food

I wouldn't be a fan of Our Kitchen if I wasn't able to get a taste of their mouth-watering ready-to-eat dishes. Although I haven't personally tried their RTH, the Food-To-Go was enough to convince me that Manila Catering really put a lot of love in every food item.

Our Kitchen has a wide selection of dishes, and from their array of salads, I got to try the Caesar Salad (P830 for 10pax) -- an ensemble of fresh greens, sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized walnuts and shaved Parmesan drenched in a savory and tangy dressing.

I also got to sample the Iberian Chicken (P800 for 10pax; P1,600 for 20pax), a really savory and succulent Spanish dish of roasted deboned chicken and potatoes oozing with earthy and herby flavors. This chicken dish is oh-so-good that I can have it everyday! A good news is it's also available as Ready-To-Heat (P150 for 1-2pax; P295 for 3-4pax).

Another viand I got to try is the Lenggua Con Estofado (P615 for 5pax; P1,220 for 10pax; P2,420 for 20pax), another Spanish dish of braised beef tongue in rich and flavorful mushroom sauce which is also available as Ready-To-Heat (P300 for 1-2pax; P575 for 3-4pax). If you're not a fan of lengua because you know what it really is, then try to think you're eating beef brisket. I'm sure you'll enjoy it more. (It's what I used to do.)

My favorite from Our Kitchen would probably be the Paella Marinara (P995 for 5pax; P1,975 for 10pax; P3,900 for 20pax), a classic Spanish dish of tomato-saffron rice cooked with squid, shrimp and crabs, and topped with hard-boiled egg and lemon slices.

This Paella Marinara dish is one of the best ones I've had. Although it doesn't have the burnt part at the bottom that many people love, every spoonful of the paella rice is an explosion of savory, salty and oh-so-wonderful flavors. Our Kitchen also doesn't scrimp on the seafood toppings, so you're sure to have a seafood feast in just a single dish.

Manila Catering is not just known for providing great service, but also for putting up good food, and one of the group's most sought-after food item would probably be the Sinful Chocolate Cake (P65 personal; P595 whole) which is a rich and moist chocolate cake filled in between and topped with gooey Belgian chocolate ganache.

Our Kitchen houses a lot of interesting food items. That's why when I saw this colorful box of Flavored Sylvanna Balls (P95 for 6; P180 for 12), I just knew I should buy it. And, I was definitely right. Munching these little treats was such a delight -- crispy and airy upon first bite, and chewy and gooey when you reach the center.

THE VERDICT

After getting a taste of the food from Our Kitchen, I'm very positive that this won't be the last. With branches in West Triangle, as well as one in Visayas Ave., both in Quezon City, I'll be making sure that I drop by to try the Ready-To-Heat Meals not just for convenience' sake, but for Manila Catering's promise of great-tasting and nutritious meals at affordable prices. Oh, and I also can't wait to visit their new branch in Kapitolyo as I've heard they offer dine-in in D'Ace Plaza.

Taste - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 4/5
Overall Value - 4/5

Our Kitchen by Manila Catering, West Triangle
47 Examiner St., West Triangle
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 355-5755; 355-3279 loc 121
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