For chef JP Anglo, owner of Sarsa Kitchen + Bar and Sarsa Field Kitchen, living in Dubai has made the comforts of home-cooked food even more meaningful.
“We actually crave our nanny’s tinola and monggo,” he shares. “Since we live in Dubai and we live far away from home, we crave lutong bahay.”
Their son, Finn, meanwhile, happily eats whatever his parents are having. “He eats what we eat, so that’s kind of a good thing.”
Why Chef JP Anglo Doesn’t Do Weekly Grocery Runs
When it comes to groceries, Anglo prefers shopping based on what the family feels like eating that day rather than stocking up for an entire week. “We actually don’t have a set date or time of the week,” he says when it comes to purchasing goods. They keep basic ingredients at home then make a quick grocery run whenever the craving for something like chicken or lamb strikes. “We just buy what we want to cook for the day, or maximum two meals, because things go to waste if we do the weekly grocery and the freezer just gets full. It’s better if it’s fresh.”
That’s a very convenient approach to daily meals and is made possible by life in Dubai, where the grocery store is only about 10 minutes away and there’s hardly any traffic. It also helps that grocery shopping is something Anglo genuinely enjoys.
“I do enjoy grocery shopping, especially if it’s a nice one and has everything that I want,” he says. “Do you get that feeling when you’re walking down the aisle and you get goosebumps because you’re seeing everything that you want to buy or you’re craving for?” For him, a grocery run isn’t just another household chore—it’s therapy.
The Grocery Staples Chef JP Anglo Always Keeps at Home
Q: Favorite supermarket shortcut?
JA: I’d go caesar dressing for our salads. A good veal stock also comes in handy.
Q: Favorite checkout line treat?
JA: Mints because they always come in handy and I often lose some in my pocket. And batteries.
Q: Most surprising thing in my cart?
JA: Real maple syrup. Most of the stuff out there are synthetic. It’s surprising because it doesn’t come cheap. Minsan nagulat asawa ko, “why did you get that? what’s the occasion?” It’s like buying truffle oil.
Q: One item that’s always on my list?
JA: Really good potato chips. Red Rock Deli Chips – Australian Sea Salt variety.
Q: Ingredient I’d drive the farthest for?
JA; Since we live in Dubai, good quality pork from Korea or Europe.
Q: What I’d stock up on in the event of an apocalypse?
JA: My ready-to-eat meals in IKEA.
[Note: He has a line of Filipino frozen meals like kare-kare, chicken inasal, chicken sisig with jasmine rice, and chicken arroz caldo available at select IKEA UAE locations including Jebel Ali (Festival Plaza), Dubai Festival City, and Abu Dhabi.]
Frequently Asked Questions
JP Anglo is a Filipino chef and restaurateur.
He is the owner of Sarsa Kitchen + Bar and Sarsa Field Kitchen, the former of which earned him a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
While he does find grocery shopping very therapeutic, he prefers buying only what they’ll cook for the next day. Having basic ingredients ready at home, all they have to buy is whatever his family wants to eat.
JP Anglo shared how grocery stores in Dubai are much more accessible as they’re very close by with almost no traffic in his way.
He usually reaches for caesar dressing for salads, veal stock, a good bag of chips like Red Rock Deli Chips in the Australian Sea Salt flavor, and real maple syrup.
