Buy

Venturing into new cuisines always brings along the predicament of where to find the ingredients here in Metro Manila. Good quality, and sometimes authentic, ingredients can make or break your dish. This is our new hobby - ingredients hunting! It is always an adventure to go to a new store and find just exactly what was called for in a recipe!

Read this entry first.

I've compiled some of the groceries and specialty stores here. I'll be updating this often:

Bread
Sometimes we're lazy to bake. Here are some good sources of great bread:

• Jipan


• Hatchin Japanese Grocery


• Breadtalk


• Le Coeur de France

By INGREDIENT:
Eggs (free range, organic; great brand: Purpose Driven Farm): available at both Santi's Deli and Cherry Foodarama

Flour

• Assad Mini Mart - wholewheat flour (for rotis and other Indian breads)


• Healthy Options - stone ground, organic, wholewheat varieties; rye and other mixtures; pastry flour. Favorite brand: Bob's Red Mill


• Rustan's, Makati - OO flour, O flour (for breads)


• Santi's Deli - semolina

Herbs

Potted herbs:

• Greenhearts Gardens, Quezon City


• Manila Seedling Bank (various shops), Quezon City (via Agham Road or via EDSA)


• Perlie's Garden (and others), Quezon City Circle, Quezon City


• The Flower Farm, Tagaytay

In packets

• Cherry Foodarama


• Rustan's supermarket, Makati


• Santi's Deli (a good local brand: Antonio's)

Olive Oil: try Colavita (at most groceries) or Medolio (available at Santi's)



By CUISINE:

Indian ingredients

• Assad Mini Mart - spices (including whole nutmeg), curries, read-to-eat dishes (canned dishes, snacks, desserts), ready-to-eat rotis and chapatis, lentils


• Rustan's Supermarket, Makati

Middle Eastern ingredients

• Tahini - Assad Mini Mart

Japanese ingredients

• Fujimart, Timog, Quezon City


• Okame, Park Square, Makati


• Yamazaki Japanese Grocery, Makati

Cooking and baking gadgets & accessories

• Cook's Exchange (best bet!)


• Chocolate Lovers (I don't particulary like this store, but it's sometimes good in a pinch)


• Living Well / Gourdo's


• Santi's Deli (mostly Kuhn products)