Enjoy dining, your way

By all accounts, I hear that people are heading back to the Malls in steadily growing numbers; and business is picking up. But, in the same breath, the mall operators are aware that a good number of the populace is still wary, and only venturing out for essentials. And that’s why, at The Podium, they’ve expanded on and improved their Al Fresco dining facilities, and have further developed food outlets that specialize in grab-and-go options.

Whether at street level—on the ADB Avenue side, or up at the Roofdeck area, you’ll be welcomed to dine safely, and enjoy the Al Fresco atmosphere that’s been spruced up to make it an attractive proposition. These Al Fresco tables have been strategically positioned so we can order from the restaurants nearby, or just do a grab and go from the food stalls and outlets within. Be assured of attentive service, protection from the elements, and the prevailing health and safety protocols in place.

And speaking of "grab and go," there are two new food options that opened just recently on the Ground Floor of The Podium. One is The Daily Cut, a Singapore-based food concept that’s both healthy, and tasteful with rich flavors. And there’s Rogue Doughnuts, the one that, as it’s name suggests, has dared to do things unconventionally—offering the familiar doughnuts, but infused with strong, local flavors.

At The Daily Cut, you’re offered the option to create your own meal, choosing from a base of grains, pasta, sweet potato, or lettuce, then your choice of protein (from chicken to fish or beef), and adding vegetables to supplement your meal. You have a selection of toppings and dressing as well. Yardstick coffee is their home brew, or pick from their remedy Kombucha-flavored drinks.

Some ready bowls can help your choosing be faster-paced. There’s a low card—high protein Keto Bowl (ketoism), one that perfect for vegetarians (Eat Your Greens), one pescatarian option (It’s Fishy Business), and one that’s high on protein (Protein Power). The concept is healthy eating without losing the options of choice and flavor. I had the Fishy Business Bowl, and the sauce on the Dory was great, the cherry tomatoes and tabbouleh (couscous, herbs and vegetables) complementing the fish nicely.

As for Rogue Doughnuts, if you haven’t been made aware of this food concept, now is definitely the time. It used to be an online business, that opened its first physical store in the third quarter of 2021. What Rogue D specializes in are handcrafted sourdough doughnuts with Filipino-inspired flavors. Needless to say, that’s highly unconventional, and they’re pretty much on their own creating these artisanal doughnuts.

So metaphorically and literally, these are doughnuts that have gone rogue. From the dough, to the glaze and filling, all are made from scratch. There’s Patis honey-glazed, spicy dilis, calamansi glazed, ube cheese, Mindanao dark chocolate with cacao nibs, ChocNutella. You get the idea, and you can imagine how different these will be. For some, it will be an acquired taste, but you won’t go wrong here if you love doughnuts, and you can fault them for pushing lokal and being so imaginative.

It’s in the nature of Malls that are properly run that they constantly reinvent themselves, and regularly offer something new to their patrons. The Podium is going the extra mile to achieve that, as we pray and hope that we see the light at the end of this pandemic tunnel.