When eating out...

….be sure to order only what you and your companions will be able to consume . This way ou won’t have left-overs to be worried about and, better still, you will save a few of those precious pesos. In these days of escalating costs and less income, being a sensible spender does everybody a lot of good.

We have recently been doing the rounds of some of the dining places in Metro Manila, and would like to happily share with our readers our more pleasant experiences, ranging from reasonable prices, quality food and efficient (and most of the time gracious) service.

There is this new building in the Greenhills shopping center, fronting the old Padilla Arcade, which is actually a restaurant row. We were told that all those located at the back, fronting Virra Mall, would soon be re-located to this structure. There are already quite a few operating and one of them is Uma Mas (Minggoy’s), where we had a very pleasant and tasty lunch. Needless to say we had their Paella, Lengua and Bacalao. To start with, we ordered their croquettes, really melt-in-the-mouth morsels. This is one place where you can trust the restaurant manager with your orders: he will not give you exaggerated portions. At the end of the day, we counted our monies and we spent only a little bit more than P300 each.

Sentro in Greenbelt 3 did something very gourmet to the lowly galunggong. They deboned it, marinated, and grilled with garlic, oil and spices. The serving is perfect for the three of us. With their pride, Corned Beef Sinigang, and Fried Lumpia plus another course and drinks, again the check averaged a little over P300 per.

We had our first dining experience at Teriyaki Boy in Greenhills, but we discovered they had branched out to Alabang, at the Filinvest Mall. Always excited about anything marinated in teriyaki sauce, we set out for this one last weekend. The place, like any newly-opened outlet, attract a long line of customers waiting for tables. The three of us shared two bowls of Japanese rice and three types of grill–chicken, seafood and vegetables. The tab was not even P200 per. They give bottomless tea. Service is courteous.

At Banana Leaf, also in the Greenbelt complex, unless you really go for the very spicy, you must stay away from the raw shrimps, bathed in a lot of chili. They have very good Nan bread, which might fill you up even before the main courses are served. Unless it is not a full house, the waterfall could be a bit disturbing (noise-wise).

We missed one of our favorite chefs at Rastro in Rockwell, but we enjoyed their Paella (yes, this is one of our gang’s favorite eat-out dishes), plus two other courses for which we each spent nearly P400. Having budgeted P500 for lunch that day, we had enough money to enjoy Haf—a—Cup of coffee at Figaro with their rhum cake.

Of the membership establishments we give an A to the outlets at The Palms in Alabang. They’ve got a Salad Buffet which is filling at less than P400 per person. Their Roast Lamb is always perfect and their desserts!–they give your dieting resolve a very strong challenge, you may not be able to resist.

There you are, surely you can eat out on a budget. Simply stay away from the pricey establishments.

Chicken is back in the markets, but still at between P100 and P120 a kilo. The first brand to make its appearance is Magnolia, and they are of the right size for our requirements–from 1.5 kgs each. We have been wondering why this fowl disappears every Christmas season. It was reported that since there was a glut in the earlier part of the year, breeders decreased their production. Perhaps they could project the volume of usage next Christmas in order for us not to be so frantic when December comes.

If you use a lot of olive oil in your kitchen, visit La Tienda. They have a new brand, Crismona from Spain, which costs (for the regular Pure Press) nearly 50% less than the more popular ones. A 2-liter bottle goes for only P600 plus. The Extra Virgin is of course more expensive (P1,339), but you use this more sparingly. Eat well, but healthy !