breakfast sandwich roundup

A.K.A. the only things worth getting up for in the morning. 

sausage mcmuffin 

My dad's love language is asking me some mornings if I want a sandwich, and by sandwich, he means a Sausage McMuffin. We've had this ritual since I was in elementary school, when he would pass by the drive-thru to get me one as a treat from time to time. (Sometimes I would even save it for recess or lunch.) Now it's a go-to before Zoom meetings, usually with a crunchy, oily hash brown and orange juice.

Sometimes to mix things up I would order the sandwich with an egg, but the better choice is obviously the Cheesy Eggdesal or the Cheesy Eggdesal with sausage; I always love how the gooey melted cheese runs out when you bite into the scrambled egg. But there's nothing like a fresh Sausage McMuffin, when the buttery toasted English muffin in crisp outside and uber-soft to the bite, the sausage patty is juicy and tender, and the cheese is halfway melted inside but still a little cold on the edges. A classic that, for sure, is worthy of becoming a symbol of love.

toast and brew 

This little joint is my best-kept secret, and always worth the P179 delivery fee on Grab. They use very good English muffins that are softer than McDo's, and have a great, diverse menu of everything you could want on your breakfast sandwich: scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, tuna, ham, corned beef, Nutella, what have you, with a base price of about P70. My favorite is the sausage patty (this one's a little smokier and more Filipino-style) and cream cheese (with extra cream cheese, sometimes). 

I also order a bacon egg melt — there's an option to layer on any other topping you want, and it's so cool that Grab lets you choose to add strawberry or blueberry jam to a savory sandwich like this, because just like that, you can order j-hope's Hope Toast as a secret menu item of sorts. I was so happy when I discovered this, because I've whined for years about coffee shops and other restaurants failing to capitalize on his golden creation. I was worried they wouldn't honor the request, but they did, and I've ordered it every time since. Tangy, sweet, cheesy, eggy, delicious. 

breakfast sausage king 

I'm not a fan of using burger buns for breakfast sandwiches, but it's easily forgiven when the scrambled eggs are generously portioned, with cheese, a thin layer of mayo, and a sausage patty that's a bit more on the sweet side. I like ordering this with hash bites and a Mocha BK Joe, criminally underrated for how creamy it is without being cloying. The spam, egg, and cheese sandwich is another favorite, and it would be perfect if they crisped up the spam just a little more. 

cheesy egg sandwich from pancake house 

Introduced almost a year ago and quietly discontinued a few months later, this sandwich still haunts my dreams thanks to the high-quality bread and caramelized onions that really gave it a leg up beyond the fluffy scrambled egg, cheese, and special sauce.

tuna grilled cheese from new bistro deli 

My favorite way to eat tuna is on bread, I'm realizing. This take is simple and everything you expect: the tuna spread is chunky and creamy, and there's a lot of fresh onion bits that add an extra crunch and umami. I also tried their grilled donut sandwich a couple of years back, with sausage and cheese, and it was a pleasant surprise, especially with the honey glaze crystalizing and adding to the (surprisingly chewy but complex) texture. A great sweet and savory meal, if a little heavy.   

salmon dreams

Salmon scallop aburi from Dream Bites

Reviews of salmon rice dishes I've ordered for delivery over the past month or two. 

salmon don from japan fudo street

I think this started a little bit of a salmon phase for me. The cook on it was really good — very crispy skin with a slightly underdone belly that made for a great combo of textures. It was served with plenty of Kewpie mayo and warm Japanese-style rice, making for an altogether simple but rich meal that had me seeking out more salmon donburi with Japanese mayo. 

salmon donburi from kale cafe 

This was almost sublime, pairing torched salmon and Kewpie with generous, generous (I cannot stress that enough, every bite had enough of each to go around) helpings of ebiko, spring onions, and crispy, chewy nori flakes that are shredded kind of like corned beef. It also came with a few pieces of crispy dumpling skin that lent an extra crunch and saltiness. My only problem was the rice: it wasn't Japanese rice, to begin with, and it was a little dry and just the wrong texture overall. But it was ultimately a non-issue with the way it all came together and I'd definitely order it again. 

salmon fish cakes with quinoa and cilantro sauce from cloudeats 

I went for the quinoa version instead of the curry rice version, which is also good, but I wanted the grains to take a backseat to the taste of the fish cake and the sauce. It's also much more affordable, which is a plus. The fish cakes are breaded balls of flaky salmon meat and I'm a little obsessed with them. (I first tried them on CloudEats' pesto pasta, which was also a nice pairing.) They're great with the zesty, savory cilantro sauce and loads of broccoli. I'd never had quinoa before this dish, and I actually thought it would be adlai instead, but I ended up liking it as well and I'm definitely adding this to my list of no-fail go-tos. 

salmon scallop aburi from dream bites 

Generous slices of torched salmon and scallop, with tempura flakes, fried rice that's good enough to eat on its own, and creamy, briny aburi sauce — it was love at first (dream) bite. Everything worked together harmoniously to create every great spoonful: the salmon tender, the scallop firm and still discernible under all that flavor, the tempura flakes adding a fun little crunch, the sauce calling for you to drag your spoon across the bowl so not a drop is wasted. I almost wanted to transfer it into a fancy bowl because of how indulgent and filling it is. 

ebi mentaiko alfredo pasta at gram + takoyaki fries and lychee citrus cream soda at key coffee

2/25/2023

I met with Cheska and Steph at Gram Cafe. I'd been in a mentaiko mood and looked around for places in Metro Manila that have it. One result that came up was Gram, and I was excited to find that their menu is full of similar yoshoku-style (Western fusion) dishes.  

When we got there we took forever to decide what to get because everything looked so good: salmon truffle aburi don, California rolls that had extra mango and cream cheese, wagyu hamburg curry with cheese, nori battered fish with chive tartare. (This is really just me listing the things I want to try when I go back.) Ultimately I decided on the mentaiko alfredo because that was what I'd searched for in the first place, and I wasn't disappointed — smooth cream sauce with a mild ocean-y undertone that's a little soupy but clings well to the al dente noodles and is complemented by the strips of nori, fresh shrimp, and of course, the mentaiko. I was hoping that the mentaiko would be incorporated a bit more into the sauce itself so that you get the classic pink color and a more pronounced flavor, but I loved it regardless. 

Cream-based pasta used to be my favorite food, but over the last couple of years it's become more difficult for me to be happy with just any old carbonara or alfredo, or whatever else, at restaurants. There's always something missing, or it has too much going on. So my relationship with it now is a bit more complicated, but when I find at take on it that I really like, it's always gratifying and I feel like I've discovered something one-in-a-million. 

We walked to Mitsukoshi so we could check it out and hang a little longer. Cheska wanted a matcha drink so we went to Key Coffee. It was still on soft opening and there were a lot of people, which meant most of the food menu was sold out. We decided to split an order of takoyaki fries —crisp on the outside and great at soaking up the sweet-savory-tangy mix of the sauce, the Kewpie, the spring onions and the bonito. 

I also got a lychee cream soda, served in the cutest flowery glass. It tasted like Jelly Ace and was just super fun to drink. Next time I want to try the grape. 

Steph, Cheska, and I had a lot of fun just telling our stories and making jokes that won't make sense to anyone else. It was our first time hanging out together, all of us, and the first time the two of them are meeting, ever. 

Before we parted Cheska and I went to the grocery in Mitsukoshi because I wanted to see if they have any ramune drinks — I was missing the Skal Cool Blue soda I would buy at the vending machine outside my hotel in Osaka. (Steph had already gone to meet her boyfriend, who was taking her home.) They didn't have any of the glass marble bottles, but they did have one in a plastic bottle. It tasted just like I hoped it would: like "blue," like bubblegum with a hint of lemon and a dash of nostalgia. Like a day at the mall when you were a kid, somehow.

I drank it on the ride home, grateful and warm at having spent time with great friends and getting to try these new cool and delicious things, because they were so worth the distance and the price. Sometimes you don't get lucky with fads and new places, but we chose very well this time around. 

pan roasted cedar salmon with cilantro rice, mango salsa, and cajun spices at the wholesome table

3/16/2023

Lately my ideal food has been a rich, tender protein with fluffy, herby, flavorful rice and a sweet element for depth and balance, and this dish checks off all the boxes. 

I had it when I went out to dinner with Ella, who ordered the same thing. We hadn't seen each other since 2019, and had had a few hiccups with scheduling since we were both so busy with work. I'd been worried that things between us would feel stilted at first, but when we laid eyes on each other, we picked right back up where we'd left off. Like no time had passed at all. 

We talked about our jobs, what it's like to leave publishing for creative fields that have very different inner workings (and that we never would've seen ourselves in until we actually got there), how lucky we are to be part of something with people who are kind and supportive and just get it, that's fulfilling and makes us happy with labor in a way we never thought possible. 

She talked about living away from home and wishing she could go back sometimes, how her mom would visit and they'd go out shopping, which I thought was really nice. "See, that's the thing," I began, "I was just getting to the part where my mom and I could finally be friends." And before I knew it—before I could even finish the sentence—my voice was breaking a little and I was in tears. Ella was quick to comfort me and reassure me that we all have moments that gave us license to cry in public, and it felt good to share a little about what the past two years have been like because I hardly let myself think about them sometimes. (Let alone cry about them.) 

Conversation moved on to other things, meaningful and funny and eye-opening the way talks with Ella always are. Personal, the way I don't always get to be with everyone. (Scorpio things.) She's one of the few people I can really turn to when I need perspective on mental health stuff. I checked the time after I accidentally cried and it was 6:30 p.m. The next time I checked it, it was 8:30—but it didn't feel like two hours had passed at all. 

We shared a Grab ride home and promised to see each other again very soon. It was very healing and life-affirming, and I can't wait for next time.  

As for the dish: The salmon was a little more done than I expected, but I enjoyed the crispiness of its sear. I think it was brown sugar-crusted, because the crispiness had a bit of a crystal-like texture to it, and there was an extra layer of sweetness that was unexpected but definitely not unwelcome at all. It all came together well with the rice and the mango salsa, which needs to become the next big condiment that you'll find everywhere. It's my ranch dressing. It's my chili crisp. It's my way of life and I would carry it in a tiny clip-on bottle for mango salsa emergencies if I could.