Cash or Credit?

When planning to use your credit card to pay for meals or buy garments, you better check with the attendant if the establishment honors credit cards – inspite signs that say “Credit Cards Honored Here” on the entrance doors. We have been nearly ‘victimized’ by a restaurant and a T-shirt store, if we did not vehemently insist that they honor what they so conspicuously display on their respective entrances.

Hap Chang at the West Gate in the Filinvest area opened to a big crowd of Chinese food lovers. The management must have been driven by potential big earning, as they maximized every single centimeter of the floor area, arranging the tables and chairs so close to each other. We reckon not a few of the diners that night were aghast over what seems to be an unfair practice. After having our dinner, we gave the credit card to the attendant who immediately got back and said there was an error in the card which she could not fully explain. We personally went to the cashier and asked her to swipe the card again. The card was good! Could they be opting for cash payment to augment their cash flow? That’s a mean trick. 

The same incident happened at the Giordano store at the Alabang Town Center. The cashier tried the same reason – machine ‘not swiping’. Stubborn about consumer protection, we again checked and yes, the machine was in very good form. Who do we go to for monitoring of such unfair business practices? We have brought some consumer complaints to the Department of Trade and Industry Complaints Division, to no avail. Are they busy protecting the interests of the bigwigs, rather than ordinary consumers?

Our friends Sylvia and Carlos who came from Australia settled in a multi-hectare piece of land in Silang, Cavite. They call this “Kalamunda,” the Australian aboriginal name for ‘house in the country’. She is a good cook and he, a self-taught decorator. Here they built a haven of four low-rise structures amid lush greenery. The good news is, they have opened their enclave to people who want to enjoy good food in complete privacy and exclusivity, without the noisy chatter of other guests. They personally prepare the menu, the décor, etc. They can accommodate as much as 20 at a time. It’s gourmet food, not the usual salad and pasta. A sample menu could include the signature salad of arugula with roasted pumpkin drizzled with special vinaigrette dressing, pasta pesto with fresh prawns, tender and juicy roast pork with apples and potatoes and the piece de resistance, indeed a masterpiece, stuffed roast geese with grilled vegetables. Note that the fowl, because its meat is tougher than that of turkey or chicken, has to be in the oven for eight hours on low temperature. The resulting dish is to die for. Dessert could the sinful broas borrachas con melocoton – lady fingers doused with brandy forming a bed for the smooth natilla with a peach on top and a dollop of homemade whipped cream. A meal can cost around P880 a person, depending on the menu.

Kalamunda is located a few meters away from Ming’s Garden, turn right, in Sitio Apyad. For information and reservations, call 0917- 8810032.

The Philippine Barista and Coffee Academy Inc. located at The Place, National Hi-Way Tunasan, Muntinlupa City, conducts various training courses for would-be baristas and coffee aficionados. These are sessions on coffee awareness, basic barista, coffee business, beverage mixing, flavors and profits and latte art. For information, call 862-3041/44.

Baristas need the proper machines. Italian Rancillo has produced a full range of espresso machines for more than eight years, using the most advanced technology. A selection of grinding equipment and coffee makers is distributed by Equilibrium Intertrade Corp.

Catch the Christmas Banquet Solutions events at SM Hypermarts: Sucat on Nov. 11 and 24 and in Muntinlupa on Nov. 12 and 25. This will provide   valuable tips on Quantity Food Production and Costing, and will certainly help those who want to make a few extra pesos during the coming holidays.

Because of the rains, fruits and vegetables are not quite the best we can buy. Mangoes are still at P100 a kilo, but they are likely to be sour or overripe. Mangosteen is sold at P180 a kilo, but we could hardly find the soft-skined ones. 

E-mail comments and questions to: [email protected].