Half a day in Greenhills

We took the chance with the traffic on the South Super Highway and we were lucky. We had a good drive to Greenhills and even though it was early (9:45 a.m.) the place was already crowded. We went straight to Unimart and as expected, we found items that were unique to the store. This has always been the case every time we would visit this supermarket. That makes the visit a bit more exciting.

Right behind the cash counters is a display of products from Singapore. We would noticed later that the Lion City is one of the bigger suppliers of this store. To start with, there is Heng Bing whose products include canned fruits and vegetables – lychees, water chestnuts, asparagus, grass jelly, baby corn and bread crumbs in plastic bag. Price range is from P27.50 to P39.75. We add minced water chestnuts to our Shanghai lumpia mix for added texture plus flavor. Our cook told us to continue buying and using light soy sauce because its saltiness is not that intense. So we looked for light soy and were overwhelmed by the selection they have. There must be more than 15 brands/variants. Conscious of our budget, we got the Guan Ji Superior Light for P40.95. This is made in Guangzhou, China. There are other sauces for pouring/dipping – sushi/sashimi at P81.75 a bottle of 305 ml and Thai sweet soy at P13.25.

New on the local front are bottled anchovies (dilis really) from Dagupan at P51.25.We might try using this for the Cream Cheese and Anchovies spread which we make. This is an easy one – soften a bar of cream cheese, add crushed anchovies and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. For a little more ‘kick’ add a few cloves of crushed garlic. Great dip or spread. On the coffee rack, we found quite a selection, most of which are in tin cans. There’s this new selection which we will call the “mood blends.” In this category are Morning Bliss, a light roast; Enchanted, dark roast, which is intense with smokey overtones; and Tranquility, medium roast, soothing, smooth. Take your pick, but be ready to spend more. If tea is your beverage, get any of the Celestial Teas.

The meat line at Unimart is dominated by Tender Bites, rather pricey but one is paying for quality. US Angus tenderloin sells for P575 kilo, T-bone, also US, at P1,299 and oxtail for P589. The latter makes kare-kare rather expensive to serve on ordinary days. The other supplier, Monterey, has sirloin at P458 and shank at P287. They’ve got beef tapa for P431 a kilo. My sister and I are always delighted with what the Magnolia Chicken Station offers. They’re a boon to housewives. The seafood on display didn’t quite entice us. And yes, we found shitake mushrooms, selling at P480, with a small pack enough for one dish, at P98. Portobello mushroom is quite out of our league – P1,326 a kilo, one piece at P326.20.

On the fringes of Unimart are small specialty stores – Riza’s Breads with potato loaf at P55, Mom’s Manyaman of Pampanga with special ensaymadas and cheese rolls, Food Especialist with bibingka and Kookie Korner. Majestic Ham is there, but it now sells for P1,140 a kilo!

Moving on we settled for lunch at Peri-Peri Grill House in the Promenade, ground level. We have always been curious about the name of this restaurant. That day we met its manager Alain and marketing lady Kate, who enlightened us. Peri-peri is a kind of chili grown in South Africa. Years ago, it was discovered by the conquering Portuguese who perfected it as a food element. The meat – either chicken or beef – is spitfire grilled, giving it a smokey flavor. It is served with Peri-Peri sauce, which, depending on one’s capacity to take spicy food, is either hot or mild. Their chicken comes either with lemon and garlic or with gravy and can be mild or spicy. Their newest dish in the menu is called Espetada, supposedly the pride of Madeira. This dish is dramatically presented. The skewered meat, either beef or chicken, is served in a platter with a hook from which it hangs, thus droplets of the juice fall on the rice or fajita bread. All dishes come with dips/sauces and garnishes of vegetables and tomatoes. Other than the grilled selection, there is pasta. We had our favorite dessert, tiramisu, which was a perfect ending of the meal.

Eat out once in a while. Have a good Sunday.

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