Eats all in your HSBC credit card

MANILA, Philippines - Food, as they say, is the universal language of love. And what better way to show your affection this holiday season than to shower your loved ones with delectable meals you can whip up right at home or indulge in your favorite resto.

Working moms who are always pressed for time thank the heavens for malls. Now, it’s so much easier to decide where to bring the family on their next culinary jaunt. Forget about the food flyers handed out by the dozen, at SM North EDSA and TriNoma Mall in Quezon City, choosing a restaurant is literally a walk in the park.

The Skygarden at SM North-EDSA houses a number of dining establishments and bars guaranteed to whet one’s appetite. Whether for breakfast, lunch, snacks or dinner, the Skygarden has “got it all for you.”

Let The Food Binge Begin

Longganisa Sorpresa’s name says it all — longganisa tops the menu! Located at Skygarden, the resto indulges the diner’s craving for this cured meat as it offers five kinds of longganisa sourced from different parts of the country such as Vigan, Alaminos, Pangasinan; Tuguegarao, and Cabanatuan City. If you can’t decide what to order, opt for the longganisa platter, which contains all five variants, so you can choose what tickles your palate and what to order on your next visit.

Fajitas, burritos, empanaditas, enchiladas, and hard and soft tacos are some of the Mexican fare that await foodies at Agave Mexican Cantina. The Plato Supremo is perfect for family bonding as it contains an assortment of beef taquitos, fresh mushroom empanaditas, Yucatan skewers, baby back ribs and more for less than P1,200.

If the craving for an all-beef burger knocks on your kids’ palate, bring them to Army Navy Burgers+Burritos for a change. Must-try is the Bully Boy Burger filled with three all-beef patties and melted cheese on a Kaiser bun.

For dessert, check out the Cara Mia gelato counter at Amici located at The Annex, SM North-EDSA.

Cara Mia’s gelato is simply unforgettable. It’s rich and creamy with real fruits, nuts and choco bits in every teaspoonful. The mango sans rival is one of the best-sellers. It has layers of mango and sans rival gelato on a light meringue wafers topped with fresh mango slices and chocolate curls. If scoops of gelato aren’t enough, wait ‘till you try Cara Mia’s gelato cakes.

Over at TriNoma, meat lovers are in for a gastronomic treat at Fish & Co.

Fish & Co. recently launched its new menu that’s guaranteed to meat your huge appetite. The grilled lamb chops top the menu! Moist and tender, the lamb chops are perfectly grilled and slathered with brown jus sauce and mango salsa that lends an extra zing to every bite. I don’t eat lamb because of the strange taste it leaves on my palate, but this one is different. It’s so juicy and flavorful and doesn’t have an after-taste.

Well, if it’s pho you like, Pho Hoa doesn’t disappoint. Here, diners can’t get enough of the irresistible pho, a huge bowl of glass noodles topped with your choice of beef, pork, chicken, fish, and seafood. The pho goes well with a side order of fried and fresh spring rolls or the caramelized chicken drumettes.

Delight In Every Swipe With Hsbc

HSBC, the world’s local bank, gives families more reasons to eat, drink and be merry with its “Delight with Every Swipe” simply use your HSBC credit card for your everyday spend anywhere and you need not shell out extra cash when dining out.

With every single-receipt purchase of at least P2,000 anywhere with your HSBC credit card entitles cardholders to a P100 SM Gift Pass from SM Department Stores. Collect five charge slips worth at least P2,000 and you can get a P500-denominated Ayala Malls eGC.

SM Gift Passes may be used in some of the restaurants I mentioned at SM North-EDSA SM Skygarden and The Annex, while the Ayala Malls eGC can be used at participating restaurants (like Fish & Co. and Pho Hoa) in Ayala Malls such Glorietta, Alabang Town Center, Ayala Center Cebu, Market! Market!, and TriNoma. The gift certificates are transferrable.

Shop ‘Till You Drop With Big Rewards

Are you planning to get the top-of-the-line DSLR camera for your husband this Christmas? Now’s the perfect time to do so. Spend anywhere using your HSBC Installment Plan (HIP) with a minimum P2,500 monthly installment on terms three, six, nine, 12, and 24 months to receive tempting rewards as well.

For example, if your total HIP purchase is worth P60,000 payable in 24 months with a monthly amortization of P2,500, you’ll receive P2,500 worth of gift certificates from SM or Ayala Malls. What’s interesting is that you have the option to use the gift certificate to shop for Noche Buena food items at SM Supermarket, Hypermart, Save More, or at Landmark Supermarket in TriNoma or Makati City.

To redeem a reward, cardholders must present his/her HSBC credit card, a valid ID (i.e. driver’s license, company ID, SSS photo card, passport, etc.) and surrender the valid original credit card and charge slip (customer’s copy) to SM Department Store Customer Service and Ayala Malls Concierge at Glorietta, Alabang Town Center, Ayala Center Cebu, Market! Market! and TriNoma, and you’re good to go — dining or shopping!

Cardholders may use up to five charge slips per redemption. If you have more than five charge slips, you may visit the concierge again to redeem using your charge slips in excess of five.

All charge slips have a 60-day validity period and transaction should be made until Nov. 30 only. Redemption is until Jan. 31. 2011. This Christmas, it’s okay to indulge especially if you’re armed with an HSBC credit card!