Thursday, June 20, 2019

Zomato Gold

Recently, some of my friends recommended that I use Zomato Gold, an annual subscription in the Zomato app which gives subscribers free food or free drinks in select restaurants. (Note that a minimum of two guests are required to get the free food or drinks.) Since I don't eat out a lot with other people and since I've been trying to eat less this year, getting free food or drinks from this app didn't seem all that appealing to me. That is, until multiple dinner plans were made this month. When I knew I was going to meet up with Meg and with Cel and Zaza, I thought it might be worth subscribing to Zomato Gold. That way, I could get a free dish or drinks. The annual subscription fee is P600 (at least when I downloaded the app) and you get a P120 discount if you apply someone else's discount code. As such, I ended up paying P480 for my one-year subscription that expires in June next year.

Calderon
https://www.zomato.com/manila/calderon-salcedo-village-makati-city

For my dinner with Meg, I suggested Calderon, a Spanish restaurant in Salcedo Village. I had never eaten there before but Meg has. Calderon gives Zomato Gold subscribers a free dish when you order at least one other dish. I ordered the Bacalao ala Vizcaina (P380), which is salted fish cod simmered in olive oil, tomato sauce, pimiento, and spices. Unfortunately for me, I thought it was a bit too salty.

Bacalao ala Vizcaina from Calderon

Meg said she normally orders the Gambas al Ajillo (P310) or shrimp in olive oil when eating in Calderon and that night was no different.

Gambas al Ajillo from Calderon

For our free dish, we got the Pescado Croquetas (P280) or potato balls with sole fish. I love croquettes and I often order them when I dine in Spanish restaurants. I really liked this dish; meat and potatoes are always such a great comfort food. :)

Pescado Croquetas from Calderon

Mazendo
https://www.zomato.com/manila/mazendo-1-salcedo-village-makati-city

Since both Cel and Zaza work in Salcedo Village, we agreed to have dinner there (my second time in this area in a week). I shared possible venues with Zaza and Cel and from that list, we ended up choosing Mazendo, a Taiwanese Restaurant. Zomato Gold subscribers get a free dish when you order at least one dish. I ordered the Taiwanese Style Pork Chop Noodle Set (P330).

Taiwanese Style Pork Chop Noodle Set from Mazendo

Zaza ordered the Hainanese Chicken Rice (P340).

Hainanese Chicken Rice from Mazendo

For our free dish, we got the Pan-fried Dumplings (P240).

Pan-fried Dumplings from Mazendo

Unfortunately, Cel got caught up in a major work issue and by the time she joined us, she said that she was no longer hungry. She did eat the dumplings that we set aside for her before we moved to another place for coffee and dessert. I suggested Single Origin Osteria which also had a Zomato Gold promo for drinks and was just two establishments away and both of them agreed.

Single Origin Osteria
https://www.zomato.com/manila/single-origin-osteria-salcedo-village-makati-city

There is a key difference between the free food promo and the free drinks promo of Zomato Gold. The free food promo allows the group to get the cheapest dish for free, which means the group can order any of the item from the menu. For the free drinks promo however, the group orders two drinks and they two more of those exact same drinks for free. Cel had initially wanted to get milk tea but she decided to just get Zaza's free drink, the House-Made Ginger Ale Craft Cocktail (P140); she said she could just have milk tea the following day. I ordered a Duomo Decaf served via French Press (P175) which meant I got an extra press that I shared with Cel and Zaza. We also ordered the chocolate cheesecake to share. Unfortunately, I can't remember what it is called exactly - it's not on the menu on zomato so I guess it is a new dessert in Single Origin - and how much it cost but it was good. (It looks good too!)

chocolate cheesecake from Single Origin Osteria

In the short time since I downloaded the Zomato app and subscribed to Zomato Gold, I've used it three times and I already got a return on investment. It really is value for money, especially if you eat out a lot with your friends and/or family.

No comments: