Some time ago, my colleagues (and I, to a less committed extent) tried a healthy eating challenge with Multisport.ph. It basically entailed eating specific types of healthy meals each day of the week. The consequence for cheating was a round of exercises.
It was tough, especially since there was, and still is, a great lack of healthier dining options near our office. Bringing our own lunch was also challenging, as proven by our associate designer Danica, who offered to cook healthy lunches for us for three days (we paid her, of course); mostly because the meal planning, doing the groceries, and then cooking was done at the end of tiring work days.
Getting relatively healthier meals, especially in busy cities saturated by fast food joints is a challenge many office workers face. And frankly, sometimes you just can’t be bothered to cook for yourself. These two very common, very relatable situations became the recipe to create Seed Manila, an online restaurant where you can get “a gourmet meal delivered to your desk.”
Orders are made through their website, and can be for individuals, groups, and even for larger occasions like meetings or office celebrations. They also offer “Seed Daily,” where meals can be sent every day for the entire company.
The menu changes weekly, as they source ingredients that are fresh and in season. Here are some possible dishes you could get:
Lechon carnitas is a mix of Filipino flavors and Mexican techniques and presentation. Pork shoulder is roasted with lechon spices, shredded, and then pan-fried. It’s served with red rice and charred corn and pico de gallo on the side.
For something more Asian, there’s the Hainanese chicken salad, which features kale and quinoa instead of rice. It also comes with the traditional Hainanese chicken sauces, and is topped with bonito flakes, nori, egg, and other Japanese furikake (rice toppings).
Vegetarians also have meals to choose from, in the form of the tikka masala and the carrot and feta salad. The tikka masala features a serving of red rice with vegetables like cauliflower, winged beans, carrots, chickpeas, and onions, served with a mild tomato and curry sauce.
The carrot and feta salad, as the name suggests, has sweet carrots paired with bits of feta cheese. It also has chickpeas, arugula, and cilantro.
Seed Manila also tries to address another common problem that comes with food for takeout and delivery: single-use packaging.
Gabbi Floirendo, one of Seed’s founders, shares that they went with the most environmentally-friendly option for their main course packaging. “So, at the end of the day (or meal), you can happily toss our all-natural sugarcane packaging into the bin, knowing that after 90 days, it would have fully decomposed, releasing organic natural ingredients back into the earth,” Floirendo writes. “Like we said before, guilt should never follow a delicious meal.”
While certain items on the menu still require plastic packaging (soups, in particular), Seed is still working to find more biodegradable options.
As they’re currently on soft opening, Seed Manila caters to offices and companies in the BGC area (for now). Honestly can’t wait until they get to cater to more cities. God knows we all need healthier food options, right?
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Writer: PAULINE MIRANDA
PHOTOGRAPHY DANICA CONDEZ
