With the price of gasoline these days, it isn’t smart to go food shopping in far-away supermarkets. The nearer, the less gasoline required. And I buy in bulk to avoid multiple trips. But there are only two supermarkets in Antipolo, Shopwise and Budget Lane, and the latter is not exactly a foodie’s paradise. Shopwise is okay except that shopping in the same supermarket, and seeing the same stuff each and every time, can get boring. Unimart in Greenhills is my all-time favorite supermarket but it is more than an hour’s drive away.
Last week, when a trip to the supermarket was already a must, I couldn’t bring myself to go to Shopwise again. My husband suggested SM Hypermarket in SM Taytay. It was a god-awful experience. The bottles and cartons of juice were in three separate aisles that weren’t even adjacent to each other. Same thing with the mayonnaise. Organization must be alien to the management of SM Hypermarket. And, talk about the noise. A woman’s voice was practically screaming into a microphone and her mis-pronounced announcements were blaring over the PA system. The experience was nothing short of stressful. There was a saving grace though — the mushroom balls.
They cost P375 per kilo but you can buy as little as 100 grams. I’m not a fan of processed food but my daughter, Sam, wanted crab balls and shrimp balls and I figured it wasn’t such a risk since we could only buy a hundred grams of each to try them out. Much more practical than buying the pre-packed brands. And since I can eat neither the crab nor shrimp balls, I ordered a hundred grams of mushroom balls as well. And that was what I had for lunch today. I boiled the mushroom balls in plenty of water until they floated to the surface. Then, I placed them in a bowl with cooked noodles and vegetables and poured in hot home-made broth. Delicious!
The mushroom balls left no flour-y taste, they were firm and they were flavorful. And I was happy to see bits of real shiitake mushrooms in them.
Are the mushroom balls worth another hair-raising trip to SM Hypermarket in Taytay? My husband can always pass by on his way home from work so there really is no need for me to subject myself to another stressful SM Hypermarket experience.
I let out a giggle at the words “hair-raising”. haha.
I frequent SM Hypermarket and everytime, I scurry out as soon as I’m gone with grocery shopping kasi nabibingi na ako.
The salmon balls that I asked you about before (I think they’re made of bits of salmon and lots of flour), well, they were tasteless. But, I still have the mushroom balls in the freezer. They might be the redeeming grace.
hi ms connie. i know this comment is far off but i just want to thank you for your blogs. they’re really a big help not only when i don’t know what to cook but also parang tuloy i am acquainted to antipolo. you see, we are planning to buy a house in antipolo this year, by september which we will occupy when we arrive in december. my 3 yr old daughter will start schooling in antipolo din. maybe we will just visit spain pag school vaation para naman di gaanong mamiss ni hubby yung family nya at yung food. medyo malaking change din not just for my spanish hubby and children kundi for me din kasi i had been to antipolo thrice pero visit lang (5 years ago). i was born and raised in davao. so i really didn’t have any idea what it would be like living in antipolo, where to go to shop, etc. your blogs are really a big help. you might just don’t know it but you are really helping lots of people thru your blog! hope to meet you pag nasa antipolo na kami. i would want to bring you a pasalubong as way to say thank you. but i don’t have any idea kung ano yung magustuhan mo , any suggestion? wag lang yung masyading bulky since magbabyahe with kids. di na nga kami magdadala ng damit at s apinas na kami mamimili, hehe…. thanks again
ms. connie….
feedback lang po….
i was trying to look po sa mga pictures nyo sa kopi tiam but the link was taking me to a page na mga bold and porn….
tnx
my supermarket these days are sm hypermart pasig and unimart (only because of proximity). i agree with your comment regarding sm hypermart they have poor stock as well, very limited. as with unimart, i still get lost in the grocery section, but they carry the best variety when it comes to your cooking requirements, though their non-food items are a bit expensive.
Huh? Let me check.
Hi there!
I am a 19-year old male college student who is secretly interested in cooking (di lang available yung ingredients, etc). I just subscribed to your blog recently, and I am enjoying it.
Anyway, I have no idea where you live in Antipolo, but maybe you can try Robinson’s Department Store (quite a big one), across Marquinton in Marikina. It’s right along Sumulong Highway (which passes by Antipolo, am i right?). I am a Marikeno, and I’d like to see how it compares with the supermarkets of your choice. (ie, pang-chef na ba yun?
)
thanks, and more power. Good luck po sa paghahanap ng magandang bilhan ng pagkain!
marielle, I updated all links. I gave up my other domain and apparently someone else registered it. Funny domain name for a porn site LOL
Al, I’ve seen it. Robinson’s along Marcos Highway is nearer. It’s an okay supermarket but still too far — 45 minutes by car.
Hi Connie,
I’ve tried these from SM. I like the mushroom balls best but the lobster and crab balls are also ok. Meron din silang parang lutong tokwa, yung ball with yellow stripes na may laman at square na may laman din (sorry, hindi ko talaga ma remember kung ano ang mga yon but I’ve bought several times na – beep beep – age showing). Anyway, I usually boil them separately – medyo ayaw ni Kulas yung “fish essence”, masyadong matapang daw.
Konting chicken broth, konting veggies, beef strips at noodles may shabu-shabu style lunch na (mura pa). I like this best with noodles na Six Fortune yung brand. Hindi naglalasang arina yung soup and the texture is just right.
Kulasa, re the one with yellow stripes — sea cucumber. We bought those too. The filling seems egg-y but am not sure. We boiled them, dipped them in soy sauce and ate them hehehe
this looks like my perfect bowl of noodles! I’ve never tried mushroom balls though, must see if I can get some