Your Money's Worth isn't Always About Prices

The business of food is a great enjoyment and yet a big responsibility. Now a days, society demands you put holes in your pockets for a great food experience but I personally disagree.

The funny thing about food and the prices that go with the food choices we make when we step into a restaurant, a cafeteria, a cafe really all depends on the person purchasing the food. Yes, there are rank and files and classes of whom a restaurant/ cafe markets to but in all honesty, the judgments we make on the worth of the food we order reflects on the characteristics of the person purchasing the food.

I own my own restaurant and I have had trouble with the customer's reactions towards our prices for years now. My restaurant's market is a mix of different classes of people. I believe that there is really no such thing as the class A, B, and C's or even D's. My restaurant markets to people with big families, the corporate ladder, singletons, couples, tourists and foreigners--backpackers and business travelers. Expectantly, you would think a class C could complain about the price of a single "rice meal" that comes as comfort food/slow food rather than a class B complaining about the cost of the food. The impression people make of ordering an item on a menu depends on the level of exposure and experience one has had in restaurants and the kinds of restaurant one has been to. Today, the variety of restaurants has gone from 5 cuisines to about more than 15. Traditionally, a cuisine would be idealized as a. Fine Dining, b. Family Style, c. Fast Food, d. Fast Casual, e. Casual Dining the variations of these types of restaurants have now become even more than we would expect. That is, here in the Philippines. Because my restaurant caters to a variety of different people and classes, most have many different surprising reactions towards the cost of a meal. In restaurants such as Dencio's or Gerry's Grill, a Filipino Cuisine style restaurant that is marked as either a Type D or Type E, most meals aren't meals unless they are known to their market as "budget meals." A menu item, for example, Lechon Kawali is available on their menu priced at around Php 195.00 without rice, soup, or a salad. Then, they have a section in their menu labeled "budget meals" which has the above mentioned entree, Lechon Kawali with a cup of rice and a side of beef soup priced at Php 200.00. In my restaurant, we have our own style of Baguio Bagnet served with a cup of balatinao rice and a side of laswa (soup) priced at about Php 280.00 to 300.00. There is about an Php 80.00 difference with the two. Although, my restaurant serves each meal (not a budget meal) as a full and complete meal. We don't cut down the pork into tiny pieces and make sure a customer makes up for it with the ton of rice on their plate. If ever you would want to order a complete set of lechon kawali equal to the amount of rice that was given in the budget meal, you'd have to order their side order costing you Php 195.00. In conclusion you had just spent more in Dencio's by filling up your appetite the way it should. The funny thing about this fact is that the market that flock to a Dencio's is some what the same market that flocks to my restaurant and they expect the same service as Dencio's. What needs to be known about their style is that they cater to people who think they are on a budget but in all actuality, they don't get their money's worth but when they look at my restaurant's menu and see the food parallel to the price, they freak out and react negatively (people pay more than Php 1,000.00 for a meal that sits in the middle of the platter that is barely 2 inches in diameter, and no, that's not just French Cuisine). They bring their closed mentality to my restaurant, complain about the "over pricing" and then mention, "ang mahal naman eh" then go back to your fast casual dining and fast food! I don't cater to people who don't appreciate their food the way it is wether it's expensive or not.

People need to be more open to the different variations of food and food service they expose themselves to and you don't need to be a Class A, B+, or B to be able to appreciate food and its styles the way they should be appreciated. I blame the television shows and it's "literal" boxed in portrayals of the Filipino lifestyle. Your life isn't just like the telenovelas and Filipino drama, it's way bigger and we don't live in a script. Open up your minds, people. The cost, be it cheap doesn't mean it's worth your money. Sometimes, prices ranging from Php 280.00 to Php 550.00 can be worth your money and your while.

Recent Food Shots

Tortang Talong: Cafe by the Ruins: cafebytheruins.com

Chicken Palawan: Cafe by the Ruins: cafebytheruins.com

Porkchops: Canto, Engineers Hill, Baguio City

Chocolate Fudge Cake: Good Taste

TinTin Lip Balm

New orders and cases PLUS with TinTin LipBalm stickers!

Melon Red

Cinnamon Red

Cinnamon HBP

Coconut HBP

Vanilla HBP

NEW FLAVORS!

Melon
Pandan
Coffee Mocha
Chocolate

!!!

TinTin Lip Balm

 coconut

 cinnamon red

 honey

 cranberry

 honey beeswax & propolis

coffee

Ingredients:(per twist case)

1. Beeswax balm (organic)
2. Petroleum Jelly
3. Lip stick tint
4. Organic Flavoring

(weight of each ingredient to follow)

I can take special requests if you want it in different flavors(prices will vary).

Products will only be made only after orders are given. 

PLEASE "SHARE" THIS! I NEED THE SUPPORT! :) (even if you are a guy)

ON HAND FLAVORS: (each one will still contain the signature honey beeswax and propolis)

                                                                     PRICE                 AVAILABILITY (per bottle)

• Body Shop Glitter Cranberry      Php 120.00                     15g                  

                                                           Php 160.00                     30g

• Reeses                                       Php 115.00                     15g                   

                                                         Php 155.00                     30g

• Coffee                                        Php 100.00                     15g                   

                                                          Php 140.00                     30g

• Coconut                                     Php 95.00                       15g                   

                                                          Php 135.00                     30g

• Cinnamon                                  Php 100.00                     15g                   

                                                           Php 145.00                     30g

• Honey                                        Php 110.00                     15g                   

                                                           Php 150.00                     30g

• Vanilla                                  Php 140.00                     15g

                                                          Php 180.00                     30g

• Grape                                   Php 95.00                        15g

                                                         Php 135.00                       30g

• Berry                                  Php 95.00                          15g

                                                        Php 135.00                        30g

• Melon                                Php 100.00                        15g

                                                       Php 120.00                        COLORED

• Pandan                             Php 100.00                        15g                                         

                                                      Php 120.00                       COLORED

• Coffee Mocha                  Php 115.00                         15g

                                                     Php 135.00                        COLORED

• Chocolate                        Php 110.00                          15g

                                                     Php 130.00                        COLORED

COLOR AVAILABILITY (no flavoring just the honey beeswax propolis 30g is not yet available)

                                                                                      PRICE                 AVAILABILITY

• Revlon Peach Red (Toast of New York)      Php 100.00         15g
• Ever Bilena Mocha                                          Php 95.00           15g
• Ever Bilena Brown Red                                  Php 95.00           15g
• Ever Bilena Bright Red                                  Php 95.00           15g

***The client can request for custom made MIX & MATCHES for flavor with color 

But the client cannot request for mixed flavors. These custom orders MUST be requested 2 days before production. PRICES WILL VARY!

***NOTE: Cranberry Flavor is NO LONGER AVAILABLE (will be back soon)
***NOTE: 15g BOTTLES unavailable for the moment. Still hunting for more.

Dump It, Eat it!

What is the beauty of home cooked meals or just plain eating "homey" food? Well, one thing is, you can eat it whatever way you want to and wherever you want to (especially if the parents aren't home). Personally, I just LOVE to death, mixing everything in a bowl and just eating it from there. I know it does sound really gross and not fancy at all but think of it: most cuisines are based from that. Here's a few examples: Chinese rice bowls (yang chow fried rice), Japanese Fried rice, Rice Pilafs, and Paella. All of these just mixed in food into one bowl! Casual yet fancily delicious!

Just recently, I had the most amazing perfectly cooked Paella! I can try to describe each bite as I go along this blog but basically to sum it all up, each bite was just "I WANT MORE!!!" (hahaha!)... It wasn't home cooked but it's as home cooked as it could get! The foil was gently pulled away from the cast iron "paella" (pan, in english) and the smell of shrimp, mussels, saffron, olive oil, olives, eggs, squid, chunks of smoked bacon and perfectly moist round rice flooded the whole table I was sitting in. By the time I had placed my share on my plate, the smell disappeared as the flavors just merged in my mouth! HEAVEN!(really, there are so many food choices that barely give me that pleasuring satisfaction but on that day with that choice of food, man was I in heaven!) I gave myself about 3 servings until I had pulled out that white flag.

Paella, my favorite Spanish (Valencian: according to the Spanish, Paella is more of a Regional dish rather than a National dish) rice dish!

In Baguio, there are only TWO restaurants (I know of) that have Paella in their menu. Another place in Baguio is my Tita Mitos' house, which to me I think would be the best. Why? Because it's home-cooked, people! Anyways, one place is Marios' and the other is Hill Station. But my heavenly experience was with the Paella in Hill Station.

The only time you'll actually believe me is when you actually order it yourself. I'm not kidding. Give yourself a sinful gustatory treat! I did! :)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hill-Station/113667221977545
http://hillstationbaguio.com/

Photo by Google Search

Comfort Food

Food isn't just for nourishing our bodies and keeping us from getting sick and unhealthy. Food becomes everything's "significant other." We are nothing without food in ways where when stress overcomes the body we turn to delicious sweetened Cocoa which we call CHOCOLATE(chocolate bars, hot chocolate, chocolate fondue, chocolate cake, etc) . When our minds think that things have just turned from happy to incredibly sad we choose to indulge ourselves with pasta and large mounds of meatballs and freshly grated parmesan in a thick and tasteful tomato sauce. Comfort food is the common name. Because food becomes such an essential part of life not only for health-wise issues but also for our soul.

Our souls not only feed on happiness and love and friendship but on what our bodies give our souls when our souls can't have happiness, love or friendship. We give our souls comfort food...

On days where alcohol is inappropriate for an early day of sadness, I go to a restaurant when I have nothing left to cook or when I just have no sense of motivation to cook. I go to a restaurant that gives good service and provides an ambience relaxing enough. The next dilemma? The menu. What to choose. So many dishes sound so good and yet you know that's not exactly what your soul wants. So you let chance take over and point at any random item. I chose the perfect comfort food: Shepherd's Pie.

The Shepherd's Pie was incredible the moment the courteous waiter set it on my little round table in the corner of the restaurant. The smell of cheese, lamb, steak, potatoes just filled my nostrils with ecstasy. I punctured the perfectly browned cheese on top and worked through the pie.

My first bite was when my soul felt that comfort warming it up little by little as each bite continues to pass through from the pie to my mouth. Finally with my last bite with the taste of the earthy steak and tangy lamb, creamy yet  dry and buttery cheese and smooth potatoes and the left over mushrooms and sauciness, I knew finally, that my soul was no longer sad.

*Shepherd's Pie of Hill Station, Baguio City, Philippines
http://hillstationbaguio.com/

Actions speak louder than words

photo by: Rudi Tabora

Banana turon is as simple as soy sauce and rice and yet with just this simplicity, it fills the stomach, increases our endorphins, and sweetens our palette. I grab the fork and lightly hold it with my right hand, I gently pierce into the perfectly golden and crunchy lumpia wrapper that cradles the Saba Banana and mouth-watering jack fruit strip. I'm rushing the slice of heaven into my mouth and yet, in my mind, the tang and soft touch on my lips just makes time slow down and I savor the sweet coconut and mango syrup medley. Finally, I bite. The taste of everything in my mouth gives me goose bumps and I feel like an orgasm has just happened in my mouth. Then I remember, it's just Banana Turon.