It's Simply Deli-Cious!

No more deli-dallying now, what’s Trade Secretary Mar Roxas’ favorite snack place?

Why, it’s the Mandarin Deli! He wouldn’t trade it for the world – he’s there at least thrice a week, when he feels like grabbing a light sandwich perhaps in the middle of a heavy workday.

Fashion designer Lulu Tan Gan may pull a lot of knit tricks but it’s no magic how she keeps her figure trim. She goes for the salads at Mandarin Deli.

Liposuction expert Dr. Vicki Belo confesses that she feels her salad days ain’t over at Mandarin Deli.

There’s nothing fishy about the fact that Teddy Boy Locsin loves the Deli’s fish and chips.

Cathay Pacific country manager Adrian Harley’s favorite stop in Makati is the Deli, which is right across his office.

And oui, French Ambassador Gilles Chouraqui must be Deli-riously in love with the food at Mandarin’s delicatessen that he goes there thrice a week.

And now, here’s a fresh reason to visit the Deli: Healthy, gourmet salads, as whipped up by Mandarin Oriental’s award-winning chefs. Only the freshest and most sophisticated ingredients go into this innovative selection of health salads like: romaine lettuce with kalamata olives, roasted sweet peppers, herb-marinated feta cheese in lime olive oil dressing, served with hummus and focaccia croutons; arugula leaves tossed with olive dressing, accompanied by oven-roasted organic tomato, bel paese and grape salsa; assorted garden greens with wild mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic croutons, blended in white balsamic dressing; grilled eggplant, tomato and onion salad with salted eggs and anchovy fillets, tossed in sugarcane vinegar dressing; young spinach salad with spiced olives, with galbani mozzarella in garlic olive dressing; and the Healthy Chef Salad consisting of iceberg lettuce, oven-roasted organic tomatoes, green asparagus, garlic prawns, artichoke and smoked chicken breast served with mango ginger dressing.

Yes, you can enjoy your salad days at the Deli which is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (call 893-36-61).

"It used to be open only until 7 p.m.," says Charisse Chuidian, Mandarin Oriental, Manila director of communications. "Five years ago, we expanded our menu to include dinner."

It’s a change people of Makati heartily welcome. Before work, there are those who start their day at the Deli with something to warm the belly – and the heart? After work, housewives would drop by the Deli for some goodies-to-go to bring home. Some opt to grab a bite while waiting for the traffic to ease. They can create their own sandwich or choose from the menu’s good old favorites: toasted mozzarella sandwich with baby spinach and anchovy, The Junction (barbecued slices of chicken breast on jumbo croissant); The Greek Toast (with tuna and feta cheese); fresh bagel filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese; focaccia bread with parma ham and pesto dip; beef burger (on roasted sesame bun with potato salad and your choice of topping – cheese, bacon and fried egg); baked potato with smoked salmon condiments; Caesar salad with Cajun-spiced chicken; Mandarin Deli chicken salad sandwich (with bean sprouts, kalamata olives and arugula tossed in Oriental dressing served in pita bread); spring rolls with plum sauce, which we swear will make you roll with delight; leek and smoked salmon quiche, beef lasagne, vegetable lasagne, Thai chicken curry (with coconut, steamed rice and mango chutney); pork spareribs (with baked potato and condiments); fish and chips (with French fries and tartar sauce); and grilled sirloin steak with French fries.

Enter the Deli (past the Captain’s Bar and the flower shop) and you’d think you just died and went to bread heaven. Assorted breads hang in baskets and line shelves at the counter: knacker bread, French bread, Swiss white bread, whole wheat bread, rye bread, brown bread, milk bread, protein bread, farmer’s bread, raisin bread, combi-corn, multi-grain bread, rolls, croissant (plain, chocolate, grainex, wheat), Danish, baguette, pandesal, ensaymada, brioche. Bread of the month for June is Jewish bread and triestini. There are French pastries, cakes, Swiss and German chocolates that come in boxes for giving away as a treat for your sweet, and yes, even homemade ice cream. All these are lovingly and sweetly prepared by Mandarin’s multi-awarded pastry kitchen headed by pastry chef Ernie Babaran.

And what’s good bread without good coffee? For dine in, the Deli’s Egro coffee machine churns out some of the best cappuccino and espresso. Or if you want something more tea-tillating, there are herbal teas (chamomile, jasmine, peppermint, green tea), English Breakfast, Earl Grey, and Darjeelin.

Chic and cozy, the Deli can seat 48 persons. A few more seats have been added outside, hopefully to ease the deluge of lunch guests. Surely, there’s nothing half-baked in this bread-cum-food shop.

Aside from the bread baskets, there are hampers filled with goodies like homemade chips and biscuits for the grabbing.

Hot sellers are the to-go packs which include salads, bread-and-butter pudding, beef lasagne and sushis at P240 per box.

There’s sandwich (ham, pastrami, roast beef) sold by the meter (P15 per cm or minimum 10 cms for P150).

Honey-glazed ham is sold at P165 per 100 grams. Philippine dried mangoes are sold for P230 per 200 grams. Also on sale are fine wines from France, Australia, Italy and Germany. There are coffee beans like Gourmet Blend from Gourmet Farms at P245 per 250 grams, Espresso Blend and Mountain Ground Arabica.

So what else is brewing at the Deli?

There’s the "Deli-cacies for Diabetics" corner where diabetics and the diet-conscious can indulge their sweet tooth without fear or guilt. The corner’s got sugar-free products from Austria, cookies, shortbread, preserves, wafer bars, candies (fruit chews, fudgie rolls, lemon iced tea candies) and diet marmalades.

Of course, there’s also the kosher corner loaded with products from Israel: ready-to-cook couscous, rice casseroles, fish fillets, tuna, spaghetti with bolonnaise sauce, spaghetti with napolitan style sauce, priced from P270 to P420; cookies and crackers (oat bran, "Bissli" pizza flavored, grill-flavored).

And yes, the Deli delivers. Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, Deli Express is available to nearby buildings bounded by Makati Avenue, Paseo de Roxas and Ayala Avenue, within walking distance from the Mandarin. Order must be sent via fax to 893-36-61. A minimum order of P160 is required. For delivery outside the radius given, provided it is within Makati, service and transportation fee of P100 is added.

What’s on the Deli Express menu?

Quickly now, there are Chinese pre-fixed lunch boxes that vary every day for only P395 per. For instance, for Monday, the box contains steamed pork and shrimp siomai, deep-fried shrimp and taro spring rolls, fried udon with seafood.

There are more pre-fixed lunch boxes. One may contain a regular sandwich of your choice with coleslaw and fruit cheesecake. Another may have Thai chicken curry or pork spareribs with fresh fruit salad and brownie.

If you’re cooking up a birthday party or any other special occasion at the office, you can have a whole cake delivered, for only P650 up.

Now, that’s what you call Deli-cious service!