This is a paid post. I PAID. And I POST wahahahaha!!! Just so you know, I would never accept a paid post (I am not a famous blogger anyway).
If someone gives me free products/food to review, I cannot be objective. I would be obligated to say nice nice things and suppress the negatives. Unless of course if the product ticks all my boxes, then I would have plenty of positives to say. So if I PAY, I can have my SAY without fear or favor.
Let me tell you the story of my "it was a dark and stormy night" food delivery that happened last Friday. I placed an order for homecooked dishes with Five & Two Foods a few days prior and delivery was slated between 6pm and 7pm. I have purchased products from Five & Two Foods before and that was like five years ago!
Come Friday evening, it started raining. It rained cats and dogs! I was quite worried because with bad weather, it is difficult to secure a delivery rider. Just past 6pm, I got a message from Georgina informing me that she finished cooking and would be arranging delivery. Great!
More than an hour later, no rider was available. It was not until about 7:30pm that she managed to book a ride and my order was on the way. Phew!
It was almost 9pm when the food arrived.
These orders are meant for my freezer/fridge for consumption later.
I ordered enough food to feed an army hah..hah...hah... There's Chicken Manchurian, Methi Baingan, Mutton Varuval and Potato and Long Bean Stir Fry - 3 boxes each, which is the minimum order. I took 1 box each to the fridge and the rest went into the freezer.
Sunday, it was time to eat! I transferred the dishes from the plastic containers into my glass containers and reheated by way of steaming (my preferred method instead of microwaving).
Then I cooked some brown rice and placed a little of everything (macam buffet) in my bowl.
The Mutton Varuval is as good as (perhaps even better than) the ones that me and my brother always enjoy at the banana leaf restaurants. It was full of flavors from aromatic spices and you get meaty tender chunks of mutton. DELICIOUS!
This dish is a firm favorite and having this in the freezer means I can enjoy mutton varuval anytime I feel like it. Yeah!
I'll have to say that I super enjoyed the Chicken Manchurian. The gravy is da bomb! The chicken pieces were tender and succulent and the spicy, sweet and sour flavor is so appetizing. If you serve this, everyone will fight for the chap, I mean the gravy hah..hah...
I also ordered vegetables and I find the Potato and Long Bean Stir Fry uncomplicated and yet so good. It is a simple, homely and wholesome dish that complemented the meaty dishes so well. Sure, I could probably whip this up myself but hey, why bother? Right? hah..hah..hah...
I thought I would enjoy the Methi Baingan (Eggplant & Fenugreek) seeing that I love eggplant but this dish is an acquired taste. The fenugreek leaves gave off a strong herbal aroma that needs getting used to. But all in all, eaten with the other dishes, it was acceptable.
Five & Two Foods Homecooked dishes are cooked to order and delivered fresh, which is why you have to give Georgina the day to cook and therefore her deliveries are only in the evenings.
The minimum order is 3 packs of the same dish. Why like that? It makes sense because the dishes are cooked to order and surely you don't expect Georgina to cook just one box for you, eh?
A minimum of 3 makes it worthwhile for her and for you too. I find the the prices quite reasonable for the quality and quantity supplied.
One box can feed 2 big eaters and I think it is worthwhile to buy and freeze dishes that you love but can't be bothered to cook it yourself. I mean, I am not going to attempt mutton varuval or biryani in my kitchen anytime soon (it's too much trouble). I would happily pay for the convenience.
Delivery is charged at a subsidized rate of RM0.70 per km (from Five & Two Foods' location at Taman Sri Gombak, Batu Caves) for orders RM100.00 and above while orders below RM100.00 is charged as per actual charged by the transporters (Lalamove/Grab/private operators).
And you know what? Usually after a curry meal at banana leaf restaurants, I would come home crazy thirsty and bloated (and wake up the next morning feeling lousy).
But after enjoying the dishes from Five & Two Foods, none of that happened. The food is less salty and obviously no msg is added.
I am very happy with my orders and I can choose from Five & Two Foods' extensive menu (with vegetarian and vegan friendly meals too) when I run out of the frozen homecooked goodies.
What can I say about Five & Two Foods Homecooked? Highly recommended!
That Mutton Varuval makes me feel hungry instantly! The Manchurian looks like sweet and sour - here we have Mongolian chicken but that name always made me think of that poor woman who was blown to bits! I like places that do not use msg...or less - most Chinese places here simply add like it comes for free. Some say they use the cheaper versions, definitely not Aji!
ReplyDeleteThe Chicken Manchurian is similar to sweet and sour but not quite the same. There are may versions out there. The one I tried at an Indian restaurant was a drier and darker version but nevertheless equally delish.
DeletePretty bad weather over at your side these days. Take care, #staysafe #staydry!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, heavy rains and thunderstorm on some days.
DeleteI also paid and post my own food. So can post whatever I want, no obligation. Haha.
ReplyDeleteIt has been crazy weather lately. Strong wind, heavy rain. My hubby meant to go fishing yesterday but cancel last minute due to unfavourable weather.
Stay safe. Covid cases keep going up.
LOL! The weather pattern has changed compared to what it was years ago. I remember that CNY and the days after used to be very hot and dry.
DeleteIf all these delicious food is available here, I would also order and deep freeze them. Our favourite is the mutton varuval. We are also having unfavourable weather but not as bad as in other states.
ReplyDeleteI am glad I tried this homecooked food. Really tasty and I will order again when my freezer is empty hah..hah...
DeleteWakakakakak You are the most hilarious lady on this planet for writing her own PAID POST! I sukak your 'dark and stormy night' horrors with a happily ever after ending.. You taught me to be more patient and understanding when there's unforeseen delays like this.
ReplyDeleteNow don't ever deny that you are the most famous food blogger who writes about delicious and fresh food which is healthy. I wanna try this Chicken Manchurian so badly when I am back to normal diet. I also wanna eat that Methi Baingan and Potato and Long Bean Stir Fry. The way you described the tastes, could wet my mouth all the way as I could imagine the smell and spices too. Looks like we have same appetite and can tour countries like Indian and around Himalayas to savour their food.
I am the least hilarious person in my family and I gratefully take your compliment happily LOL!
DeleteYes, when you are fully recovered and can eat normal diet, do visit the site and you will be spoilt for choice. I am really happy that I tried the food. Oh yes, I love Indian food anytime and now I can have excellent home cooked Indian cuisine delivered to my home. You get well soon so that you can eat Five & Two Foods Homecooked hah..hah..hah...
I am really tempted to buy the Mutton Varuval but I don't like deliveries in the evening. I wonder could she freeze the food for me and only deliver them to me the next morning? I hope she could do that. Let me check with her.
ReplyDeleteMe too prefer delivery during the day but I can accommodate evening deliveries provided if it is not too late. The Mutton Varuval is worth ordering, so good! Yes, do check with Georgina if she can chill/freeze the food for you.
DeleteI get it... you really, really love the food...since you provided their link 5 times in your post....although one of them was probably meant to be a link to a previous post of yours (but you linked them instead)...wakakakaka! :D I was actually quite attracted to the range of food they were offering but didn't order simply because they make it in such huge portions (3 packs that can feed 2-3 people) that would mean I may need up to 9 meals to finish one type of food (coz my family isn't into Indian food and I'll end up being the one who has to finish them all)! :O I can see from the pics that the food looks really tasty...sigh..but I'm not the type who can eat the same thing over a few meals (though I see they have a 3 months expiry, I'd want to finish them asap).
ReplyDeleteLike you, I also do a lot of PAID POSTS...like I PAID and I then I POST...lol! But, just to share my experience, that has not stopped people from contacting me to do food and product reviews (just this week itself I got 3 propositions) though I've not taken up any of their offers todate. Like you said, when you get free food & free stuff, you can't be too objective though you can still mention the negatives, you'll have to do it with a 'softer approach' (and you know me, I tell it as it is). But this is not the only reason why I reject reviews as I'm too private a person and too shy to show up for such things (just in case I don't have anything nice to say)...hehehe. But that does not mean I've not received any freebies..I've been offered discounts and gotten invitations to free meals (or to review another restaurant of theirs) after the restuaranteurs read the reviews on my blog (after my initial visits). So far, I've never accepted any of their invitations for a free meal but I've accepted discounts (about 10-20% only lah) when I revisited some of the ones I like (but without any strings attached that I must write another review). I've also had some freebies (like instant noodles) sent to me after they read my reviews. I once received an invitation to do a (bedding) mattress review with the mattress to be given as a freebie (I think it cost more than RM1k) but I didn't take up the offer either (you've probably read about them from other bloggers). So far, the only avenues where I've received some kind of payment was giving (as in selling) my already written reviews to a food website or providing a link to certain websites (these ones I got paid in USD) in my written posts. I guess I don't mind these if I can do it from the confines of my home...hehe. I'm still thinking if I should consider some of these propositions that come my way going forward...hmmm....
The meals are more suitable for families where all (or most) of them enjoy Indian food. It will be too much for one person but for me, being a big eater (ahem!) and being one who can eat the same food that I enjoy a few times, it is all right. My partner is also not too partial on Indian especially mutton. He thinks it will give him s stroke. LOL!
DeleteAh, my dear, you have a flair for writing! Your food/restaurant reviews are so professionally written, so I bet there are many offers going your way. The fact that some sites are prepared to pay for your write ups is testament to your talent! (TM will agree with me!). Well, why not eh? Perhaps you could accept some of the propositions. It can be rewarding not just for monetary gains but also for the satisfaction of doing what you love doing.
I have following food blog since 2003, it almost 2 decade now and most of them have stop blogging and there are very few still active, some of the food blogger have started when they are still single and now have started a family and still blogging, some of them have migrate to a foreign soil and stop blogging......therefore I believe you have passion of eating and have the interesting of sharing the "food" experience then you should continues the passion to eat and blog.
ReplyDeleteI definitely have a passion (more like an addiction)for eating and I enjoy writing about it. Yes, most of my blogging kakis when I started blogging in 2012 have stopped blogging due to family and other commitments. But I am still trooping on as it is an avenue for me to de-stress and it keeps me from going crazy! LOL!
DeleteIt was a heavy raining on last Friday evening and the road from my office to my house were all flooded. I was so worry that my humble Peroduo Kelisa would floating on the water, luckily it didn't, LOL
ReplyDeleteI love mutton varuval!
Thank goodness you were OK! Yesterday evening also it rained like mad.
DeleteMe too. Mutton varuval is always our default order at banana leaf shop. LOL!