Amid chaos

We found peace and precious happy moments with family when we did the trek to Tagaytay and chose to celebrate Mother’s Day with lunch at Refreshers. This is the former Gourmet’s Café, which for a year has been known as Refreshers, The Gourmet Diner. It has undergone quite a facelift and is now housed in a low sprawling structure on Km 52, Aguinaldo highway, Lalaan 2, Silang, Cavite.

While the food we had was all perfectly done, specially the Fish and Chips, we were even more delighted with the deli items and fresh farm produce. Of course there is the line of salad dressings, including Honey Mustard; pasta enhancers, such as the Collection of Kitchen Exclusives like the sauces – Plain Pesto (P175) and Pesto with sun-dried tomatoes (P220); the bottled products of Castillejos. We were looking for shitake mushrooms for the Vietnamese rolls we intended to make, but had to settle for what the attendant called oyster type (P50 a pack). Regretfully, that day, they did not have native garlic but the tomatoes were beautiful! Of course Gourmet Ground coffee is available in different variants. We always choose the drip type Batangas Barako. Going healthy and organic, Refreshers has concocted unique offerings using native ingredients. Among them are Banaba and Peach tea, very refreshing indeed, and the Banaba Tea-ramisu, a take from the popular ltalian cake, light and ideal to end a hearty meal. 

In another part of town, on the Skywalk of Ali Mall in Cubao, Quezon City, Breadman Johnlu Koa inaugurated another French Baker, a slight departure from the usual store he has set up in various areas of the metropolis. This one has been conceived as La Brasserie – bright, comfortable, convenient with aspacious dining area. It offers free WiFi and charging facility for cell phones. The outlet has an expanded menu, including their usual fresh-baked breads, entrees and, of course, desserts. Note that the baker sells cakes by the slice, which comes with a plastic spoon. When dining here, imagine Paris, with its pastries and croissants, roast pork a l’orange, fish a la meunier and chicken fricassee.

After more than 20 years of breadmaking, Johnlu was recently recognized by the Philippine Retailers’ Association as the Most Outstanding Filipino Retailer, in the Meduim Food Category. Certainly he has gone a long from the time he baked his first bread.

Our recent market research brought us to a wet market in Bacoor. The meat vendors are selling pork kasim and pigue at P175 a kilo, liempo at P190 while beef sirloin is at P280, the same price for the kalitiran. Sugpo (big prawns) has gone up to P620 a kilo while medium and small shrimps are from P320 to P380. Fish – lapu-lapu is tagged at P320, bangus from P90 to P120 and tilapia, P60 to P90. We missed the Shopwise sale of Batangas tilapia at P40 a kilo. Mangoes still range from P70 to P90 in most markets. Lychees have come from Taiwan and are sold at P140 a kilo. They are small, but juicy and sweet.

Passing time at Market! Market! here are a few items that we noted. At the store called Fresh Field, a freezer contains imported frozen meat, mostly from Australia. Striploin sells for P112 for 100 grams, lamb French cut at P92, also for 100 grams, rib eye at P130, US pork kasim at P180 a kilo (good competition for the local), scallops at P35 for 100 gms, sukiyaki beef at P1300 a kilo. They’ve got small packs. They are selling mangoes from P80 to P100 a kilo and mangosteen at P150.

Some of our friends have been complaining about Meralco’s sudden rare increase. With blackouts happening in isolated areas quite regularly, are these increases justified? 

Money will probably stop flowing from you know what sources. So the ordinary citizen will again have to reckon with meager budgets. With power and gasoline prices constantly going up, will prime commodities cost more? We pray not.

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