Chef's creations make it to 7-Eleven

MANILA, Philippines – Having a good meal when you’re in a hurry is right about next to impossible. Gourmet dishes take about 15-20 minutes of serving time in a restaurant. A couple more minutes of your time are also taken when you order, pay for your bill, and ask for either more water or order dessert.

So most of the time, Filipinos think twice about going to a restaurant during short lunch breaks. They would choose on-the-go service that is often at the expense of quality. Enjoying a good meal is often left for weekends and Friday nights when there’s more time to either sit and wait in a restaurant or prepare one’s favorites at home.

But Chef Claude Tayag is about to revolutionize quick meals by bringing in his creations to local convenience store chain 7-Eleven.

Tayag is known for his home-turned-restaurant Bale Dutung (means House of Wood in kapampangan) – a foodie destination in Angeles, Pampanga, that serves well-loved Filipino dishes. American chef Anthony Bourdain even hailed Tayag’s dishes in his CNN food and travel show No Reservations.

Tayag said he decided to work with the convenience store chain as they are willing to work with his philosophy and standards. “I chose to tie up with 7-Eleven because they are willing to work with my philosophy of cooking nutritious and balanced meals without sacrificing taste. By partnering with 7-Eleven, more people can now have easy access to healthy dishes,” he said.

The “7-Eleven Chef’s Creations” meals are going to be slow-cooked and made with natural ingredients to bring out that distinct Filipino taste. Meals are going to be prepared at the company’s commissary with state-of-the-art cooking facilities, and ingredients are pre-selected and approved by Tayag himself.

Chef’s Creations will feature 3 dishes:

Pulled Pork with Adobo Dip (P95)

This is a deluxe version of the popular adobo with morsels of twice-cooked pork. Despite being good enough on its own, this adobo comes with seasoned sauce on the side that can be used to add flavor to the pork.

During the launch, Tayag even shared a tip when cooking adobo at home: “Never serve adobo the same hour it is cooked. Anything cooked in vinegar must mature, maasim ang bagong luto,” Tayag said. (Never serve adobo the same hour it is cooked. Anything cooked in vinegar must mature, newly cooked adobo tastes sour.)

Pakbet with Bagnet (P89)

This contains sauteed fresh vegetables, alamang (shrimp paste), and crispy bagnet (deep-fried crispy pork) slices make up Tayag’s version of the Ilocos region’s staple.

Pork Sinigang sa Kamias (P75)

Slow-cooked pork with tangy broth of fresh kamias, gabi, kangkong, and green chili.

Too much pork? Don’t worry. Tayag said that to keep a dish with pork as an ingredient healthier, one must just stick to leaner cuts of the meat.

Tayag also explained that he and the convenience store chain prepared 12 dishes for testing. After conducting a survey, the market chose these 3 dishes.

All the meat used for the 3 meals are also served without bones to make eating convenient for people on the go. Tayag also promised that all dishes will be cooked with natural ingredients so instant mixes and flavors are definitely a no-no.

What do you think? Would you try these dishes during your quick lunch break? Which variant are you thinking of trying first? Let us know in the comments section below. – Rappler.com

Chef’s creations make it to 7-Eleven

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