Leisure Supermarketing

When you can spare the time and when you don’t have your impatient husband and nagging kids with you, go leisure supermarketing. Do not do this, however, on a weekend, as the stores will surely be very crowded, or on a Monday, because stocks are normally not fresh.

That was what we did on a Tuesday and we had the chance to really look at the merchandise in two of our usual hang-outs, the Makati Supermarket in Alabang Town Center and the S&R Price Membership Shopping outlet at The Fort. The former has always been known for its good selection of products and congenial service. The latter has an apparent lack of staff as the cashiers are now doubling as baggers, hence checking out can be a bit delayed.

Makati Supermarket has one of the best meat suppliers in the city, Tenderbites, but one will have to pay the price for quality. Special cuts are selling as follows–sirloin at P235, rib eye at P420, prime rib at P325, strip loin at P420. Pork steak is at P180 a kilo. At the chicken section, we got a pleasant surprise–Magnolia chicken at only P57.50 a kilo, no doubt the reaction of local suppliers to the increasing "invasion" of imported meat, including chicken. Among the "imports" are baby back ribs for P69.50 a kilo and tripes at P85.

They have a special sale on white onions at an all-time low of P14.75 a kilo. The vegetable section carries a selection of hydroponics-raised produce, among them green capsicums and leeks at comparatively reasonable prices. Canned vegetables (Jolly brand) are also much cheaper than their more-popular competitors. But there is actually no difference in quality. Did you know that coffee creamers (Coffeemate) now come flavored? Choose from Irish cream, French vanilla, hazel nut and Swiss chocolate.

Speaking of coffee, we just discovered a new selection of muffins that would go very well with any beverage, whether coffee, tea or juices. They are found in Baker Brothers on President Avenue in BF Homes, Parañaque City. They cost P18 each and you can choose from four variants–herbs (parsley and oregano) and cheese (our favorite because it is healthy and not sweet but flavor-rich), carrot and nuts, chocolate, cappuccino and blueberry cheese. Snack time with any of these will be perfect.

S&R Price at The Fort is perhaps the best place to get fresh meat, considering the price and quality. Sirloin is tagged at P212.95, prime rib at P219.50 and pork kasim at P109. If you have a deeper pocket, you may choose to get their Australian meat, from P589 a kilo.We always get their seasoned (by McCormick spices) products, since they are very practical, specially if one is pressed for time and/or making baon. This time we bought the Montreal pork chops at P189.95 a kilo. Another good buy is Cajun steak. Grill and serve with green salad and you have a very hearty meal.

S&R is a haven of imported ready to heat/cook packages, ranging from pan cakes (hot cakes and waffles), sweets such as Superb mini profiteroles, turkey franks (Jennie O brand) at P269.95 a kilo to broccoli stuffed chicken breasts. New juices, in powder form, under the brand 4C are available in two sizes. Carrots are cheap at P27.94 a kilo, so indulge and make that juice mixed with orange. We found honeydew P64.95 a kilo and cantaloupe at P31.95.

On our way home from Clark recently we stopped at a roadside fruit stall where we were being charged P180 per watermelon (large). Manilans always get the "treatment" from these vendors, and if we did not know how much they were selling for in the city, we would have been had by an extra P40.

The lady at Rustan’s Alabang made our day when we were looking for baking trays. We needed a tube pan for a Canadian chocolate chiffon cake which we were planning to bake. The first one we saw was rather pricey and we were ready to give up, until this lady brought us to the sale counter and indeed we found what we wanted for half the price. That kind of service puts Rustan’s way ahead of their competitors.

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Lydia D. Castillo’s e-mail address: [email protected]