If you think BF Homes in Parañaque has attained its full potential as a commercial hub, think again. Crowded as it has become, business must be good in that community, for how can one explain the increasing number of establishments that have pitched tent there and those little malls that have sprouted bordering President Avenue? Traffic is bad, but that never seems to be a problem to residents and commuters because they continue to endure it. Parking is as problematic but again, shoppers and car-owners don’t seem to mind as long as they get their favorite DVDs (pirated), their 168-type garments, the peke (fake) LVs, barbecue, fresh catch, and meat and chicken.
Now comes Robinsons Mall, anchored by a supermarket, perhaps to the dismay of the grocery on the corner. We still give their pan de sal an ‘A’. We heard this original supermarket has undergone a facelift which we will check out the next time we are in the area.
When we visited BF one Sunday, so much activity was going on with people shopping, eating, and bonding. The Ruins, established when the place burned down a few years ago (thus the name), did not seem to lose ground to its new big-time neighbor. The stalls are still active and the central area has been converted into a dining hall with chairs and tables. For a no-frills meal, one can have bulalo at P80 and a sandwich at P45. The Pergola is one of the medium-size malls that have emerged there. It is basically a restaurant row with many familiar food chains.
The new Robinsons can be reached via the Pergola, but it has its own entrance, on the street cutting through Aguirre. At about 6:15 p.m., we entered and bought a few things. At the counter, our P500 bill was refused because all their collection (for the day, which had not actually ended) had already been taken, presumably to their safe or central accounting unit. Not one of the check-out counters had change. Note that they operate until 9 p.m, meaning they should still carry smaller bills for late shoppers. We asked for the store supervisor and aired our concern. In seconds she came back with change.
Upon our return two days later, we gave the store more than a cursory look. We entered through the side door, facing the Ruins, and found on the right the Le Coeur pastry shop selling muffins at P38 and butter croissants at P68, among others. There were steaming pots of peanuts and corn kernels and a roast chicken counter (three sizes from P158 to P198). The bangus relleno, written as one of their items on the board, at P148, was not available.
As a whole, Robinsons supermarket is a pleasant place, white-tiled with enough elbow room. The gondolas are properly identified, making it easy to get what one needs. Carrots sell for P70 a kilo while sayote is at P20. Bigger than-usual Ilocos garlic is tagged at P195 a kilo while cabbage goes for P40. Monterey and Super Savers are the meat brands, with competitive prices. On the fringes of the grocery, as usual, are kiosks – Henlin, popular for its siopao and siomai, and Go Nuts Donuts. These two can solve anybody’s merienda cravings. There’s Crispizas with thin-crust pizzas at P135 and above.
We made more discoveries in the Saturday market: Margarita’s Paella (840-5240) is sold at P280 a serving, in traditional and black variants. It tastes like authentic Spanish fiesta rice with prawns and chorizo. Kate’s (809-0971) has some special offerings – chocolate expresso fudge sauce for sundaes, desserts and fondue at P100 for 380 gms. She also has baked bangus in tomato-saffron oil sauce – P150 for 380 gms. Her delicious gourmet liver paté is made with double cream and cognac.
We got the manual for the induction oven we wrote about last week. From all the details, we gather this is a very versatile appliance which can deep fry, steam, braise and boil, among others. But we cannot interpret everything written in the instruction booklet. Perhaps its distributor in the country can contact us (through the e-mail address at the bottom of this column) so we can be enlightened. Our friend who introduced us to it said she has made some progress in using the stove. She maintains her original observation – this stove makes cooking time much longer. Which leads her to wonder, per Meralco’s bidding, is it really wiser to use this cooker?
E-mail comments and questions to: lydia_d_castillo@yahoo.com