Ultimate treats from North Park and the Citi

Whoever said “money can’t buy you happiness” hasn’t dined at North Park yet, the noodle house that has become an institution with noodle freaks and congee lovers all over the metro.

At North Park, happiness is shared over a big bowl of the Ultimate Noodles, the resto’s signature dish that is loaded with fresh prawn dumplings, beef, mushrooms, and vegetables served hot in a stone bowl.

Here, the pasta noodle is made fresh daily. And since fresh pasta is more po- rous compared to the dry variety, it tends to absorb more of whatever sauce you use to coat it, so a separate bowl of the broth is served at no extra cost. What I like about fresh noodles is that the flavor of the broth seeps into each strand, making it oh-so- flavorful. Available for only P238 per bowl, the Ultimate Noodles is good for two to three persons, making it the best-selling item on the menu since it was relaunched over a year ago.

Crunch time: Every P1,500 food purchase using your Citibank credit card at North Park from Monday to Thursday entitles you to a free family-sized Pinsec Frito.

“At that time, we were thinking of a dish that would be the signature fare of North Park,” relates Germaine Salvador, marketing consultant for North Park. “Marketing assistant Nhoe Napaton reminded me about a noodle dish — then called NP Mix — which used to be one of our best- sellers. We just tweaked the recipe, added more toppings, made the servings bigger, and renamed it the Ultimate Noodles.”

To keep diners happy and com- ing back for more, North Park has tied up with Citibank in its Dining Privileges program, which gives cardholders the best deals when they dine at certain restaurants in Metro Manila, and more than a thousand nationwide.

“When you use your Citibank credit card for a minimum food purchase of P1,500 at North Park — an easy total to achieve if you’re dining as a group of four — you’ll get a coupon worth P300, which you can use on your next visit. So, the next time you dine at the resto, you can have the Ultimate Noodles for free and have some- thing else since it costs only P238,” enthuses Salvador. The best deal promo can be availed starting No- vember 11, 2011 to December 2012.

Lutong Macau: The Lechon Macau is prepared the tradi- tional way — slow-roasted in a pugon oven for six hours — so the meat is juicy and tender.

For its Weekday Special (which is from Monday to Thursday), Citibank cardholders get a free dish — the family-sized (24 pieces) Pinsec Frito — for a minimum food purchase of P1,500 using their Citibank credit cards. This promo starts today and runs until Nov. 10.

Citibank VP Alma Gruenberg is one of the loyal patrons of North Park. In fact, she gamely enumerated almost all of the best-selling items on the ex- tensive menu during the interview. Her eyes glowed with the mere mention of Lechon Macau, which incidentally is “North Park’s Lechon Macau is a labor of love. It’s prepared the traditional way — slow-roasted in a pugon oven for six hours — so the meat is juicy and tender. The marination process is a different story,” enthuses Salvador.

North Park’s Lechon Macau can be enjoyed as is or in a hot pot with rice and eggplant. For Gruenberg, the Lechon Macau is perfect with a cup of salted fish with chicken fried rice.

“Based on our data, North Park is part of the top res- taurants Citibank cardholders frequent, so this promo is relevant to them. Something that they would truly appreci- ate,” shares Gruenberg.

Snack attack: The pork barbecue sandwich is the perfect merienda treat.

What Citibank and North Park want to achieve in this partnership is for loyal patrons of North Park to frequent the resto, and those who have not tried North Park will come because the Citibank Dining Privileges promo is simply irresistible.

"If our cardholders find a better offer from other credit card providers at participating outlets, we’re willing to make up the difference,” adds Gruenberg.

Take A Walk In The Park

North Park is popular among Filipino diners because it sticks to Chinoy comfort food, the kind and taste we have grown up with and loved for many years.

“We try to stick to what we call ‘Chinoy comfort food.’ It’s Chinese food presented in the familiar Filipino way. We don’t claim to be an authentic Chinese restaurant; and we don’t do much fusion. We serve what our diners want — good food, familiarity, and value for their money,” explains Salvador.

* * *

Cream of the crop: The egg custard is the perfect way to cap a North Park meal.

What the Soon brothers — Raphael and Gabriel — started as a small-scale noodle house on Wilson St., San Juan, in 1994 now has 18 branches and four sister brands: Next Door, Kopi Tiam, Tiananmen Bar, and a small value brand called Ma Chicken Mami House, which goes back to North Park’s roots as a mami-siopao house. Last year, North Park introduced teatime to Filipinos with its Tea Treats and as expected, the diners fell in love with them, too. Who can resist the pork barbecue sandwich, roasted lean meat served on a fried or steamed bun; the Fortune Pao, fried siopao with ham and cheese inside; lechon wrap, a wrap with the popular North Park Lechon Macau; seafood XO chami, which is spicy and the perfect partner for the Nai Cha jelly milk tea? The Tea Treats are available from 2 to 6 p.m. A big value offer is the Pork Bola Congee, which sells for only P63 within tea treats time. So, the next time you feel hungry, sad, and blue, head straight to the hap- piest Park in the metro — North Park.

Citibank VP Alma Gruenberg with North Park marketing consultant Germaine Salvador and marketing assistant Nhoe Napaton

North Park has branches at Alabang Town Center, Araneta Coliseum, Banawe, Canlubang, Edsa Central (Greenfield), Glorietta 5, Greenhills (P. Gue- varra), Leviste, Macapagal, Makati Avenue, Manila Ocean Park, Market! Market!, Medical City, SM Bicutan, SM Muntinlupa, South Supermarket Filin- vest, South Supermarket Valenzuela, and TriNoma. For more information, visit www.northpark.com.ph or call the North Park delivery hotline at 73737. Of- fers are not valid in conjunction with other promos and discounts.