#20: Combi and the Frugal Me

I am consistent. I am usually frugal. As much as I want to be embarassed in saying this but it takes a bit of emotional anesthesia or emotional panic for me to want to spend 250pesos ($ 5.80) for a single meal just for myself. Not even for both my husband and myself combined, hahaha! I dunno... I think I got it from my mom and my maternal lola who's really practical and frugal, even if they can afford it. As for me, striving artist, remember? Ask my closest friends; they can attest to my consistency.

While waiting for our meal

Anyway, one day my husband and I went around Metro Manila the whole morning for errands and meetings and lunchtime found us cruising through the Maginhawa cool cuisine belt. As always, I cracked up when we passed by this Persian resto. The name which starts with a certain letter A just gets me. Find out for yourself, wink wink! Well, we didn't eat there. Our chosen budget for that particular lunch was for either a carinderia or a fast food tipid meal that I was surprised that my husband even offered to go see if we can find a place to eat there in Maginhawa. So our instinct is to go to this pares place where the students are crowding.  We parked our car and checked. 65 pesos. Not bad but it's hot and cramped.


"Let's see what else is on the other side." 



So we walked a few meters.  We ate two spots from the mystery Persian resto, at Combi Rice Toppings. We went to see if this colorful rice toppings place is any good. Hmm, 55 pesos for the same meal as the crowded pares place we saw earlier. With airconditioning! And a nice, handsome, basketball player-looking guy hanging out at the front. Okay hubby, looks like lunch will be here!

When we went inside, I was instantly delighted by the quirky yet made-up look of their relatively small space. They had colorful monoblock chairs that are coordinated with the well-thought-of table setting wherein they still placed the traditional cup with spoons and forks waiting for you on the table. Charming, huh? Who will think that they are simply melamine dinnerware when they look so clever and cultured. You will know right away that witty people own this place. Remember the hunky guy at the front? Well, what do you know? He was the one who handed us the menu and waited graciously on us. Delight level went up from 6 to 7 especially when we found ourselves reading the menu written on the cover inside CD cases. Ain't that ingenous?


The nice guy took our orders in and orderly manner and went inside to prepare them. Only when I googled Combi today did I find out that the nice guy is actually the chef! (WARNING for the girls: Killer "Combi" indeed.)

We ordered Tapsilog, Laing and an extra serving of rice. It took a while, say 10 minutes but when it came out, I was impressed because I didn't simply get a plate a cup of rice, some shreded meat and an oily sunny side-up egg. I got a nice bowl filled with garlic rice, tapa that is tender, juicy and tasted like it was barbecued, your good ole sunny egg, all complete with a presentation that is fit for an upscale casual restaurant. They have this clever fried noodle thing that added height and texture to the presentation, like the one you see in the right, only, that is sisig. It was very tasty and satisfying along with the spicy, sweet and creamy laing that was as exquisitely presented as the tapsi. Really, eating the food with your eyes closed is already worth your money.  Experiencing the warmth, the artistry and the plating is already a whole bunch of extras that went beyond the amount they ask from you.


Needless to say, I had to order extra rice to scrape off all the sauce sticking from my laing plate because it was just too good to waste. We left the place with delight level 9. You know what, don't take my word for it. Try them out yourself. Check them out by clicking here: Combi Rice Toppings.