What are you drinking?

Coffee, tea, chocolate, fruit juice? Whatever it is, there is now a great variety of ready-to-drink choices to eliminate the tedious task of brewing a beverage or when there’s a need for a quick cup. Go to any store, big or small, little corner outlet or big supermarket, it’s all there–in bottles, cans, packets/sachets, and in many flavors as well. Which means right in one’s own home, a soothing brew, latte or green tea can be enjoyed, leisurely.

San Miguel and Nestlé have introduced their respective premium selections, the former calling theirs Grandeur, a super coffee mix of Columbian beans with 45% less calories than the usual 3-in-one instant drink. They come in 12s in boxes pretty enough to be presented as gifts, tied up with ribbons. Nestlé has the Classic First Pick, ground coffee from cherry beans. It is not 3-in-one and comes packed in boxes of 50 gms each, selling at P40 per. The day we took the sampling at Shopwise, there was this lady who said it tasted exactly like the brew in her native Batangas, strong and freshly roasted. We must say this is quite a testimony.

Antonio Pueo is an old brand of tablia. It is now selling a variant with skim milk and sugar (a bit too sweet for us), but easy to prepare. Comfoods has the new Ricoa Breakfast Cocoa which doubles as a breakfast drink and baking chocolate. The econo-pack has 70 gms of the powder. Sugar and milk are required.

Drysdale makes a selection of fruit drinks such as dalandan, calamansi and mango.. There’s also Tropicana and the now very popular C-2, which is so in demand it usually goes out of stock. We also noted that green tea has captured the market, it is even made into ice cream. Recently we met a lady named Grace who imports real English tea and she says the herbal teas available in the market are, strictly speaking, not real tea. Those who would contest this should contact her at her restaurant called Teazann in Salcdeo Village, Makati, telephone number 817-0421. She’s got the collection from London Fruits and Herb Co. and the flavors are strawberry-vanilla, green tea and jasmine, orange spice, among others. Served iced, they are refreshing. P195 a box of 20.

A trip (considering the traffic and the distance, going to Makati is indeed a trip) brought us to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s Deli, which that day was full of corporate types enjoying the day’s specials, including the perfectly roasted seabass on a bed of mashed potatoes, with steamed asparagus on the side. After lunch with pleasant company provided by our friend Charisse, we surveyed their other offerings of special cakes and processed meat plus the usual bread selection (we have long been hooked on their cheese loaf). Now Party Platters can be ordered, consisting of a variety of cheeses or cold cuts that include Parma ham. From P1,800 for a group of 10. There are dips and spreads– Baba Ganoush, Paté and Duck Gallantine. Believe it or not, their whole Roast Chicken (1.2 kgs) goes for P290 each. There’s more from their ovens: Baked Salmon Fillet in Pastry, Roast Leg of Lamb, etc.

A few days later we decided to have a look at the Mandarin Cafe and Deli at the Gateway in Araneta Center in Cubao. We found a gracious Judith but completely missed the promised company of the center’s Cecille and Darlen, who later professed some confusion (they both went on leave). Anyway, we decided to make the most of our visit and ordered Ginataang Halo-halo (P90) which happily was authentic with bilo-bilo, slices of saba bananas and wedges of sweet potatoes. Great to discover the chain has not ‘internationalized’ the recipe. The new offering here is the carving station, which that day had succulent veal ribs, served with asparagus salad with grilled prawns and bell pepper coulis, plus flourless chocolate cake for dessert. We saw some ladies having their afternoon tea with churros and chocolate served rather innovatively in an epergne. On the shelves are a selection of food products for sale–bottles of balsamic vinegar from Modena (P240 for a bottle of 500 ml), Chifferi pasta (P60), and sauces from P309 a bottle. It is refreshingly pleasant to have lunch or a snack in this place. One gets good food and a perfect view of a mass of people shopping, meeting friends or simply malling.

We were searching for some schublig sausages but didn’t find them in either the Peninsula or the Mandarin. Well, Santis in Alabang has them. They sell for P359 a kilo. Likewise they have farmers meatloaf at P356. If you are a small family, you don’t have to buy a kilo. Have a great Sunday with your family!

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