Santis Delicatessen - Niles

Wanna be fancy? Get your deli meats and cooking ingredients here rather than say, Puregold. Then when some friend asks you where you 're going, nonchalantly tell that person Oh I have to pass by Santi 's kasi cause I just ran out of extra virgin olive oil and organic goat cheese It will be an awesome, awesome moment. Cause that person will be all like Oooooh this guy is fancy, better get out of his way! and hope he gets invited to your next party. Santi 's can be expensive, true, but in all seriousness it 's really just one of the few places in Manila that stocks certain food products. This, for example, was where I got my super-extra-fancy-but-oh-so delicious truffle honey. It 's also a good place to get certain brands of wine and whiskey, especially if you 're in the mood for that ginormous pang-F1 champion na bottle of champagne.

Eating steaks at restaurants are an expensive proposition. Sure you can buy budget cuts, but the taste just isn't the same. If you're going to buy a moderately sized U.S. Angus steak in a restaurant, that will surely set you back a couple thousand Pesos. This is why whenever I get a hankering for some steak; I just buy from Santis instead. Their Angus rib eye and prime rib cuts are as good as or even better than what local restaurants offer. Sure, the way of cooking might be a teensy tiny different, owing to the fact that restaurants have commercial grade equipment, but if you're cooking your own steak at home, you'll always be in control. There would be no arguments with the cooks on the finer points of medium and medium-rare. Santis sells both frozen and chilled steaks. I recommend just buying the former and letting it defrost, as the latter has quite a premium on it.

Santi's is without a doubt the best deli you can find in Metro Manila. I've been shopping here for years, mainly at the Capital Commons (Ortigas) and Yakal St. Makati branches. Aside from the extensive selections of cheeses and especially the steaks, they are about as high grade as you will find in the Philippines. Think about the quality you would expect in a 5-star restaurants. This is commercial grade- not the stuff you will get at your local supermarket! For example, I only buy my Rib Eye (prime rib of beef) fillet cuts from Santi's. The supermarkets, even such as Rustan's can't compare in terms of marbling or freshness. As an added bonus, the prices are very competitive compared to the grocery stores. The selection of imported cheeses sausages is also second to none. Quality is there, and you would be hard pressed to find such anywhere else without being gouged on price. If you are looking for the very best quality when it comes to steaks and cheese, come to Santi's Deli.

I grew up tagging along with my mom at Santis Delicatessen here in their Makati branch. I would often see an assortment of hams wrapped in paper inside the refrigerator with the Santis name and a logo of a boy and wondered where this place is. I remember one day that my mom to accompany her in Santis in Makati so I did and it was heaven. I remember the place being very cold and figured out because it was all the meat that they were selling. Now I was up close with my favorite sausages and cold cuts. I would always get the Canadian Ham and Turkey that I use for making sandwiches. I would always watch the staff slicing the ham in to paper-thin pieces with their awesome slicing machine and weigh it. I also remember purchasing this delicious Strawberry jam called Hero, which goes perfect for my PB&J. Santis is truly a haven for people who likes to cook at home and spend less than what restaurants offer.

I think this was one of the first deli shops which opened here in Manila because ever since I was still young, they have already been here and was the only place my Mom would go to if she wanted to buy imported sausages and cold cuts. I remember back then, whenever my Mom would go to Santi's to buy some goodies, I would always tag along with her so that I also got the chance to pick some food items which I fancied. My favorite from their sausage selections are the Wienerly and Breakfast sausage! They are absolutely the best up until today. From the cold cuts selection, their pastrami ham was the best I've ever tried as well as the farmer's ham. It's all so freshly prepared because you see the legs of ham just displayed in their chillers and are all cut right in front of you. They sell it per gram basis for their sausages, cheeses and ham and I like it that way because they aren't pre-packed. Up until today, we would still frequent this place and would always consider Santi's as our go-to deli place!