Rough Groove

Halohalo and disappointment in Chowking Exportbank

Summer is starting to be felt as days here in Makati are getting warmer, hot and humid. That’s why I decided last night to have a bowl of halo halo (literally, mix-mix due to how different ingredients are mixed together) at Chowking Exportbank branch. You see, every summer, I’ve always looked forward to a Chowking halo halo. This very Pinoy cooler is definitely a must have especially during the hot months of the year. Its taste is just heaven as one finds different sweet concoctions (preserved fruits, leche flan, sugared mung beans, and other sweet derivatives) mixed with shaved ice, a scoop or two of ice cream and milk. Different textures of ice, the smoothness of a leche flan, the fibrousness of a cooked langka (jackfruit), the slippery surface of a kaong or the roughness of candied kondol, its always a delight.

Even when we were still children, my mother used to bring us to White Clouds, a snack bar specializing in halo-halo that was located in Colon St. back in Cebu just near Ding Hau, a dimsum restaurant. It was usually served in a tall glass, unlike now that bowls are rather common in most places. This paired with hot egg sandwich daubed with Lady’s Choice sandwich spread was always a treat for us. When I was assigned in Mindanao, during the months of March, April and May, I usually drop by Chowking in SM City Davao when I’m just malling or at Divisoria in Cagayan de Oro. A halo halo is a balm to keep one sane from the hot temperature.

Back to the Chowking branch in Exportbank, I’ve ordered one and when it was delivered at my table, I was just very disappointed to look at it. The price is now P64, compared with around P50+ last year. The sweet ingredients are becoming sparse and the ice thin. After one mixes it, it just became a blob of ice colored with the ube ice cream and bits and pieces, here and there of the already lessening ingredients. What a bummer. A disappointment. I’ve sent an SMS to the contact number for suggestions and comments and all I got was a standard reply of “thank you for the… well check on it… blah, blah, blah.” I’ve also pointed out that the cashier also didn’t give a raffle stub for an ongoing promo. A person from that store called but because of bad signal, it was cut and never called again.

So much for a supposedly pleasant evening and bad service.