People have been buzzing about the latest and hippest hangout in town – Tiendesitas. It literally means small stores. Friends have been inviting me and my husband to this place for weeks and I must admit that I have been very curious about this place myself. After all, it is located in Ortigas (mall central), right in the middle of the posh and exclusive villages of
My husband and I, along with some friends, finally got the chance to visit the place last Sunday afternoon, after a very early start from Sta. Rosa (way south) to Pampanga (way north) to attend church. Why we went to church many miles away is another story.
My husband and I were anticipating a very enjoyable experience in a much hyped up place. Well, we were in for a very rude and disappointing awakening.
While parking is free, it was a nightmare to find a vacant spot. It is obviously a favorite of the rich and famous so all the huge and imported vans came in full force. You’d best have a driver on hand if you don’t want to start off your Tiendesitas experience on an irritated note.
Thank heavens the cool December air was present! The crowd and barbecue smoke emanating from the big food tent at the hub were enough to turn us off and decide not to go back next time. My eyes smarted from the smoke of the barbecue pits and my hair and clothes literally smelled of coal-roasted meat! The place is, in my opinion, a glorified Divisoria and Greenhills in one. I say “glorified” because the whole structure is made to look like a compound of open Indonesian wooden cottages that, without the commercial trimmings, would actually resemble a beach resort in
Looking through all (and I mean “all”) the stalls and merchandise found me wanting. There was really nothing new, and certainly nothing that Greenhills and many other malls didn’t have to offer. Most of the prices were standard (and not lower, as one would expect in a “tiangge” atmosphere, no matter how posh), and some were even what I would consider exorbitant. They are just lucky to have attracted the A (as in “affluent”) crowd.
Perhaps the only unique thing among the plethora of stalls and merchandise was the pet area. There were enough dogs, cats, fish and birds on display (and for sale) to keep the kids and their nannies entertained. The presence of more than one pet grooming station was also a plus and a great excuse for pet owners to show off their Shi-Tzus and
As I sat on one of the benches in the food tent, I observed a food stall buzzing with activity. It sold Vigan Empanadas (small meat pies) and okoy (fried shrimp cake). This stall had the longest queue of hungry folks and some even stood in line for close to an hour just to get a taste of the delicacy, prepared and served by mestizas who looked like they could just be shopping instead of slaving over a hot stove. The price also seemed very reasonable, at 3 pieces of empanadas or okoy, or a combination of both, for only P100.
Naturally, I was more than curious and I have heard many times that the food is best where the queue is longest. It makes perfect sense. I had also observed that the food pieces were quite large and those who happily sat and ate theirs seemed more than content. So I asked a friend’s son to stand in line (which he did for 50 minutes) to buy 3 pieces of okoy.
You could imagine my anticipation (it had been almost an hour) and my stomach acids churning at the prospect of a great snack! I happen to enjoy food and I especially love food that can be dipped in vinegar (the commercial variety). Okoy was one of them.
As I bit into the crispy okoy, I had to stifle a groan of utter frustration and disappointment. Where was the shrimp? The batter hardly had any taste, was overdone around the edges and soggy at the center, and the much anticipated shrimp was almost imaginary! Was this what people waited an hour in line for? The vinegar dip that came with it was the organic type (I forgot what it is called) and one I particularly did not fancy.
It was unfortunate that my friend and I didn’t order the empanada. Maybe that was what the hungry mob was really hankering for. Maybe the okoy was just to add variety to their food offering. I don’t know, but I certainly questioned people’s tastes as I strove to eat as much of the okoy as I could to wash down some of the buyer’s remorse I was beginning to feel.
I was also shocked at the P75 kamansi (beef and jackfruit in sour broth) I ordered in another stall. It came in a small (handful) styropore bowl and didn’t have much of the jackfruit or broth in it. Another stall sold suman (sticky rice/cassava cake wrapped and cooked in banana leaf) which quite a number of people were also waiting to order. When the supply finally came, my friend and I approached the stall only to find out that each piece cost P22! For a native snack, that is quite expensive. We left that stall in low spirits and emptier stomachs.
Maybe I ordered all the wrong things. Or maybe Tiendesitas is just not the place for me. I immediately sent my husband a text on his phone (he had left for a meeting) to let him know that it was not a good idea for him to try out the food on his way to pick me up.
It was good for me to finally see the place and have the Tiendesitas experience, if only to finally satisfy my curiosity. But give me the mall anytime! I’m older, wiser (I hope) and more careful with the hard-earned cash entrusted to me. I will go where the food is good and reasonably priced, where the merchandise is affordable to most, and where I can roam and shop in a clean, well-lit, air-conditioned environment.
Written 12/20/05
No comments:
Post a Comment