Finally! SEx in the city.

Last Tuesday, we finally did what we’ve been saying we’d do for the last two years. Speedy and I finally experienced SEx in the city. No, the experience has nothing to do with the reproductive organs. Rather, it has to do with the digestive system. SEx is short for Sinangag Express, or fried rice express, an eatery near the girls’ school where meals are priced in accordance with the average student budget (click here for a related story).

SEx is open 24/7, it’s often packed, but we were there an hour after the usual dinner crowd has gone and it was easy getting a table. I was fully prepared for the ultimate budget meal experience (meaning, I wasn’t expecting much) but what I didn’t expect was that I’d have a hard time choosing what to eat. I thought they only served the usual tapa, tocino and longganisa (homemade, Vigan and Lucban varieties) but they also had bangus, liempo, barbecue, chorizo, pares…

Upon Alex’s recommendation, Speedy and I each ordered a tapsilog — tapa, egg and rice — while Alex had the tocino.

The meal was generous, the tapa was substantial, a bit on the sweet side and I had to drizzle a little vinegar over the meat to get the balance that I preferred. I would also have liked my tapa to be a little more crisp and my rice to have been cooked in more water.

But, all in all, I can’t complain. It ain’t fine dining, for sure, but then SEx caters to the student population. At an average of P65.00 (about USD1.4) per meal, the food was filling, the place was reasonably clean, the service was reasonably fast and efficient. Good enough for the students, good enough for me.

There are several branches of Sinangag Express; the branch we went to is the branch at 877 Dagonoy St. Malate Manila near the De La Salle University. You can check out the website for more details.