Holiday shopping on a budget at Robinsons Nova Market

It looks so much like Christmas already in Novaliches, Quezon City, where an 80-foot-tall Christmas tree glistens in all its exuberant glory. And just right behind it is one of the best holiday shopping destinations yet: Robinsons Nova Market (formerly known as Robinsons Place Novaliches). 

Conveniently located along the Qurino Highway, Robinsons Nova Market is a three-level shopping mall that’s filled with holiday finds and treats. There are over 250  shops, dining outlets, entertainment facilities, and service centers. Among these are household-name establishments like Robinsons Supermarket, Robinsons Appliances, Handyman Do It Center, Mercury Drug, Japan Homes, Bench, National Book Store, Robinsons Movieworld, Bingo, Phone Booth (say hello to must-have cell phones and accessories), and Adidas and Collizione factory outlets. And for customers’ further convenience, the mall is also home to a branch of Landbank and a soon-to-open LTO office.

If you like to shop well but cheap, the Robinsons Nova Market is your best bet. Yup, holiday on a budget may well be Nova Market’s shopping adage. The moment you walk in, Robinsons Nova Market’s got two words for you: Bargain Exchange. As the name implies, this store offers loads of bargains, from clothes to toys to home necessities. Bargain Exchange truly supports the philosophy of value shopping. They very much value their shoppers’ experience, making sure that you’ve got a lot of stuff to choose from that’s big on quality but low in price.

Here, there are all sorts of fashion must-haves, from apparel to bags and shoes. There’s also a wide array of toys, toy cars, dolls, board games — you name ’em, they’ve got ’em.

And if you’re looking to add holiday chic to your home, you can choose from Nova’s affordable selections of bedroom furnishings, jars, vases, picture frames, figurines as well as kitchenware and utensils.

Now, if you head just one floor up, you’ll find the not-to-be-missed Fashion Gallery, which features over 45 stores  offering the most fashionable clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories. The retail stores are lined up along this fashion lane. If you like something, the retailers will be more than happy to let you bargain for its price.

Just right outside the mall, more bargaining action takes place at the Sidcor Tiangge, where the stalls sell a lot of good stuff, from clothes to accessories to food (if you suddenly have a snack attack, there’s the very creamy and moist bibingka and the oh-so-big siopao) throughout the holiday season (from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. up to Dec. 31). Don’t forget to check out the Everything P10 (think ukay-ukay) stall tucked in a bustling corner. The Everything P10 store’s got just about every little thing — from notebooks and pens to key chains, to festive little plates and gift bags. But if you want a nice sit-down meal, there’s no better place to eat than at the easy, breezy Nova Stop. The place is filled with food stalls that are open 24 hours a day. Also open 24/7 here is the very famous Bulalo Fiesta restaurant.

Bulalo Fiesta invites its diners to enjoy al fresco dining, courtesy of its big breezy nipa dining huts that stand side by side each other. Once settled in one of these huts, you may want to order a tall glass of coconut shake while you decide what you like from the menu.

As its name suggests, bulalo (beef marrow soup) is a specialty here. Bulalo Fiesta proprietor Jun-Jun Villasor says you can eat the bulalo plain or go for the more fancy bulalo dishes, which include bulalo with jackfruit and dried beans, bulalo with young sweet corn, bulalo pochero, bulalo special, bulalo sinigang sa sampalok, bulalo kaldereta, bulalo shank with broccoli, bulalo lomi, bulalo kaldereta and bulalo shank with ampalaya.

Aside from these bulalo favorites, there are Bulalo Fiesta’s other best-sellers: kare-kare, chopsuey, and grilled bangus and tilapia. For dessert, you may want to try Bulalo Fiesta’s leche flan.

Among the popular sit-down restos are Andoks, Lipa Grille, Chevonns, and American Diners.

And after you’ve cleaned your plate and satisfied your palate, I guess the only thing left to do is to keep on shopping!

Now you know why holiday shopping at the Robinsons Nova Market in Novaliches, Quezon City can only be described in two words: joyful and triumphant.