Myrza Sison & Kris Alcantara

We speak to the ladies behind the Spot.ph's top 10 food lists.

Famous for their Top 10 food lists, Spot.ph makes a big impact on how we appreciate food. We speak to the ladies behind the top online city guide. 
                                              
What items do you always have to have in your pantry or fridge?
Myrza: All my favorite things: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, plain yogurt, walnuts, Parmesan or Emmenthal cheese, green peas, olives, truffle oil, whole grain crispbread,  instant couscous, sheets of nori, and what my husband calls my "little fishy things"—bottles and tins of tuyo, tinapa, bangus, sardines, anchovies, smoked oysters, and tuna. Oh, and a few heirloom tomatoes in a bowl on the kitchen counter instead of flowers—very pretty and edible.

Kris: I do like to hoard spread-on-anything dips like Malunggay Pesto from Onalicious (Mercato Centrale) and the Portobello Mushroom Dip from Joyce's (Salcedo Weekend Market), and sugar-free wheat bread. Also, Sriracha hot sauce—it goes with anything and everything, plus it’s the best thing I’ve ever sprinkled on eggs.


What market and supermarket do you frequent?
Myrza: Healthy Options for their whole-wheat staples (crackers, cereal, couscous, pasta), imported frozen green peas, gluten-free veggie burgers, organic canned soups, and vegetarian chili; Terry's (squid ink pasta, anchovy-stuffed olives, Manchego); Santis for its olive bar, the widest array of cheeses, and anything else I need for a Euro food fix; Wine Depot’s food section always has nice surprises. The Salcedo Market vegetable stall for the variety of produce not always available in supermarkets like squash flowers and Portobello mushrooms.  


Your Top 10 lists on Spot.ph are always a hit. When rating food, what factors do you consider?
Myrza: We always figure out which factors make a particular dish or food item outstanding and break them down into the criteria on which we base our taste tests. We do a lot of research, consult with experts, and not to mention eat our way all over the city because we know how seriously our readers take these now-controversial food lists!

Kris: One of the most debated about lists on Spot is our Top 10 Chocolate Cakes story, which of course we anticipated. Everyone will always have their favorites and no list will ever please everybody, but we do our best to present a solid list to our readers after doing the grueling research… and enduring many, many calories.


Outside of Manila, can you recommend any standout places for food shopping?
Kris: My choices will be partial to the Tagaytay area since I spend a lot of my weekends there. En route to Manila from Tagaytay, don’t miss out on Rowena’s, not just for their famed buko tarts, but for the Risa's banana chips they carry, which seems to have less sugar than the regular kind, plus a unique, delicate crisp that makes them downright addictive! The frozen bangus from LZM alone is worth the trek to Tagaytay, and so are the cheese hopia and Spanish bread from the Sonya’s Garden panaderia.


What is the cheapest item in your pantry or fridge? The most expensive?
Myrza: Cheapest: Moondish Hot and Spicy Canned Laing—purists might scoff, but it's the next best thing when you're yearning for laing! Most expensive: My husband’s bottle of Banfi Brunello de Montalcino he's been keeping for three years that he'd love to share with an appreciative fellow wino (alas, not me—yet!).

Kris: Right now, Skyflakes is probably the cheapest thing there. The priciest? A wedge of Idiazabal cheese from the Barcino deli. Idiazabal is great for melting on top of bread, with wine, or alone—worth the splurge for special occasions and spoil-yourself days!


Photography by Vincent Coscolluela | Styling by Nikki Constantino

• Be the first one to comment...