Happy Easter!

Take care of your small kids who will be searching for Easter eggs today. Guard against the older kids and the real old ones (you know who we mean: parents, lolas, elder brothers, yayas, etc.) who do not care if they crush someone along the way to get to those treasured eggs. There may be some rabbits as well, so be sure your kids are not asthmatic. If so, don’t let them play with the animal too much.

Non-meat days may be over, but you’re better off with light meals, considering the rising temperatures. Salads are your best bet this summer. There are lots of possibilities with regard to dressings and dips. The lightest is vinaigrette, but spice it up with a pinch or two of cumin or curry powder for a more exotic flavor. You may even add a little honey vinegar if you go for a sweeter mixture. What about mixing cream and prepared mustard with chopped parsley? You’ll have a delicious and healthy substitute for the traditional mayonnaise. To make things easier, scour the supermarkets for prepared sauces and dips. There are some that are really good. For greens, if you can get arugula to combine with your lettuce, it would be perfect. Your salad will be more full-bodied with the arugula’s nutty taste.

Again we discovered two ladies whose hobby–baking–is now giving them a profitable livelihood. Diagonally fronting ShopWise on Vito Cruz Extension in Makati is the Ensaymada Factory, whose owner Josie was simply fond of baking for her family. She started selling them and today the store in the Savana Commercial Center is a thriving outlet of breads, cakes and snacks. The most popular item, ensaymadas, are perfect for breakfast or snacks. They cost P20 each (P240 for a box of 12), and are generously topped with quezo de bola.

Lea is another lady who’s doing well with her outfit, called Little Miss Muffin, established less than a year ago with two partners. Yes, they produce small muffins in a variety of flavors–apple cheese, banana walnut and lemon cranberry. Three petite muffins cost P25 while the regular ones are priced at P25 each. They are so good, moist and not too sweet, that we could not stop eating them. They are based in Binondo but have an outlet at the SM Megamall Food Court.

These stories only confirm that entrepreneurship is alive and well. Given the chance and with enough determination plus some creativity, many can earn those elusive extra pesos.

A homecoming friend brought us to this place called Albergus, off Tandang Sora leading to the Capitol Golf and Country Club. Since we don’t live in that part of town, we did not know that they are popular caterers. It was easy to understand why: we had a spread of Asian regional specialties, like Korean japchae, a noodle dish with slivers of tenderloin beef, and popiah or Singaporean lumpia, among others. The popiah was particularly tasty, most of the group had second helpings.

We wanted to resist this one, but we could not: Figaro’s latest concoction, Café Liegeois. Don’t even attempt to pronounce it; we had to ask the staff about its proper pronunciation. Anyway, described as powerful and irresistible, this Belgian number is soooooo rich, but soooooo yummy. The cup is loaded with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and a shot of strong espresso plus a topping of whipping cream and chocolate syrup. Can anything be more sinful? Indulge anyway.

Trust the Mandarin Hotel to sustain its quality of food and service through the years. Tin Hau today still attracts a daily crowd, just as it did the day we were there. Deservedly so, because the food is always delicious and the service, impeccable.

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