Their adorable characters Pat and Tox may only have minimal interactions in 2 Good 2 Be True, but it seems that Bianca de Vera and Gillian Vicencio are close behind the scenes. And we’re to see that in the first episode of their online show “Plate Twists,” which premiered on Rise Artists Studio’s official YouTube Channel on Wednesday, October 12.

In this show, the two lovely and talented ladies are going to reinvent, or, from the title itself, put surprising twists on classic meals and turn them into extraordinary food – yet very budget-friendly, easy to do at home, and “PaTox na PaTox” for sure for Gen Zs like them!

They commenced the episode by imparting how their love for cooking started. Bianca shared that since her dad is fond of baking and her mom is into cooking, she eventually learned to love it as well. She went on to impart how she associates it with her emotions, as she would bake whenever she craves for something sweet and would cook if she likes to eat something salty. Meanwhile, Gillian, grew up with her parents having a carinderia business and this influenced her to study culinary for one year and undergo on-the-job trainings in cafés and restaurants.

Gillian was the first one to show off her being a kitchen whiz as she demonstrated how to cook “omu pancit,” which is inspired by the popular Japanese dish omu rice. Its ingredients consist of 2 packs of instant pancit canton noodles, finely diced onion, carrots, cabbage, boneless chicken thigh or breast, 2 tbsp ketchup, and pancit canton powder, soy sauce, and oil. For the omu or omelette, 3 large eggs, 4 tbsp milk, 4 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, and cheese (optional) will be needed.

As Gillian boiled the pancit canton noodles, Bianca asked her to give viewers advice on how to spice up a relationship that’s beginning to fall apart. She retorted, “Nasasanay kasi ang mga tao, ‘di ba, sa mga bagay na paulit-ulit nilang ginagawa. So, maybe, kapag nararanasan n’yo na ang panlalamig, baka kailangan n’yong gumawa ng mga activities na bago together.” They also agreed that it indeed takes two to tango in order for any kind of relationship to work.

While waiting for the noodles to cook, she sautéed the onion, carrots and chicken, using the oil included in the instant pancit canton pack. Bianca then helped her out by putting salt and powder while she was busy mixing the soy sauce and ketchup. As Gillian was putting the cooked noodles, the sauce mixture, and the cabbage, they tackled love at first and “love bombing”, or lavish someone with attention or affection.

Once she’s done with the pancit, Gillian then proceeded on preparing the omelette, starting off with whisking the eggs slowly to achieve silky smooth texture. She then coated the pan with oil and poured the egg mixture. Afterwards, she nervously yet successfully folded it with a spatula and perfectly placed it on top of the noodles, just like how it’s done in omu rice.

As soon as Gillian finished cooking her omu pancit, Bianca immediately began preparing her peach boba milk tea, which perfectly complements the said dish since it’s light, sweet, but still healthy. For this refreshing drink, you will need 2 peaches (peeled, pitted, and diced), 1/3 cup (80ml) grade A maple syrup or honey, ¼ cup (60ml) water, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, and a pinch of salt for the peach syrup. And for the boba, you must have 1 cup (190g) pearls from scratch, 2 black tea bags (sub-green tea), and 1 to 2 cups non-dairy milk to taste.

She then poured the maple syrup or honey and water to a small pan over medium heat and mix, then put the peaches, vanilla extract, and a little ginger powder to balance the flavor. While she’s doing these, Gillian asked Bianca the sweet gestures she usually does to the person she loves. According to Bianca, her love language is acts of service, and went on to explain, “Siyempre, if I fall in love, I will really go beyond what I can do para sa’yo.”

Bianca then went on to recount that instance when she cooked a meal for a guy she liked from the soccer team of their school and told her parents that it was her baon for the next day when they caught her, much to the shock of Gillian. The latter then stated how important it is for her that we know the love language of our partners, and imparted that it’s also acts of service for her, while words of affirmation and quality time are what she wants to receive.

Going back to the milk tea, Bianca mashed the peaches while on the pan until they had about ½ cup of syrup. While doing that, she and Gillian talked about boundaries in a relationship, to which the latter implied that it isn’t worth it when it’s already taking a toll on your health, particularly the mental and emotional aspects.

Their conversation then veered on “red flags,” which for Gillian is when her partner refuses to talked about his problems. She expounded, “Basta ayoko ng hindi nagku-kuwento, ayoko ng hindi nakikipag-usap kasi nga, paano mo maiintindihan. Hindi mo malalaman kung ano ‘yong problema or kung ano ‘yong nangyayari sa kanya kung hindi niya sasabihin.”

As Bianca imparted that she has the tendency to overlook and be blind on red flags, as well as to be optimistic that those would eventually turn into “green flags” and would want to be part of that person’s transformation, Gillian reminded her and everyone, “Dapat alam n’yo ‘yong consequences kapag sobrang nagbigay kayo. At saka sana kapag nangyari ‘yon, ‘di naman kayo mapagod o matakot na magmahal.”

With regards to the milk tea (again!), let the syrup simmer for 15 minutes or until the peaches are tender, while stirring occasionally. As Gillian took charge of the stirring, Bianca started putting ice cubes and peach boba to their glasses, then filled each with brewed tea in half. Add the peach syrup and milk, depending on how milky you want it to be, and garnish it with mint leaves on top.

Gillian capped off the episode by saying how important it is that every food and beverage we prepare doesn’t only taste delicious, but looks good too – just like in love. She also thanked everyone who joined them on the first episode of “Plate Twists” and, at the same time, wished that we enjoyed their cooking demos and conversations about love. She also told viewers to tag them on social media once they tried their recipes.

Catch Gillian and Bianca on 2 Good 2 Be True, weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live and A2Z.