Holiday food choices for Media Noche
MANILA, Philippines — Christmas Day may have already passed, but the holiday season is far from over, as the nation prepares to welcome the New Year with the rest of the world.
Frenzied activities continue as 2023 draws to a close and gives way to a brand new year. A new year that promises a fresh new start.
So the celebration continues, leading up to Media Noche on New Year’s Eve today, December 31, and New Year’s Day lunch and dinner on January 1, 2024.
Beef-y holidays
Beef lovers will like Gringo’s Holiday Specials, which includes the Holiday Steak Plate and the Holiday Wagyu Brisket Platter.
At just P1,399 a la carte or P1,299 when added onto any Gringo sharing platter, the Holiday Steak Plate is tender, smoky beef rib-eye perfectly paired with sautéed French beans, shiitake mushrooms, baked potato and garlic confit. It is enveloped in a rich, savory gravy and has a brown-charred exterior and a juicy, perfectly cooked interior.
The Holiday Wagyu Brisket Platter, which is a steal at P999 a la carte or P899 as an add-on to any Gringo sharing platter, is a symphony of peppery, smoky flavors dancing around tender Wagyu brisket slices. It is ideally served with sautéed French beans, shiitake mushrooms, garlic confit and crispy French fries.
These two platters are great not just for festive holiday lunch or dinner but also for cozy family gatherings, office parties, holiday reunions, lively get-togethers with friends and everything in between.
Gringo’s Metro Manila stores are at Ayala Malls Feliz, The Fort, Makati, Festival Mall, Greenhills, MAAX, SM Fairview, SM Manila, SM Megamall, SM North EDSA and SM Sucat. Provincial branches include SM Baguio, SM Dasmariñas, SM Legazpi, SM Marilao and SM Sta. Rosa.
Gringo Chicken and Ribs accepts external catering, bulk orders and deliveries through their official site Gringo.ph or via GrabFood and Foodpanda. More information is available at @gringochickenribs on Facebook and @gringoph on Instagram.
Japanese-inspired
Kumori Japanese Bakery & Café’s Christmas 2023 offerings consist of three delectable Japanese-inspired sweet treats: Pistachio Holiday Dream (which is pure holiday decadence in layers of velvety pistachio mousse and chocolate sponge cake, topped with premium pistachio crumbles or with Christmas decor) at P685; Choco Pistachio Ring (soft and fluffy Japanese bread dipped in premium dark chocolate and sprinkled with chopped pistachio) at P55 per piece and Mochi Puffs (traditional Japanese rice cakes with a modern puffy twist, handcrafted and infused with decadent custard cream, available in vanilla and pistachio) at P375 per box of six.
To get a taste of all three Christmas flavors, check out the Holly Jolly Bundle (one Pistachio Holiday Dream Cake, two Choco Pistachio Rings and four Mochi Puffs), priced at P999.
Do-it-yourself edible kits
You can build you own edible house o Christmas village with Honeybon’s Christmas Village do-it-yourself (DIY) Kit and Yuletide Cookies DIY Kit.
These DIY edible projects encourage everyone, particularly kids, to explore their creativity to create a beautiful gingerbread village. Honeybon’s DIY Christmas Village, priced at P499, consists of a pre-assembled Gingerbread House with decorative candies and three colors of icing. You can make either Santa’s Cottage, the Elves’ Cabin, Rudolph’s Sled, or choose your bundle of three for P1,350.
Then there’s the Gingerbread Cookies, which are soft, chewy and thoughtfully crafted with a blend of Christmas spices and the sweetness of molasses. For P350, you get a bundle of three Gingerbread Men, one Christmas Tree Cookie, one Reindeer Cookie and three royal icings (green, red, white).
Honeybon also offers the Yule Cake, a flourless, fudgy Belgian chocolate delight. This indulgent dessert is a chocolate cake layered with rich custard filling and topped with soft chocolate frosting. The Gingerbread House and Cookies can be bought as add-ons for the Yule Cake at discounted prices of P400 and P300, respectively.
These Honeybon holiday treats are available at SM Megamall and Festival Mall and in Tokyo Bubble Tea branches in Banawe, Quezon City; Wilson, San Juan and BGC, Taguig. Online orders may be placed through honeybon.ph.
Celebration dishes
Looking for really good Hainanese Chicken, Fried Chicken, or Baby Back Ribs to add on to you Media Noche table come New Year’s Eve? Maybe a bowl of classic Ginseng Chicken that will make your spread not only festive and delicious but healthy as well for the whole family? The online food provider, Kookoo Fried Chicken, may be your best non-commercialized bet, as it scrimps on nothing to make each dish a mouth-watering celebration for those who partake of it.
To order for delivery, call 0917-6267211.
