beyond toxicity

How would you spend PhP 4,000 worth of gift certificates found in your mail box?

I know for some this is cheap, but hey, it’s still PhP 4K !

I could have bought myself a nice pair of jeans, or an out-of-season-sale sneakers from Gola, Adidas or Nike; or a pair of silk neck ties from Marks & Spencer (i love collecting ties from M&S; i’ve a number of them already; it’s therapeutic for me to see my ties neatly arranged on my wardrobe) or a new sporty back pack or duffle bag perhaps.  *SIGH*

I have accumulated more than 25,000 points from using one of my credit cards and haven’t redeemed them yet until I called the bank agent last week and told her my desire to claim my rewards as GCs from Robinson’s.  I was only expecting PhP 2000 worth of GCs but the friendly call center agent handling the account suggested that I can claim the entire rewards amounting to PhP 4,000 which can be use for purchases in all branches of Robinson’s department stores, supermarkets, Toys R Us, hardware and appliance center, also includes some clothing boutique like the West-End-brand Topshop and  a Japanese sale store -Saizen. She advised me to expect the delivery of the GCs one to two weeks after our transaction. Not bad.

Barely a week after, I got the GCs.   I told my wife about the shopping spree that we’re about to enjoy and I personally suggested to her that it would be better for us to stuff our fridge and cupboards with food, laundry supplies using those freebies.  Of course, she can’t complain.

We arrived yesterday afternoon at Robinson’s Galleria with hungry stomachs. So before hitting the grocery counter, we first filled our tummies with these…

GREAT WHITE PIZZA, PhP 220+.  Freshly made pizza crust topped with bacon, shrimps and mushrooms with garlic over rich and creamy Alfredo sauce. This is a delicious breather from the usual tomato-based pizzas plus it has one of my favorite ingredients : shrimps!

Our merienda was not covered by the GCs since it’s from the Italian-American fast-service restaurant, CHEF D’ ANGELO (How I wish I could franchise; and the name of the resto won’t be a problem, lol). It’s a budget-friendly food place that’s usually packed by diners, mostly yuppies and students who are always on the look for restauarants with homey ambiance.  With pots and pans hanging from the ceiling, and a kitchen-like display complete with colorful stone & ceramic plates and jars, there’s always that feel like having the meal in the comforts of your own dining  room.  However, since it’s still a fastfood-restaurant, some people who prefer cozy, quiet and relaxing dining place,  probably would not even try ordering from Chef d’ Angelo.  To each his own.

Since the usual servings in Chef d’ Angelo can be shared,  I asked my wife, Tina to choose our pasta.  While she was browsing the menu, I was hoping she would order my favorite, Seafood Medley (tender shrimps and calamari lightly sauteed, served with spicy scampi sauce over fettuccini) but she opted for ….

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA, PhP 148+ A pasta with bacon, ham, green peas in a mild parmesan flavored cream sauce. It tasted OK, just like any Carbonara; nothing unusual and I wish those strings of ham could have been diced or cut into smaller bits.  I’m not sure if it’s close to being authentic, but it just felt weird seeing those long strips of ham on pasta;  maybe, it’s just me or something.

It seemed like we had too much of bechamel sauce yesterday- from those pizza and pasta.  No worries, there was still taste distinction as creamy as they get.

Gabby wanted to satisfy his sweet tooth and personally picked this from the cakes on display at the counter…

CHOCOLATE MARBLE CHEESECAKE, PhP 120+.  Creamy baked vanilla cheesecake marbled with dark and whit chocolate ganache.

I’ve tasted other cakes from my last visit to Chef d’ Angelo in other mall but surprisingly, Gabby’s choice was better. It’s just not irritatingly sweet.  And the serving, again, was huge compared to other cheesecake places.

By the way, they also serve burgers, fries, onion strings, salads, soups. waffles, and single-serve their ice tea is great thirst quencher too! It has a pleasant flavor similar to four seasons ice tea.   And their fried chicken servings are deliciously enormous as well!

After that hearty meal, we initially used PhP 1000 worth of GCs at the department store and bought Gabby 3 T-shirts in bright colors that he personally handpicked from the items at the kids’ section. Tina and I also spotted a Ben 10 flip flops for him, which he likes the most from that cartoon on cable that he watches, and also got him a set of colorful plastic shore instruments – all for our Boracay trip next month. (God please let the sun shine its brightest on the 3rd week of October)    Then the remaining PhP 3K  of our GCs were spent at the supermarket.

Isn’t nice to buy things for free?!

Thank You Lord,

You are good, all the time!

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Chef d’ Angelo, Level 4 Robinson’s Gallera, EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City. Tel # (63-2) 637-4760.  with a dozen more branches in other malls.