A feast at P700+

When one goes to the tiangge, it is most likely that food takes a back seat. That was exactly what happened when we spent nearly a day in Greenhills with our family visiting from Cairo. But we were saved from starvation when we decided to look at what DEC in Virra Mall has. This store is actually best visited when it just opens, because the stuff would just have been delivered (from their source), therefore you get them fresh.

Our second daughter went wild as she filled up her basket with a feast of ready-to-eat Chinese specialties–siopao, cuapao, fried rice with peanuts, braised noodles with mushrooms, tender and thinly sliced ox tongue, pork’s ears, and barbecued chicken (a dozen to a pack). All these for a little over P700 and all six of us indeed had a good meal that evening.

There’s another ‘feast’ you can enjoy at P100 per person and what you get is paella, the Spanish rice dish cooked with the ultimate in flavoring, saffron, plus genuine chorizo, chicken, shrimps, herbs and spices. Call Home Meals Kitchen Corp. (626-6251) and they take care of everything. You can even ask them to organize your party. They bring the huge paellera, the ingredients and the staff to serve. Paella, a complete meal coveted by any gourmand or gourmet, has terrified housewives because of its complex preparation, Home Meals is making it very easy. Complementary salads, dessert and wines are about the only things you have to bother about.

It is amazing how San Miguel PureFoods has expanded its ready-to-serve line, providing stress-free cooking, specially when time is not something one can spare. They offer quite a variety, mostly using chicken, which is much healthier than pork. The chicken longganiza is sweetish, the luncheon meat is perfect when bread is on the breakfast table, and there’s the footlong chicken hotdogs, excitingly tempting to the kids. What took our fancy is Star Mantekeso, a new cholesterol-free variant of margarine, super to spread on toasted bread, newly cooked bibingka and puto. They also have a line of canned chicken chunks in three flavors–afritada, curry and hot and spicy. Look them up in your favorite supermarket or store, and have a good alternative meal.

Swiss Gourmet Deli Food is based in Davao but some of their products are probably already sold in Manila. In Cairo we had veal sausages and sometimes we find this in specialty stores in Manila. Swiss Gourmet makes veal bratwurst from pork and chicken meat, with spices, etc. Also barbecue sausage, schublig, Hungarian and Italian. They are packed in twos.

At the Makati Supermarket in Alabang, we found Sea Champs Hearty Meals in colorful boxes, each containing a viand and rice. Among these are Shrimps in Teriyaki Sauce (P69.75), Calamares en su Tinta (same price), Fish in Sweet-sour Sauce and Shrimp Nuggets at P79.50. We also got attracted to Grandma’s Best’s "Island Delights", pies made from tropical fruits. We got the purple yam and coconut mini pies (small box for P83.95). In one of their chillers we found Cristobal brand codfish (bacalao) at P431.50 a pack of 16 oz. Even if it is not Holy Week when bacalao dishes are a must, this is as good a time as any to do a dish Ala Vizcaina.

At Rustan’s Yum Yum Tree restaurant in Makati, we discovered some take-home items–chicharon at P85 a pack, a three-in-one ceramic chip and dip dish with a pepper design handle at P795 and Staxet clear glass candy containers in three layers at P395 per. We reckon the last two would make very practical gifts.

Over at Robinson’s supermarket in Eastwood City, maybe management could give their security guards some pointers on human relations. Our car pulled up for us to load what we bought, but he arrogantly shooed us away, almost not allowing us to get into the car. Some manners! Certainly he would drive customers away.

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