THIS year, chef/butcher Michael Beck of Mickey?s Deli came up with a whole line of ham that is exceptional. Which ham is the best? That depends on one?s personal preference or cravings.

He spoke of his ham collection for the year??I have homemade back ham which is a whole pork leg, either bone-in or boneless, pickled and injected with brine and then cured.? The bone-in back ham is the closest he has to the classic Filipino Christmas ham. It is glazed in honey and served with gravy.

?I also have the Ham in Net, Pistachio?like shoulder ham but leaner with Pistachio nuts; Chicken Ham, same as turkey but using chicken meat; Farmer?s Ham?salted/cured in juniper berries and spices for four to six weeks, cold-smoked two to three days; Shoulder ham; Beer Ham?pork shoulder mixed with very lean pork meat, a favorite of Bavarians for merienda with beer; and Black Forest Ham?similar to farmer?s ham, smoked longer, uncooked.? By far, the yummiest is Black Forest made locally.

Of his ham, these are my personal favorites: Turkey Ham?turkey breast pickled for two days, vacuum tumbler-processed then pressed into molds. His turkey ham is the best I?ve ever tasted; its meat is so chunky. Sandwiched in a croissant with nothing on it is ecstasy! (The croissant, of course, must come from John Lou Koa?s Lartizan, the high-end bread shop that bakes real Euro-style breads. It?s right inside Mickey?s deli.)

The most rustic ham in his collection is his favorite, Tiroler Speck: ?Similar to Farmer?s, cured in caves under special conditions.? Michael says that in Europe, it is commonly found hanging in farmers? houses, sliced just before serving. Best enjoyed with vinschgerl?a kind of dry bread. (Lartizan makes a very similar type of dry bread, a must, to fully capture the Tiroler experience.) This ham is the quintessential ?sosy? pulutan! Nicely salted with a nice ?chew-ability? to it. Excellent!

For duck lovers, the Smoked Duck Breast made from imported male duck breasts, marinated, cold-smoked and eaten with fruit relish or chutney, is perfect!

The Chicken Sausage with Cheese?to die for! Imagine sausages straight off the grill, nice and warm. As you sink your teeth into the sausage, it pops, giving you a nice crunch with loads of Emmenthal cheese oozing out! Delicious!

When it comes to cured meats, Michael Beck is undisputed! Few make them as fine as Mickey does!

Mickey?s Deli is at 4 Jupiter St., Makati City; tel. nos. 8996923/8952461.

?Mr. Suahe,? Laurence Tan

We cannot deny the fact that in an industry as competitive as ours, we end up buying our ingredients from suppliers who give us the best in terms of quality and price, not to mention the service they provide us.

Recently, I met Laurence Tan, better known as ?Mr. Suahe,? manager of Gold Coast Marine, a live, frozen and dried seafood store owned by Lee Eng Keng.

Lobsters, slipper tails, sea mantis, blue crabs, pearl fish, lapu-lapu, etc. Name it, they have it! Alive and kicking!

Their super suahe is fantastic! Nice, huge and plump! Consistent in sizes roughly 50 pieces to a kilo, packaged like aquarium fish in bags with oxygen to ensure that the suahe are alive when they get to you.

So cheap, unlike those you find out of water in the markets that are inconsistent in size,
kulang pa sa timbang! The ones that have just died are scooped out of the tanks and sold at a cheaper price per kilo.

Another service he provides is having your live seafood cooked for a fee by Hong Kong chefs and having them ready for pick-up at your appointed hour.

Last Sunday, I had pearl fish cooked for me (bred in Taiwan, fat, meaty and gilik-free) steamed or with tausi. I had two pieces at 1.3 kilos plus each, and was charged P700 all in! Super sarap na, mura pa!

I also bought suahe. Best way to cook it is to boil water, add a few slices of ginger and cook them for no more than one minute. I served it with sauce made by combining the following in a bowl: sliced chilies (to taste), ? c light soy sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp chopped garlic, ? c spring onions, 1 tbsp chopped coriander, ? c shrimp water/stock?mix well. Heat 1 tbsp peanut oil and 1 tbsp sesame oil in a pan. When smoking, pour oil on the soy sauce mixture. Season with sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Sarap!

If you own a restaurant and wish to sell live seafood, they can even provide you with tanks and, of course, supply you with the seafood.

When Laurence told me: ?Look for Mr. Suahe, your satisfaction, guaranteed!? I must say, I totally agree!

Gold Coat Marine is at 220 Wilson St., Greenhills. Contact Mr. Suahe at 09184855437.

E-mail raspiras@inquirer.com.ph.