Quaran-things to note: Best-selling food delivered at your doorstep

The food industry landscape has changed massively since the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon to contain the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Restaurants have been forced to close but the creative restaurateurs have converted their service to deliveries.

Bar Pintxos, for instance, started offering for takeout their well-loved boquerones, gambas al a jillo, salpicao, paella mixta, tortilla de patatas chorizo, lengua, rabo de toro and chorizo croquetas. However, their skeleton crew works only in their Alabang branch. If you are from Makati or BGC, they accept orders via Lalamove but the delivery might cost more than the food. Call (02)8831-0065 or 0915-3210013 only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Wildflour continues to offer regular menu items and you can pay via bank transfer, credit card, debit card, GCash or even over the counter. You can also order cakes. You must book your own courier to pick up the items. Call (02)8856-7600 or mobile 0917-6329384 or 0917-8520950 or 0917-6262058.

North Park has also opened select branches for takeout and delivery; and Hap Chan is also now accepting orders via FoodPanda, Grab Food and LalaFood. Check out Hap Chan on Facebook for a list of the numbers in all branches.

Aristocrat offers their regular menu for pickup and delivery. Call (02)8894-0000.

Even fine dining specialist Chef Jessie now accepts orders for pickup via Grab Food or other couriers. Call 0917-8330797 or 0917-8967880.

Others have adjusted their menus to offer frozen versions of their bestsellers.

Chowking, would you believe, is offering ready-to-cook fast food favorites such as siomai, chao fan, even the “chunky” asado siopao. These are available via Grab Food.

Small entrepreneurs are also surviving via Facebook.

The Salcedo Market vendors have put up a private Facebook group, Salcedo Marketplace. You must join the group first and answer a few questions, before gaining access to all the Salcedo Market vendors, most of whom are willing to sell their items for pickup or delivery care of the buyer.

You can still have your fix of Salcedo Market favorites such as Moroccan food or Carballo Spanish cuisine even while quarantined.

Note that there are over a hundred vendors to choose from so your palate won’t ever get bored even if you are.

The Legazpi Sunday Market, meanwhile, has simply posted the mobile numbers of their vendors on their Facebook page (Legazpi Sunday Market) so consumers can just contact them directly.

Echostore closed all its stores but has started accepting online orders via www.echostore.ph. You may also call (02)8869-1516 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. only.

The stall owners at The Grid Food Market of Powerplant in Rockwell may be contacted through this number 0917-7077459 (ask for Charvy Luna). You pay via bank deposit or GCash and then book your own courier for pickup at the Powerplant entrance beside Marks & Spencer.If you want to go there, you may pay and claim your order at The Grid. See The Grid Food Market on Facebook for more details.

Even wine and specialty liquor stores are now delivering and —good news for consumers—items are on sale.

Don Revvy is now offering as much as 30-percent off on wines, beers such as Pilsner Urquell and spirits such as Whitley Neill handcrafted dry gin. They also offer free delivery within Metro Manila for a minimum order. Call 0917 -5940353.

These are really tough times and there is a big question whether the restaurant industry will survive this crisis.

I guess the only way to survive is for all of us to come together and support each other in any way we can.

May this Palm Sunday and Holy Week mark the beginning of the end of this pandemic!

More from the author at margauxlicious.com. Follow @margauxsalcedo on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.