Every now and then, restaurants, deli shops, bakeshops and food specialty stores roll out new items on their menu. They consciously make an effort to develop new products to offer — some on a limited run to test the market and some with the intention of becoming a permanent item on the menu — so customers look forward to having something new to try while at the same time enjoying their classic favorites.

TWO NEW SANDWICHES

Trending 717 Deli, a diner specializing in premium sandwiches, has just recently added two new sandwiches on its menu: Caprese Sandwich and Mortadella Supreme.

Caprese Sandwich is 717 Deli’s answer to requests for a vegetarian option to the whopping meat-filled premium sandwiches that made it shoot up to fame, such as its Roast Beef Sandwich, Philly Cheesesteak, Patty Melt, and 717 Cheeseburger, as well as the place’s best-selling Halibut Fillet Sandwich and Halibut Fish & Chips.

Owners Lance Ngo and his Tita Malou Yambao took the requests seriously, and just like with their premium sandwiches, which are improvements of their personal favorites, Caprese Sandwich is the sandwich version of Lance’s favorite Caprese Salad. When you eat the sandwich version, it does not taste vegetarian at all because it is indulgent. It’s a whole burrata cheese (fresh cheese) with fresh salad tomatoes and arugula, served with pesto dressing with a side of balsamic glaze, as an overflowing filling for housemade focaccia bread.

Mortadella Supreme is all that Caprese Sandwich is—plus multiple folds of pan-seared slices of mortadella or large Italian sausage or deli. The Caprese Sandwich is so good that even non-vegetarians would love it, so might as well add a generous amount of mortadella for their ultimate indulgence in the form of a Mortadella Supreme sandwich.

Both sandwiches can be ordered through Grabfood or through @717deli on Instagram or enjoyed by dining in at BLK 113 Building, 53 Connecticut St., San Juan City.

CUSTARD DONUTS

Lulu’s Apple Pie has just recently launched its Custard Donut line.

“While donuts are so popular these days, I thought of embracing my past with mom’s touch. I recreated her custard recipe and made a donut out of it,” says Paul Zamora, the brains behind Lulu’s.

There are three flavors in the Custard Donuts line: Lemon Vanilla, Strawberry and Chocolate Mud Pie. Chocolate Mud Pie is the newest offering. After receiving positive feedback for the first two flavors, Paul thought of developing a third one, and it had to be chocolate. So Paul added cocoa powder to the custard mixture, mixed it with vanilla and salt to balance the sweetness, to come up with a simple and delectable chocolate filled donut that does not have overwhelming toppings but big in flavor. The result was Chocolate Mud Pie, which turned out to be another winner of a donut.

Lulu’s Custard Donuts are available every Sunday at the Legazpi Sunday Market in Makati and on Fridays and Saturdays in Lulu’s main hub at 3432 Lubiran St., Bacood, Sta. Mesa, Manila, on a pre-order basis. Prices are P320 for 6 pieces and P635 for 12 pieces (Lemon Vanilla and Chocolate Mud Pie) and P75 per piece for Strawberry Custard (Sundays only).