Back to Sta. Rosa

We were just passing through when we first dropped in on the new Food Station in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, so we resolved to go back. This time we had all morning to go around, examine the goods and talk to the vendors. Because it was still early, the crowd had not picked up and parking was easy.

Since we alighted at the back, our initial encounter was at the dry section, where eggs labeled extra large are really of that size. We meant to get only a dozen, but we could not pass up paying only P5 per, so we bought a tray of 30 pieces. There is some sort of a promenade that separates this section from the rest. We walked through and stopped at the fruit section. Mangoes have not been very nice or sweet. Here in Sta. Rosa, they are rather small, P65 a kilo, but actually sweet – a good bargain. Avocados are in season, we got two that disappointed our second daughter when we got home; one was rotten. We then made our way to the wet portion, hitting the seafood area. The fishmongers are cheerful and they remember, no matter that they’ve only seen you once before. We felt like a suki immediately as Emily of the Enbrera & Jacinto Seafood Dealer enthusiastically welcomed us. Black tiger prawns went for P480 a kilo while the white smaller ones (which we used for camaron rebosado) was at P400. Squid, as usual, carried a higher tag at P250, but she gave us a P10 discount. The blue marlin was not as good as we expected, at more than P280 a kilo. Marinated in Korean barbecue sauce and grilled, they were a bit tough.

We sought out K2Q store, from which we got the tasty longganiza, bologna (home made) and chicken ham last time. We got some, all still at P130 a kilo. Sliced and stir-fried, they were good for sinangag and pan de sal for breakfast.

Farther inside, we got our meat from the gracious lady of Lalaine Meat shop. We took a whole bulalo because we could not pass up a good cut, at P200 a kilo. At home we divided them into two portions, one for nilaga and the other for sinigang (great!). For adobo, we got a kilo of pork liempo at P170 and 1/4 kilo of pork liver for P40. One has to tell the butcher about what size you want the cuts to be, or you end up with small slices that would disintegrate as they cook.

The last stop was the vegetable stall of a young lady by the front entrance. (Sorry, we failed to get her name.) They have French beans, grown here, selling at P250 a kilo. Not the best, if compared to the imported variety, but it was good enough to pair with our adobo, braised in garlic and onion, steamed and brushed with margarine. They also sell fresh herbs (basil at P30 per 10 gms).

As usual with any market, there are cooked food stalls at the back with chairs and tables along the sidewalk. As early as 10 a.m. people were eating – rice and viands that range from fresh lechon (P100 a small plate), menudo and some other typical Laguna food, from P30 a serving. Needless to say there are kakanins – puto, bibingka, etc. It was a morning well spent in Sta. Rosa.

Have you heard of “An Egg with a Heart?” That’s what Echostore of the Sustainable Lifestyle has in their Serendra outlet. These are salted eggs sold to benefit farmers of the municipality of Basista, Pangasinan, organic duck eggs cured in sea salt from Dasol, Labrador, Pangasinan. The ducks are free range and pastreurized in and around Basista. The eggs are not dyed red, but are covered with corn husk to prevent bacterial contamination. They are rich in calcuim, carbohydrates and thiamine, and last 6 to 8 days without refrigeration. Cost is P20 to P25 per. Echostore has just won the Ayala Green Merchant Award in the Green Practice Category, making them the Green Ambassador, during a dinner held recently. Well-deserved, we must say, as they have spearheaded the awareness campaign for going Green and Healthy.

The Portofino Sunday Market was launched last week, a mini version of the Alabang Village Saturday market set up at an area near the rotunda at the corner of Daang Hari and Daang Reina, Molino 4. We expected some of our sukis in Alabang to be there, but they were not. Just as well, because we discovered some new suppliers and entrepreneurs, most of them based in nearby Cavite towns. A new coffee brand, Refresher’s Gourmet, sells both beans and ground coffee plus a variety of teas. They have a lot of cooked food, mostly home-made and some from established outlets on Aguinaldo highway, among them Tolentino’s cooked food like beef rendang. The dinuguan we got had an odd taste. Real sweetened macapuno go for P200 each bottle; jaleang ube for P80.

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