Price-watching in Metro Manila

As we go around, we have noted that prices vary very little from one store to another. Give or take P1, P2 or even P5, commodities, specially food stuff, are at an almost uniform cost. Of course, one peso counts when buying a lot, as in half dozen or more. We try to remember which stores offer better bargains and that’s where we regularly go, unless some items are not available. Wet market prices are always a bit lower, except chicken where it is more expensive, from P99 a kilo. But unless the vendor is a suki, weight might not be right and freshness could be compromised.

Here goes our regular price watch. Tomatoes, beautiful, firm and big inspite of the rains, now go for P30 a kilo. Pork (kasim and pigue) start at P135. Beef, depending on the cut, starts at P180. Bangus is still pegged from P100 a kilo, tilapia from P79 and lapu-lapu from P250. Depending on which outlet one goes to, shrimps/prawns always command a higher price, from P300 to P580. The whole grain Maharlika rice we get from our suki is selling at P29 a kilo. Mangoes range from P75 to P85 a kilo and the high-priced mangosteen still comes with a P450 tag. They are supposedly imported. Rambutan might be the cheaper alternative and can be just as sweet.

La Norenense chorizos from Spain are now available at the Makati Supermarket in Alabang. The small tin costs P277 while the big one is at P400 plus. Also in the outlet is a trio of paella flavoring under the brand Carmencita Paellero, P168. Maya has a new pre-sifted cake flour at P79.50 a kilo. UFC has joined the group manufacturing spaghetti sauces, ready to pour. Find one flavor to your taste, such as Sweet Filipino blend at P16.60 per. Silver Swan is no longer exclusive to producing soy sauce, as they now have Old English Worcestershire at P14.40 (hot) and P14, both in 160 ml bottles. There’s an abundance of Korean food stuff in the market. For tempura or breading fish or meat, get the Ottogi bread crumbs at P120 a bag of 500 gms. Bonito is a fleshy tasty fish which is often used in Japanese recipes. Flakes are sold in some supermarkets. The thing with Korean imports is that they do not carry English labels and info, as is the case with the variety of noodles. One would just have to look at the illustration and figure out how to cook them.

Swiss Gourmet Deli is based in Davao City and it has succeeded in producing European-style sausages and other processed products. They have been around for quite a while but disappeared briefly. By this time, the company would have re-opened in SM. We are glad to note they produce veal meatloaf at P231, packed into P62 plastic bags. Other specials are the ox tongue sausage (P81 a pack), smoked chicken, whole or fillet and smoked mackarel, salmon and blue marlin. They’ve got all sorts of hams and sausages, from longganiza to schublig. Swiss Deli gives tips on how best to prepare their products–pan fried, grilled, simmered or cooked in oven. For those wanting to buy in bulk, call their Manila office at tel 632-9640. Ask for Marites.

Along the line of Swiss products comes the selection of frozen dough from Hiestand, Swiss Gourmet Bakery. They produce oven-fresh dough for a variety of breads specially their popular croissants. They have an extensive inventory, including ciabatta rolls, tartlet shells, whirls and muffins. The local distributor is Elts Enterprises, tel 723- 2474.

Our friend Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan has put his name on a health drink, which he himself formulated. This is Vita Plus Natural Health Drink which is produced from leaves of malunggay, kulitis, saluyot, sili, kamote (talbos) and dalandan. The drink supplies the daily requirement for vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, anti-oxidants, fiber and phytochemicals. Judging from the testimonials in the flyers distributed at a tiangge, this one is almost (our word) a cure-all. It is not available in the traditional markets yet, so inquiries will have to be directed to their office through tel 837-4257. The price? P35 per sachet which is good for one glass, P700 for a box of 20 and P6,999 for a bag of 12 boxes.

Torani is the brand of a variety of liquid sweeteners for beverages. If one is not particular about that pure coffee taste, this line would be good. They carry lots of flavors. Unfortunately the man behind the counter at the time we visited their outlet could not even give us their telephone contact or where we could buy the products.

Enjoy your day!

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