If eating were a feeling

Food affects mood, just as mood dictates one’s choice of food. Evidence has shown that the edibles you stuff yourself with can affect how you act and feel. This is because the components of food cause chemical, hormonal and physiological changes in your body. Conversely, low hormonal levels in your system affect mood, which in turn affects your cravings. 

Sounds too scientific and convoluted? For those of us who want easy explanations, it may be as simple as this: When you gorge on either a superb pork or beef dish you will feel heavenly. And because you feel like a pig (or cow) with angel’s wings, you will resolve to eat a healthier vegetarian meal the very next time you graze. So, there!

Fortunately, there are numerous restaurants around the city to satisfy our longings, whatever our moods and food cravings. Serendra at the Bonifacio Global City is one of these great places to be whether we yearn for new flavors, or hunger for the comfort foods of home. With a wide choice of restaurants standing cheek by jowl, it is a simple matter to mosey along from one restaurant to the next to sample what each has to offer. Eating depending on how you feel (or “feeling” for something to eat) has never been easier. 

Chuck’s Deli: Eat Like A Champ

Feeling like a champ? Then Chuck’s is the place to be. The place is known for its signature Slabwiches — super sandwiches that are served in 10-inch long ciabatta. A Slabwich weighs roughly half a kilo and is meant for big eaters, so those with dainty, bird-like appetites should be warned.

The deli opened in Serendra in November 2010 and is owned by chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara and her husband Marco Alcantara, who wanted sandwiches similar to what he was used to while growing up in San Francisco. Who is Chuck after whom the restaurant is named? No one in particular. The owners just wanted a fun, friendly, American-sounding name that is easy to remember.

What makes Chuck’s Deli different from other American-style diners is that almost everything is made from scratch. A Le Cordon Bleu (Paris)-trained chef, Katrina makes everything herself. They tell us, “When a customer orders, that’s the only time the half-baked bread is popped into the oven to complete the baking process, so it’s really fresh. We make our own sauces; cure our own corned beef; make our own patties, sausages, potato chips, and even sauerkraut.” In other words, it is not a matter of slapping store-bought meats on ordinary bread. Chuck’s Deli’s special sandwiches are really not something that you can duplicate at home.

The place is laidback and friendly and the sandwiches are served on wooden slabs lined with paper. Diners are encouraged to eat with their hands. There are pastas, salads and milkshakes and yogurt, as well as American drinks such as root beer float (A&W) and American sodas such as Dr. Pepper, Fanta Grape and Mello Yello. If you feel that the sissy drinks are not suited for your big man (or woman) tastes, you can decide on beer or a glass (or even bottle) of house wine instead.

When you feel like a champ and can eat like a champ, you can take on the Chuck’s Challenge. If you finish a full slab of the Buffy in five minutes or less, you get the Slabwich for free, a shirt that says, “I can slay the Buffy in less than five minutes, can you?” plus your name on their wall of fame. 

But when the dinosaur-sized appetite is sated, do remember to buy a box of the chef’s delicate Paulene pralines, truffles and ganache. Give this to your mom and show your sensitive side.

Chuck’s Deli is at the ground floor, Serendra (along the driveway facing Market! Market!), Bonifacio Global City. Call 576-4210, 846-1734 or 0923-3986378. Or e-mail chucksdeliserendra@gmail.com.

Chelsea Market And Café: A Bohemian Rhapsody Of Flavor

The Chelsea area in Manhattan is well known for its thrilling art scene. With numerous galleries and a diverse and interesting mix of personalities, it stimulates, excites and is constantly changing.

You could say that the Chelsea Market and Café at Serendra exudes a Bohemian vibe. With a clientele spanning all age groups and professions, it is a hub for spending time with close friends and interesting new acquaintances. As a place for sharing meals and thought-provoking conversation, it has become a favorite spot for families and groups of friends. The restaurant is great for less formal business meetings, too. The only downside is that with such a great view, there is a risk of being less attentive to business matters.

The menu, too, is eclectic and interesting. One can start with the Chelsea Fritto Misto Collection of lightly fried calamari, artichokes, preserved lemons, asparagus, capers and perk these up with fresh lemon, garlic aioli and pomodoro dipping sauces; move on to New Zealand Lamb Bolognese with fresh basil, black olives, feta and pappardelle (or very large, unusually broad fettucine); and go on to servings of US rib eye steaks, mahi-mahi, duck or osso bucco. The recipes and cooking influences are so varied that one can travel the world through the menu.

This restaurant serves up an orchestra of flavors, so to speak. Depending on how well you are able to synchronize the various flavors of the dishes, you will end up with a symphony of a meal.

Chelsea Market and Café is at the ground level, Serendra Piazza.

Savoring The Flavors Of Rich Tradition At Gaudi

The Gaudi we know from school is the famous Catalan architect who designed Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, and is recognized for his work with the Catalan Modernista movement.

Gaudi in Serendra is rich in Spanish culinary heritage. While it is true that Spanish cuisine has changed a lot in recent years due to the availability of a diverse choice of ingredients, we go to Gaudi for the comfort of dishes that are slowly and lovingly cooked so that they remain familiar and reassuring. At the restaurant, each delicious mouthful is rich with memory.

That the cuisine at Gaudi is authentic is not surprising. Its executive chef and owner Alexandra Cacho was born in San Sebastian, a city in the north of Spain. She says her cooking philosophy was written in the menu of her other restaurant, Tapella, in Greenbelt 5: “Start with a traditional base, pour an infusion of unique contrasting flavors and a spoonful of intense passion, a dash of talent and a sprig of innovation. Finish off with disconcerting textures and illusion.” But at Gaudi, we are at home with the warm, rich aromas and the well-loved flavors.

While our dining compatriots are most likely to start with gambas al ajillo, the usual sautéed shrimp with chili, garlic and virgin olive oil, we would rather have the Spanish chorizo lumpias called Rollitos Gaudi. Thinking arros Valenciana too tame, we always have arros negre amb all I oli on every visit. Never mind that the Catalan squid paella served with aioli sauce comes with the risk off unsightly bits of black in between the teeth.

But the best part of any visit to Gaudi is the roast suckling pig. At every visit, we tell ourselves that the true meaning of cochinillo al horno is “pigs can fly.” If eating were a feeling, this would be heaven.

Gaudi is at the ground floor, Serendra

Cupcakes By Sonja: Giddy Over Pretty Sweets

“Muffins are just ugly cupcakes,” says an unknown author. Cupcakes by Sonja, on the other hand, are miniature works of edible art. The store is well known for starting the local cupcake craze and continues to be a popular destination for those who crave a sweet fix.

Unlike having a slice from the usual-sized cake, one of the best things going for cupcakes is that they are consumed easily. One can move from one to another cupcake without feeling guilty about leaving a trail of sliced full-sized cakes behind. More than just cupcakes, there are cupcake pies and cupcake tarts, cookies, brownies, yogurt and bars at Cupcakes by Sonja. The store is a sweet-tooth’s idea of heaven with a delicious aroma — depending on what is available, a delicious mix of cinnamon, mint, coconut, chocolate, coffee, and sugar.

Personal favorites include the choco-cream cupcake pie with rich, luscious Belgian chocolate cream in an Oreo crust that is topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with more Oreo bits; the Red Velvet Vixen, a traditional southern cupcake made with Belgian cocoa and cream cheese icing, and the Melt-in-Your-Mouth Flourless Chocolate Cupcake, a dense Vahlrona flourless cupcake with a rich velvety flavor that really dissolves in your mouth. In this season close to Thanksgiving, we look forward to the seasonal Sweet Pumpkin Spice Cupcake that is comforting and sweet. What else can we say? We’ve been fans of Cupcakes by Sonja since the store opened in 2006 and it is unlikely that this will change.

Cupcakes by Sonja is at 1C 03 Serendra Piazza. Log on to www.cupcakesbysonja.com.