Nectarines at FRESH

Finally found my second favorite fruit Nectarines (next to Mangoes and ahead of Peaches), at the newly opened Rustan's Fresh supermarket at the Ayala Mall.

The other Fresh branch at Paseo San Ramon in Banawa is kind of small and does not stock much. And do i need to say anything about the strange "old freezer" aroma that hovers over the shoppers. Sign of a poorly ventilated building or poorly maintained freezers methinks.


The crowd was something short of a stampede when the Ayala branch opened last July 10. Lots of kibitzers milling around, sampling the numerous freebies and generally pushing carts that contained noodles- just checking out the wares and not really shopping.

That REALLY frustrated serious shoppers like moi and my sistah who were there to pick up some things for a dinner party we were hosting the next day. I had to snap at some people so i could finally get my ox tail. That showed them! They were elbowing for a quarter a kilo of this or that, but I hacked off with a WHOLE tail plus some.

I went back this lunch hour and had a leisurely stroll through the aisles and checked out the delicacies.

Chiller with Nectarines, Plums, Dragon Fruit,
Cherries and Blueberries.

Beautifully fresh fruit- oranges, apples, pears,
avocados, coconuts, limes, lemons, watermelons.

A whole refrigerated gondola of pre-packaged
meat: ox tail, goat or chevron, pork belly, tripe,
beef cubes, and more!
No need to line up at the meat counter.

A view of the very cute grains and beans counter:
several varieties of white rice, brown rice, kidney
beans, white beans, mung beans, etc.

The pasta gondola. Penne, Fussili, Spaghetti,
Linguini, Macaroni, Semolina, Whole Wheat,
including Organic! Mind boggling!

Gourmet coffee for all the java fans.

Smoky, spicy Chorizo Oreado Barbacoa at the
Deli Counter.

Norwegian Smoked Salmon kissing up to the
Bacalao. Good Prices :-)

Cheeses galore!

Fresh Mozzarela! I could scream :-)

I also took a stroll through the Bakeshop. What i saw were some appetizing although not very imaginative breads and pastries. There was a good variety of whole wheat breads but the garlic bread and the baguettes could have used some more crunch.

The cakes looked rich enough but at the same time, pretty artificial with the strawberry toppings looking more gelatinous than fruity.

Ham sandwiches, wafer tuilles, butter cookies,
ensaymada, banana loaves.

The requisite Chocolate Chip Buns, Adobo Buns,
and Cheese Rolls.

Some of the cakes.