Stay Away From the Overrated Worldly Chicken! Meister is Better.

I love food courts.  I grew up spending lunchtimes at this crowded part of the mall, enjoying looking at the brightly lit half-dried, half-warmed, half-exposed smorgasbord of colorful recipes that practically look the same.  The ubiquitous fastfood chain in the center, your friendly carinderia on the corner, and the box-office siomai stall all completing the cast of this wonderful place.  I would definitely trade a run-down overpriced dinner at a fancy restaurant for a comforting value meal amidst the smokey air of the food court.

Still, I gape at the long line of people piling up in front of an overrated food court chain known for its chicken and carbs combo.  I had tried this once before, got utterly disappointed, and vowed never to fall into such a travesty once again.  Compounding my bitterness was the fact that a better, lesser known, choice was just a few paces away.

Inside the Glorietta Food Choices area, towards the end of the hall, there's a humble stall quietly serving some of the best-tasting and healthier combo meals this part of the mall.  Meister, a food court brand of the Almon Marina restaurant, is a known favorite of hungry office people and shoppers alike, who tire of the long lines of cold meal disappointments. Serving value meals worth under P160, you get a hefty serving of your daily RDA of carbs, and a healthier grilled serving of meat, whether it be chicken, pork, or a fat piece of sausage.

This is easily one of my favorite go-to places in the food court (the other being Magic Wok, oh lechon macau I long for thee).  We usually order a rice / pasta and pork combo for me, and a pasta / sausage value meal for the missus. 

 Pork Loin, Rice Pilaf, and Vegetable Sides Combo

P145

I couldn't resist the long slice of pork loin basking in oil, enhanced by the warm light and barbecue fragrance in the air.  Even if I wanted to choose the healthier grilled chicken, I always end up surrendering to this slice of sinful heaven.  That's the good thing about food courts, what you see is what you really get (literally).  The way here in Meister is that you get to choose your poison (meat), your added kick (the sauce for it), the carb filler (rice or pasta), and the guilt-reducer (veggie sides, coleslaw, or another round of carbs - potatoes or macaroni salad).  I got the veggie side to reduce my guilt, then splurged on the rice pilaf.  The pork itself was silky smooth, with just the right amount of fat bordering the soft meat.  Add the spicy barbecue sauce, and you'd think this was Rack's, with a cheaper price tag.  The vegetable siding paired well with my sinfulness, crisp and crunchy pieces of carrots, turnips, and cucumber.  You can't go wrong with the rice pilaf, and this isn't your run-of-the-mill artificially colored excuse for a java rice.  All this will set you back for under 200 bucks.

 Pasta Vongole, Baby Potatoes, and Italian Sausage

P140

A less sinful combination, but equally tasty.  The vongole sauce consists of clams refusing to be opened drenched in white, peppery, creamy sauce.  The fettucine was al dente (which was surprising for a food court), and the sauce was generously draped over.  The baby potatoes does not actually come with any sauce, but, being a frequenter of this place, we got to convince the server to drench ours in the chili and cheese sauce (which was great!).  The Italian sausage was nearly half-a-foot long, packed with a peppery punch, further enhanced by the spicy barbecue sauce again.  You can ask the server to separate the sauces if you don't want to eat with all the sauces mixing up and turning into an undecipherable goo.  All this for a good price of less than 200 bucks.

And people still line up on the other side for a cold, uninterested slice of small chicken and a sad serving of an excuse of a pasta.  And they pay for practically more.  Still, I would rather watch them waste away their time and money, while I sit quietly and enjoy my secret nook in my favorite part of the mall.  The food court.

Jones

Meister

Glorietta 4 Food Court

Makati City