Support Local: Hey, Jaew! (Makati City)

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected billions of lives across the globe. Many have lost their lives or their livelihood. While I’m also having difficulties, I’m still blessed that I still have a job. With whatever little spare money I have, I give it away to bless others who are less fortunate than me. But I thought, “How else can I be a blessing to people? And now that quarantine is easing up more and more, how can I spur economic activity in my own little way?”

As a foodie, I’m really rooting for the food industry to bounce back. So how can I help my beloved industry? I decided to do this “blessing-the-food-industry” project/series called Support Local (I know it’s generic, but it’s what I’m encouraging people to do). The game plan is to order from my favorite food spots (and order a lot of food, one-time or staggered), feature them in my blog, and promote them to my friends. I will also be focusing on small and medium enterprises owned (or partly-owned, at least) by local entrepreneurs rather than food chains run by big corporations.

So far, I have featured the following food spots:

Today, I’m featuring another local food spot. But first…

How Can You Help?

To make this project work, I will need your help. If you want to support this simple endeavor, you can help me S.P.O.T.:

Share. As simple as sharing my article or other related entries, we can spread the word.
Promote. Nothing beats a personal recommendation of the food spots to your friends. But this is best done when you have an experience of the food itself (don’t forget to share your experience and photos in social media; this will give the food spots extra mileage). If you haven’t tasted the food yet, then the next letter is for you.
Order. This is the most important of all, as we intend to help the food establishments. If you have extra money or the means, order from the food spots (and order as much as you can).
Tip. The staff are making risks to provide for their families by preparing amazing food. To help and appreciate them, I give a generous tip. So if you have the means, I encourage you to do the same. If you will have your food delivered, tip the driver or rider as well.

Let’s now talk about the food spot featured today.

The Food Spot: Hey, Jaew!

You may have noticed that I’m a big fan of the brands under Shoreditch Food Inc., the group behind Señor Pollo and Khao Khai Thai Chicken House. Founded and owned by Daniel Mabanta, the group has been innovating during the pandemic and has added 2 new (and virtual!) brands: Bernie’s Southern Fried, which focuses southern fried chicken, and Hey, Jaew!, which is the featured food spot in this article.

Hey, Jaew! (honestly, I still don’t know how to pronounce the name) is an online restaurant that serves pan-Asian food. That means it mixes Asian influences with one another (like Filipino plus Thai) or with non-Asian ones (like Hawaiian). For example, all their rice dishes come with Garlic Rice (Filipino) and many are accompanied with Som Tam (Thai papaya salad) or Thai dips.

I was intrigued by the concept of a virtual restaurant and the good-looking food. Since Hey, Jaew! is from a trusted group, I knew I had to try it someday.

The Food

I’m glad that they have a Boodle Tray (see cover photo), which combines many of their dishes in one platter. So I got that to maximize my Hey, Jaew! experience. Aside from the fried egg, garlic rice, and som tam, it also consists of:

Chicken Inasal: The Western Visayan take on chicken barbecue. It’s tender and nicely smoky.

Khmer Coconut Pork: Just like the chicken inasal, it’s also smoky. But I honestly didn’t taste the coconut.
Lechon Kawali: The Filipino take on deep-fried pork belly. It’s simple and I wish it was a bit more salty.
Lumpiang Shanghai: A true party staple, this is the Filipino version of deep-fried spring rolls. Hey, Jaew!’s version has a crisp wrapper and it reminds me of a party lumpia, which I love (I can slam dozens of it!). This is one of my favorites in the platter.

Northern Thai Pork Sausage: This is my favorite among all dishes of Hey, Jaew! This sausage (Sai Oua or Sai Ua in Thai), as it names suggests, is widely available in North Thailand, including the city of Chiang Mai (I hope to visit when the pandemic is over or international travel has adapted). Think of this as a herby longganisa (Filipino sausage)!

Hey, Jaew!’s version has a strong lemongrass taste. It’s also dry but I think it’s supposed to be that way. Overall, it’s a delicious bag of mystery! (“Bag of Mystery” is British slang for sausage. I learned about it from the cast of Enola Holmes.)

You can also try the dishes above separately.

Beef Krapow

Hey, Jaew! also serves a classic Thai dish: Beef Krapow (holy basil stir-fry). The minced beef is sweet with a strong flavor and aroma coming from the holy basil and a hint of spice. The dish comes with a fried egg, as it usually is with any serving of krapow. It has a runny yolk that add a layer of creaminess.

On the side, there are pickled cucumbers, giving acidity and crunch, and prik nam pla (Thai dip with a fish sauce base), adding saltiness and a kick of spice. Overall, this dish is amazing, a world of flavors and textures!

Heirloom Chicken Adobo

Frankly, I stay away from adobo (the classic Filipino stew) in restaurants. Because for me, it’s a dish that’s best home-cooked. But when I saw that it has jalapeños, I was curious. It’s an unusual ingredient for an adobo. So I gave it a try.

So how did I find it? Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with the chicken adobo, especially with its soft, soy-sauce braised chicken skin! However (and it’s a big however), when I combined the elements together, it became a world of textures and flavors! There’s creaminess from the runny fried egg, crunch and sweetness from the som tam (which feels like achara or Filipino pickled papaya), garlic flavor from the rice, spice from the jalapeños and sambal (chili dip), and soy sauce taste from the adobo.

Hey, Jaew!