Fine Life On A Budget + + +

The holiday season is upon us. Most people I know are at the mall to experience this as if there is a countdown that gathers them every weekend. As someone who manages to visit the mall almost every weekend, I know how tiring it is to cover the floors of the metro's famous multi-level malls.

This brings me to guarantee the mall-going public that the popular Pinoy snack called halo-halo is a reliable source of refreshment. Sodas, juice drinks, shakes and smoothies can be boring sometimes. I recommend Razon's halo-halo for its signature shaved ice that blends smoothly with milk, saging na saba (sun-ripened banana), macapuno and strips of leche flan with dayap rind. Seal off the experience with a glass of water. Then you're good to stroll the mall again.

Tex-Mex (Texas-Mexico) specialties, like Japan's sushi, are treats that I did not grow up eating. My mom and dad are into seafood. My brothers are into American breakfast staples such as bacon and hotdog. As author of this food tripping blog, I can't exclude the prospect of sampling food such as the nachos featured above.

The nachos I sampled is Texas Roadhouse Grill's starter specialty called Santa Fe Nachos. Priced at Php275, its crunchy nachos topped with melted mixed cheese is good for two. It was served with my choice sour cream dip which I preferred over salsa.

Texas Roadhouse Grill is frequented by its patrons for its grilled steaks and ribs & chops. The latter's pride is the half-rack Baby Back Ribs which I also sampled. It costs Php25 less than half a thousand pesos (okay, it's Php475), but it's also good for two and the meat succulence is incomparable.

The restaurant has a branch in El Pueblo, Ortigas Center, but the one I visited is in The Fort, Taguig City.

This is part 2 of my Marriott Hotel lunch buffet experience. I previously discussed about my appetizer plate in part 1.

As you can see on the image of the infinity pool area above, the 3-week old Marriott Hotel is stunning to behold. Being there is like basking under the Mediterranean sun. Not that I've been to countries along the coast of the Mediterranean sea, but the architecture shows it.

As usual, my approach to Marriott Cafe's eat-all-you-can lunch promo is that of someone on a diet. I put my morsel strategy to action for me to get a taste of everything being served. Fortunately, I was able to reach the dessert phase. I even managed to seal the sinful meal with a cup of espresso. It was odd that I even used Splenda for sugar because the meal that came before it was everything that the brand stands against.

My main course plate will disappoint you. I semi-filled it with adobong manok, lamb, string beans and bell pepper, itlog na maalat, cucumber and half a cup of rice. Since that is giving the experience injustice, I got a plate of this beef:

Marriott Cafe has a selection of thick and clear soup should you forget to include one as an appetizer. For those who love Japanese food, a sushi bar will not disappoint. For pasta lovers, the hotel cafe has trays of lasagna and ravioli.

Having selected my choices for dessert, I felt victorious. I still had room for a slice of strawberry cheesecake, a bite-size blueberry cheesecake and pandan-flavored merangue.

I'm lucky to have a foodie text brigade. By text, I mean friends who literally send you an SMS summoning a food trip. It's not one of those eat out invites which gets postponed. Whether I tag along or not, the food trip is going to happen. And this one did at the 3-week old Marriott Hotel in Pasay City one weekday.

We were lucky to find out that the hotel's lunch buffet is on 50% discount. This means that the Php1,350 rate is slashed down to just Php600 plus. It normally starts at 11:00 am and lasts until 2:00 pm. The promo is until November 30 and for weekday visits only. I suggest that you reserve a table before going because the buffet is picking up fast.

Above is my morsel plate of appetizers which I selected from the salad bar. I also took two pieces of tempura from the Japanese cuisine area and a piece of bread from the breakfast tray. I semi-filled my plate with clam, string beans, feta cheese, cold cuts, eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes, among others.

Eat-all-you-can patrons can forgive me for not optimizing the experience. I had to resort to morsel approach because I'm obviously not as big as some people. I have a small frame and it bugs down quickly (read: rest room refuge), so as not to worry about that dining mishap I didn't take what I could not eat. Besides I don't even get to finish everything, but the waiters at Marriot Cafe seem not to mind unlike other eat-all-you-can attendants at conventional restaurants.

NEXT POST: MY MAIN COURSE BUFFET PLATE

I spotted a survey result in an online poll that more than 70% of respondents prefer chicken over beef. In retrospect, I had more chicken-oriented meals than beef-oriented ones since I started this food blog. This brings me to feature some of those chicken delights that I sampled over the past two months.

I had this Lemon Chicken viand at Robinsons Galleria's Mr. Choi a week before All Saint's Day. Just how different is it from Superbowl's version? It's got a stronger lemon flavor that's for sure although the meat is not as tender.

I love the kiddie ambiance at Eskimo Bob's.  It adds a jolt to any kind of meal I order there, including the resto's Chicken Parmigiana. You won't literally view the chicken on the image above as it is layered with tomato sauce and melted cheese. I don't necessarily adore the chicken, but it goes down well with pasta and garlic rice as shown above.

I woke up seeing this home-cooked chicken meal one afternoon from a deep slumber. My mom just got back from the supermarket and this is the result of that errand. I decided to forgo dipping it on ketchup to test how the meat really tastes like.

I'm a big fan of Max's. I totally adore the resto's signature chicken meal. I can truly attest to its infectious taste and succulent meat. Sarap to the bones talaga. I once tried their Chicken Sisig but the taste wasn't as delicious. It was overwhelming halfway the dining experience.

Jollibee's new product, the Chicken BBQ, is not as bad as some critics opine. It's not as good as the advertisements seem to evoke as well. It  tastes good enough for the price only. Do not expect to be floored by its meal-based java rice which needs to be reinvented ASAP or else customers may just start requesting for plain rice. That way the Chicken BBQ will earn its merit on its own.

This home-cooked Chicken Sarciado came about because I complained to my mom how the several cans of Delicioso tomato sauce from my cousin were just being displayed in the kitchen. A few days later, I enjoyed how the sauce (Sarciado in Spanish) finally got to be used.

Kids in superhero and macabre costumes were all over the mall trick-or-treatin'. I, however, was not and decided to just treat myself to something sweet. It was when I saw Cacao, the lone chocolate stall on the bridge way of Megamall.

There were lots of products to choose from. For a not-so-chocolate lover, I was not about to zone out. All I had to do was zero in on comfort flavors so I ended up buying just a piece of a dark chocolate (Php34) and a so-called Mint Melt Away (Php37) since I fancy anything minty in taste. To secure my mint week snack, I also bought a box of the 28-piece Andes Mint Parfait Thins (a smooth blend of mint and chocolate flavors; Php165). The mint-choco product is most famous for its three-layered piece with the chocolate as top and bottom and the mint in the middle. What I bought, instead, is its inverted version wherein the mint flavor covers the two layers with the chocolate in the middle.

What I like about Cacao is its location. I'm neutral when it comes to chocolates (unlike sushi for which I have a declared aversion), so I don't mind eating a piece or two once a week. The chocolate stall is just perfect for my daily route from work and weekly mall activities.

Eat where you work. In my case, I take my office breaks at various fast food chains along the formerly called Emerald Avenue in Ortigas Center, Pasig City four days of my 5-day work week. Every Saturday morning, though, I head to Banchetto which is "feast" in Italian. And it is a whole street of food feasting from Friday night to Saturday noon!

The lined up stalls may literally be dwarfed by the business district's tall buildings, but the Banchetto experience always leaves the urban foodie satisfied for the affordable food that's available in various forms.

Banchetto is also famous for the crepes being sold by Crepe Man. If you love Cafe Breton, maybe you can give Crepe Man a chance. To see how they do their crepes, click here.

It was the wee hours and I got a nasty appetite for pizza and chicken. Fifteen minutes later, I was at Sbarro, Eastwood-Libis. It was one hour and 30 minutes to closing (4:30am) and I was the only customer inside. It was like waking up to a home-situated restaurant that's just next to my room.

My chicken meal wouldn't be complete without the chicken vegetable rice. I love how I always need to put in more salt for extra taste. An officemate of mine loves to pair it with Sbarro's meatball viand. I just love the vegetable rice just the way it is.

The Supreme flavored pizza that I love was out, so I settled for the flavor featured above. I honestly forgot what it's called, but I tore into it anyway. I also got myself a serving of spaghetti and a buy-two promo of their bite-size pizza (Php120).

We know Max's for its great tasting chicken and I couldn't agree more. After recently visiting one of its branches for brunch, I stopped by the restaurant entrance and got inspired to bring home snacks for the household members. By snacks, I mean baked goodies. Yes, Max's is no longer just servings full meals. They have expanded from tossing in those caramel bars in their value meals. These days, one can also buy puff cake (ensaimada in Spanish), polvoron, and other pastry products at Max's Corner Bakery. There are also various cake flavors that remind me of how Goldilocks solidified its presence in the bakery landscape in the late '80s.

For a taste test, I grabbed a 9-piece set of meringue, a cheese bun, and a box of caramel bars. I may just have to return next time for the brazo de mercedes. It looks richer tasting than Goldilocks and Red Ribbon's versions.

Money. Bread. Dough. I don't have that much this month. Lots of expenses came up. I guess this gives me the opportunity to really live the fine life on a tight, tight budget.

Case in point: relying on housemates for snacks like Dunkin' Donuts which, believe it or not, I have not tasted in years. Honestly, I loved the strawberry-filling in that innocent-looking donut so much so that I gobbled up two.

I would have preferred Mister Donut, but beggars can't choose, can they?

YOU OUGHT TO READ THIS:
My Red Ribbon breakfast one rainy morning