My Bittersweet Cafe: From ECQ Food Challenges to Food Businesses

What started as a fun excuse to entertain our boredom during ECQ has now turned into these multiple businesses that we started independently. Our very first challenge began last April 14, 2020. It was a simple mug cake challenge that we enjoyed doing so much that it went on to become a series of challenges that concluded with our final theme, childhood snacks. It ended last May 29, 2020, just a few days before we started moving towards the GCQ, a less strict regulation that allowed us for more movement and more sanity.

The mechanics of the challenge was pretty much an open-ended one. We agree on a food theme, present the final dishes via video call, take an Instagrammable photo of our final dish, and have a selfie showcasing our plated dish. During our first challenge for the mug cake, we did a video call from our food preparation down to presenting our final cakes, but as the challenges progressed and we needed more prep time that we had to adjust our calls to just the final presentation. The best part that it wasn't a competition for us as there were no declared winners, just a sink full of unwashed dishes and a satisfied tummy.

Here are some snapshots of those challenges:

Mug Cake Challenge

Mug Cake Challenge

Team Taguig:

Chocolate Overload Mug Cake

Mixed Berries Mug Cake

Team Laguna:

Choco Marshmallow Mug Cake

Peanut Butter & Banana Mug Cake

Breakfast Challenge

Themed Breakfast Challenge

Team Taguig:

Pinoy Breakfast Boodle Fight

Team Laguna:

Balinese Breakfast

Cookie Challenge

Cookie Challenge

Team Taguig:

2-Day Chocolate Chip Cookie

Team Laguna:

Rainbow Cookie

Oatmeal Cookie

Pasta Challenge

Pasta Challenge

Team Taguig:

Pinoy Style Spaghetti

Pasta Margherita

Team Laguna:

Mushroom & Cream Pasta

Fettuccini Carbonara

Fettuccini and Meatballs

Team Muntinlupa:

Lasagna

Pizza Challenge

Pizza Challenge

Team Taguig:

Crispy Margherita Pizza

Crispy Egg Pizza

Team Laguna:

Manager's Choice Mexican Style Pizza

Mexican Style Pizza with Egg

Team Muntinlupa:

Sausage Stuffed Crust Pepperonni Pizza

Sardines Challenge

Canned Sardines Challenge

Team Taguig:

Sardine Sushi

Sardine Maki

Gunkan Sardine

Spicy Tomato Sardines Sauteed in Bell Pepper

Team Laguna:

Sardines Pancit Canton

Sardine Omelette

Sardine Porridge

Team Muntinlupa:

Baked Spanish Sardines Stuffed Tomato

Dessert Challenge

Desserts Challenge

Team Taguig:

Lemon & Rose Layered Strawberry Cheesecake

Double Chocolate Brownies

Team Laguna:

Cinnamon and Oat Rolls

Black Sambo

Team Muntinlupa:

Strawberry Cheesecake

Pancit Challenge

Pancit Challenge

Team Taguig:

Squid Ink Palabok

Team Laguna:

Kimichi Pancit

Giniling Pancit Special

Team Muntinlupa:

Pancit Sisig

Bacolod Dessert Challenge

Bacolod Sweets Challenge

Team Taguig:

Orange Infused Napoleones

Team Laguna:

Classic Piyaya

Smoothie Bowl Challenge

Smoothie Bowl Challenge

Team Taguig:

Red Dragon Smoothie Bowl

Mango Smoothie Bowl

Blue Dragon Smoothie Bowl

Team Laguna:

Very Berry Smoothie Bowl

Pineapple & Cereals Smoothie Bowl

Childhood Snacks Challenge

Childhood Snacks Challenge

Team Taguig:

Maya Pancake Shapes

Fudge Sundae with Maraschino Cherry

Team Laguna:

Bicho Bicho

Classic Sugar Doughnut

Our transition from an amusing way to bond online turned into actual running businesses became a creative outlet that gave us extra income on top of doing something we enjoy. Well...that was until the orders piled up and we experienced instant burnout, but in the end, the feeling is rewarding.

Personally, the easiest challenge was the sardines challenge because it was as simple as opening a can and sautéing it in a whole lot of bell peppers. The most annoying one was the cookie challenge because I used a 2-day cookie recipe but failed by burning the cookie and omitting the refined white sugar (not knowing how vital it was to a cookie's texture) that I ended up with bread-like cookies instead. Another failed challenge for us was our pizza challenge because I used some kind of yeast my brother bought from a French grocery...and it was powder and I had no idea how to use it because everything was in French. My dough didn't rise that we ended up with a crust that is something similar to breadsticks...really really tough on the teeth. The most challenging and rewarding challenge for me was the dessert challenge. I made two desserts, a brownie with a basic recipe that came out of the oven perfect, but the cheesecake that I made was something extra. I've made several batches of no-bake cheesecake in the past, and this one gave me enough confidence to do something ambitious. I made a two-layer cheesecake that is composed of two flavors, strawberry and rose for the bottom layer, and vanilla and lemon for the top layer. Since we had 2kgs of fresh strawberries, everything was fresh, including the strawberry glaze on top. The crust was made of crushed butter cookies grounded with oatmeal and mixed seeds cookies. We ate the whole 10-inch cake in less than three days and felt sad when we took our last few bites. That cheesecake is something I look forward to making and eating again should the proper occasion arise.

And although we've concluded the first season of our Quarantine Food Challenge, we've managed to end it on a positive and productive note. Thus, this is me promoting what's become of our entertainment:

Tongue's Delight

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/tonguesdelightph/

Contact Number: 0919 0088380

Coffee Jelly and Black Sambo by Tongue's Delight

Mango Tapioca and Black Pink by Tongue's Delight

Brother's Plate

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/brothersplateph/
Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/brothersplateph/

Contact Number: 0951 1464536

They are located at Arkipelago, Bagtikan St. Makati City

Find them at Foodpanda as they also serve bento boxes and silog meals.