I love to discover places with delicious but reasonably priced food. The real finds may be unusual dishes, or even common fare that are both exceptionally yummy.

A pricey place makes one expect too much. When high expectations are not met, one feels shortchanged.

Even in the food tours I conduct, the recommended places don’t necessarily have to be expensive. They have dishes that surprise the participants because they’re tasty and affordable.

If the food is something familiar, then it has to be in a league of its own.

Among the common dishes is callos (stewed tripe). I recommend the version of chef Vic Sanchez (tel. 0917-5777099). It’s the best I’ve tried so far, and I want to share the experience with you. My joy is listening to comments confirming my suggestion.

Salted caramel cake

Another item that had such an impact on me is a reasonably priced chocolate cake. It’s chocolaty with caramel icing but not too sweet.

It comes with a tiny package of crushed Himalayan salt which one must sprinkle all over the top of the cake. The balance of the sweet, salty, creamy and crunchy is so good, you’ll postpone your diet.

In many get-togethers the past holiday season, this salted caramel cake was a topic of discussion.

The whole cake costs only P650. It’s made by a fairly new player in the market, Sugarbee, which also makes a delicious, hard-to-stop-eating alfajores.

The cake comes in cupcakes or mini versions, too.

Sugarbee has branches in SM Megamall, and Paseo Center Makati; tel. 88520557, 0905-3784774

Japan food tour: Hokkaido, Jan. 22-27; and Kyushu, Feb. 16-21. Email [email protected]