Discovering simple & super pleasures in a mall

We take great pleasure in eating out. Richard and I do it so often that if we were to have any sort of vice this would probably be it. Mind you, we have a good cook at home and although we fully appreciate her culinary skills, we enjoy the fare out there just the same.

Lately, I have been frequenting Greenbelt 3 a lot more than I normally would. It wasn’t hard to find a connection. My constant dining partners (Ben Chan, Miguel Pastor, Joe Salazar, Ver and Nene Lim, Marilu, to name a few) are all from the Makati area and for the pleasure of their company as well as to sample the restaurants sprouting out almost every day in Greenbelt, I would gladly brave the traffic. G3 for me started mainly as a food haunt but has lately also become a shopping retreat, because tucked inside the mall are some very interesting stores.

Let me start with my current favorite. Ben and Miguel were the ones who led me to discover Store Super, which is right across Adidas. The place is spacious yet. I like the way the tables are positioned at different levels, randomly separated by semi-frosted thingies with designs on them. It gives you the feeling that you’re in a room that’s private yet not secluded. We were all first-timers there and for such an interesting place, we all wondered why we never heard of it. That was answered soon enough when we found out that were still on dry run. Amazingly, the waiters were already well-versed with what the house is serving. The food was very good and the service quick. We ordered a slew of dishes between the eight of us (initially), but that number soon almost doubled when more friends caught up and Richard followed along with four of his buddies. I was very happy with my lentejas soup and fish and chips. The latter tasted just like the ones I had in London. All the appetizers we ordered were good, too – buffalo wings, shrimp cakes, bread with chunky curry dip which in itself could be eaten with rice.

The thing I love most about dining as a group is that you get to sample more dishes at one time than if there were just two of you. The others ordered clam chowder, Pad Thai, linguini with wild mushrooms (this I loved, too), spanakopita – all of which were nothing short of yummy. And don’t get me started on the desserts. If you can’t choose one, just give in and sample all. Every single one is decadent but definitely worth it. The gastronomic experience was so good that most of us immediately went back the following day, and the day after that, and the day after...you get the picture. Each time, we brought new converts.

Now in a little nook in Store Super, right through a heavy curtain, is a mini Atmosfera, a store that sells an assortment of novelty items, proudly and finely Philippine-made. They have handsome storage boxes in black or red that I can’t seem to get enough of (they come in three different sizes but I like buying the same size in bulk because they really serve to organize and make any work area in the bedroom look neat). They’re durable, too because I have a lot of them that I got way back in 1998 and they’ve really held up well. They look almost as new as when I bought them. My friend Cathy, who single-handedly transformed her whole house to make it look Arabian, fell in love with the floor cushions in jewel tones. Someone said Armani even ordered the same ones (probably in a different color) to carry in their stores. I also liked their picture frames with tassels, the pillows, and this adorable gold-leafed doll from Burma that has positive symbols on its flexible body. Really cute.

Two other nice shops in G3 are Firma and JO. These are the kind of stores that would really yield something if you were looking for a special gift to give someone. In Firma, they have those beautiful lamps that Chito Vijandre and Ricky Toledo individually put together, so no two are ever exactly the same. A word of warning though: It’s such a hit that there’s actually a long wait list! So if you like it, reserve quick, or you’ll have to wait a bit. They also have nice ladies bags manufactured locally and exclusively for the store. And, of course, they have the lovely home items and semi-precious jewelry they are well-known for.

JO, owned by Joyce Oreña, has some very nice items, too. I first saw and liked her snakeskin money clip when Miguel got one way before she opened her store. It’s made of snakeskin (so naturally it comes in different tones of brown and beige) and it’s the perfect answer to the tiny evening bags we women love to carry. We cannot stuff our whole wallet in one tiny bag and neither can we hold together cash with office rubber band, right? Saved by the sleek, stylish moneyclip! She also has one-of-a-kind obis as well as adorable key chains that look like a huge diamond solitaire ring. And the jewelry is beautiful. Just like Firma, her store carries both high and low-end pieces. Semi-precious jewelry has never looked more beautiful. I especially liked her necklace with leather straps that, when entwined twice, can also double as a bracelet. Cool.

Pineapple is my favorite source for candles. In fact, my whole house has candles from the store and whenever I enter their store, I feel like I’m in my room because it smells exactly the same. They carry candleholders and nice bowls and vases as well.

It was again Ben who brought me to Simple Pleasures, a local store that makes and sells bath soaps and other bath buddies every girl delights in. I did some of my Christmas shopping here. An item that I really liked was this cute, gardening kit that I know the mom of a friend of mine who lives in Tagaytay would delight in. The laundry bags they have are also nice and they have food items, too. Their lengua de gato literally melts in your mouth. At the back of their store they offer foot massage, which someone I know says is very good.

You would think Celio is strictly for men, right? Well, think again. Female friends of mine who cannot find jeans that fit well were only too happy to discover the jeans at Celio. It’s no big secret that men’s jeans can look flattering on women given that low-risers are so popular now. Another friend of mine also bought a pair of their black cargo pants which, she says, she’ll wear with a snug tank top and stilettos, as is the fad in the States.

I was at Richard’s taping for Kool Ka Lang last week where he guested and Gloria Diaz told me about bubbles that you can actually touch and hold, one on top of the other. I went to Hobbes where she said I could find it and for a little over P200 you can have this delightful invention that makes every child’s wish to actually hold a bubble that won’t burst come true. Juliana loved it so much when we gave it to her she actually slept that night with the plastic bottle under her pillow. Hobbes also has an assortment of board games, more hi-tech now than the ones from our childhood, and finger puppets that come in popular, traditional themes like Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Toys now are so aliw. (To be concluded next week)