More Christmas offerings

This is the homestretch, the last minute struggle to complete the gifts, food and other arrangements for the holiday season. We have not stopped checking the different products available. So here are more offerings to consider.

Supermarkets are among the most ideal source of food gifts. We hopped over to the Makati Supermarket in Alabang Town Center and found quite a few suitable food gift items, many of them imported. The Taste of Australia selection includes delectable goodies, some of which are packed in combos. There are spinach pasta with pesto, Ansac biscuits and juices (apple at P193 a bottle). Pair the biscuits with paté or jam as starters. German cocktail onions in bottles, Massinger jerkins and sauerkraut are available. They cost from P93.95 to P110.95. Sauerkraut, of course, is an ideal accompaniment to fresh corned beef and pig’s knuckles. Ube has been incorporated in the Royal Mochi from Taiwan which, quite strangely, is dubbed to be “Japanese style.” That afternoon, Great Taste was giving samples of their new decaf blend. We have long given this brand our stamp of approval as among the better blends in the country. It sells at P90.35 a pack of 100 gms.

One can‘t go wrong giving ham or cheese as presents. King Sue Piña Ham, 800 gms, sells at P312 while the sweet variant is at P265.95. We thought the Danes cheese ball was something Danish. It is actually produced by the makers of the CDO line of processed food, which also offers holiday ham for P450 a kilo and Fiesta at P375. Going around, we found the Little Lawrence brand of siopao with different fillings – malunggay at P76.95 for a pack of four, carrots and kalabasa (squash) plus the hotsa ube pao, P144.75 for 20 pieces. These are good to bring to pot luck gatherings – easy, uncomplicated. Add to that shrimp, beef or Shanghai lumpia from P71.50 to P144.75, depending on how many you want.

At the recently held Four Seasons Bazaar at the Bellevue Hotel Alabang, we met a couple of young men, Peter and Eboy, who do not have formal training in the culinary arts, but are apparently doing well, using their taste buds and enterprise. They call their business Pedeli Gourmet Kitchen, serving sandwiches and “everything else.” Their flyer declares the sandwich collection as an “empire.” The sandwiches look enticing. The “everything” includes salad, pasta, soup, cookies and cupcakes. Decadent rich flan is sold at P430. They do catering and a trio of items can be ordered for only P200. They are based at 128 Pioneer St., Mandaluyong City, tel 0917-8473269.

Speaking of leche flan, we have a brother who makes the best leche flan hereabouts. One day, when there were lots of eggs in our pantry, we tried making this lovely dessert. In the absence of a formal recipe (inspite of searching for it from the hundreds of cookbooks in our library) we ventured into using the recipe on the label of a condensed milk can. Voila! We were considerably successful. We just need to avoid having the little bubbles. Maybe we should ask the experts.

Casa Iberica has filled the void that resulted from the closure of a famous Spanish restaurant in Alabang. This one is located on the second floor of the Greenboro building on Daang Hari, Molino, Bacoor, Cavite. Don’t be intimidated by its location. It is only about nine minutes away from the Alabang Town Center. Should residents in the area want a more quiet place for a meal or small party with excellent Iberian dishes and perfect ambiance, this is the place to be. The gambas, callos and paella are worth the visit. Call 384-1571.

On the other hand, a place not worth a second visit is Mong-kok Dimsum and Noodles restaurant at Power Plant in Rockwell. The waiters hardly respond to calls, the pata tim we had was tough, a big disappointment for a visiting British gentleman who had a craving for it.

Have the toll fees been increased? They better not, until they have trained their staff well and upgraded their facilities. Coming from Laguna, we had to turn around to hit the San Pedro exit. Our e-pass had been swiped when we made the U-turn. Lo and behold, the less than two-minute 10-meter distance to the exit recorded a P70 charge!

The woman in the box had no explanation and initially refused to correct the error, much less call her supervisor. The machine could have been defective, an observation that has previously been made by some motorists. Please straighten them – the people and the machines – out!

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