Cheap Treats

By Harriet Ann Dy
Photos by Manny Fernandez

          Hard times call for hard choices, and where to go for chow during your lunch break is no exception.
          The idea of a food bargain is relative, of course. There is the certified Makati executive like Rhea Yap, a relationship manager at ING Barings Bank, who considers spending an average of P150 for lunch manageable. "For me, good value for money would be Super Bowl of China. You might spend P150 per person, but you get your fill." The recently opened Super Bowl at Megamall strip, I must agree, is one of the better places to get a filling bowl of BBQ Asado on Rice (P120). No surprise that the place is popular with Makati and Ortigas yuppies. But Rhea's P150 budget is the exception rather than the rule.
          At the publishing company where I used to work, we could have a complete lunch—rice, dinaing na (sun-dried) bangus, atchara (pickled papaya)—in a Styrofoam box for as little as P35. On the average, however, my officemates set aside between P50 to P80 for lunch.
          At Lola Lita's Barbecue and Inihaw Specialities in Kapitolyo, Pasig, for example, P55 can get you full meals of Grilled T-Bone Steak or Inihaw na Tilapia with rice and atchara. That same amount can get you only the Tom Yang Thalay Soup or Thai Kangkong from Thai in a Box, a favorite Thai fast-food place. I do think it's the cheapest place by far to get a generous fix of Bagoong Rice (P99) or Phad Thai (P95).

till on fancy rice mixes, Fried Rice in a Box, a tiny kiosk in Robinson's Place, Manila, is a hit with students and the Malate crowd for its cheap (P60) and filling rice choices (Yangchow fried rice or Salted Fish rice), smartly packed in Chinese takeaway boxes. In the Pasig area, Michelle Ang, a business development manager, swears by Lin Tzu Restaurant on Meralco Ave. For P130, two people can already share an order of Crispy Tofu in Special Sauce (P60) and Garlic Rice (P70). Even the more exotic bowl of Vietnamese pho noodles has become more affordable. At Pho Hoa Vietnamese Noodle House, a small bowl of Pho Khong Thit, a meatless variety, will set you back P85.
          Notice that until now, I've pointedly steered clear of fast-food chains in my search of Great Food Bargains. Jollibee and McDonald's are among the biggest hunger equalizers, but beware the grease factor and uniform bland sizzle. Several specialty burger restaurants like Hungry Hippo and Big and Better, both in BF Homes Parañaque, have endeared themselves to the burger-loving crowd.
          At Hungry Hippo, they have Chunky Chicken and Steak N'Cheese and Home-style Meatloaf sandwiches priced reasonably from P35 to P50. Big and Better is, well, bigger and better: they even have a melt-in-your-mouth Mushroom and Quatro Frommagie sandwich that costs P75.

halk Magazine food editor and Aqua pastry chef Mara dela Rama recommends the Kamikaze burger with wasabi, mayonnaise and cheese at Hotshots Flame-Grilled Burgers on Pearl Drive in Ortigas. The tab? Roughly P100 for a burger, fries and drink. Not bad for a full meal. The Bite Club on Katipunan has also been getting raves. Mara loves their Roasted  Garlic and Cheeseburger on an Oatmeal-Dusted Bun. Average burger cost: between P60 and P100.
          This feature wouldn't be complete without mentioning the many Pares houses that dot the city. "Need I say more?" asked one yuppie when asked for his food-bargain recommendation.
          Jundy Gueco of  Food Magazine hunted down one such establishment: Jonas' near the  Retiro and Mayon junction in Quezon City."This is no ordinary rice and viand affair, though," he writes. "The rice is fried with a variety of garnishes (onion and garlic) and the beef is stewed asado style." For me, however, there is no bigger food bargain than a hot Porkchop Rice (P65) meal—a big, boneless, breaded porkchop, a generous rice serving, vegetables and clear soup—at Tasty Dumplings on Mayon St. In the end, this is what a cheap treat really is all about: a hot, hearty, tummy-soothing meal at a price that can still keep your wallet warm with cash. In the end, this is what a cheap treat is all about: a hot, hearty, tummy-soothing meal at a price that still keeps your wallet warm
with cash. Burp.