Have at you!

One of the topics my older brothers and I often discuss is food and nutrition. I’m far from being the healthiest eater in the world, but I consciously try to make sure I choose the better option when we dine out. One time when my brothers and I were chatting online (we no longer live in the same house), I told them that there was a stall in Robinson’s Magnolia’s food court which claims to serve healthy 300-calorie meals. I told them I’ll give it a try when I visit that mall and give them my opinion afterwards.

Last Tuesday, my parents and I had some free time and Dad said he’d like to re-visit Robinson’s Magnolia to relax from work. It was the perfect opportunity to try Zigla! since my parents didn’t have any particular place they wanted to dine at. I was surprised when my parents said that they’d try Zigla! too since I was expecting them to buy stuff from other food stalls. I was worried since my parents aren’t used to eating such meals, but they insisted.

After you pay for the stuff you ordered, you’re given this buzzer.

My Dad went with a serving of the Mexican Beef Wrap (Php165.00). It was served like this…

and, once opened, this is what you’ll see. According to Zigla!’s menu, this is made of ground beef, romaine lettuce, tomato sauce and yogurt, all wrapped in olive oil tortilla. I’m no nutritionist, but they say this one is equal to 430 calories.

As expected, this wasn’t something that my Dad liked. He said that there was nothing special to it and that it tasted bland. I couldn’t verify his claims since I don’t eat beef, but I guess we should have asked for the staff to sprinkle a bit of salt since Zigla! doesn’t add salt to their proteins. It was a good thing that Dad has already eaten a bit of something before we left our store, or he would’ve been really annoyed with this dish.

Mom and I got something different from Dad and both of our meals were served looking like this.

Mom went with the Meatballs Pasta (Php185.00), which was supposed to be made of gluten-free spaghetti. I wasn’t sure if the meatballs were made from beef, so I didn’t ask to try some of it either. Mom said she didn’t like this one too much because it was just predominantly sweet. She was looking for some other flavor to balance the sweetness but couldn’t find it.

My chosen meal for lunch was this serving of Chicken Rice (Php199.00): Chunks of free range chicken breast, topped with barbecue sauce. This was served with black rice and was supposed to be at 300 calories.

Since it was served with barbecue sauce, I already knew that my dish was going to be on the sweeter side as well. I don’t mind eating stuff like this since I’m quite used to eating chicken breast and red/brown/black rice (thanks to my brother’s influence). I will, however, be honest and say that I didn’t think it was very delicious; it was just so-so.

Their Juice Blends, on the other hand, were fantastic. Everyone agreed that they tasted great, except for the green one (I was the only one who liked that). They have several different kinds available, but we just tried three. Here’s a breakdown of what each of the ones we tried had mixed inside:

Yellow (Php125.00): Pineapple + Apple + Celery + Lemon + Ginger. This was supposed to aid digestion and is at 100 calories per bottle. This was Mom’s favorite.

Green (Php199.00): Kale + Parsley + Apple + Celery + Lemon. This was supposed to boost your immune system and fight cancer. Again, it’s at 100 calories per bottle.

Orange (Php185.00): Orange + Carrots + Celery + Lemon. An antioxidant and anti-ageing drink; also at a 100 calories per bottle. This was my original drink before Dad traded his green one with the orange one.

For those who are into cookies and want them a bit healthier, Zigla! has them too. We no longer bought some for our own consumption, but in case you’re interested, they have some free samples for you to try before you decide on buying some.

Overall, the food from Zigla! was just okay for us. If you’re experimental when it comes to food and/or are used to eating stuff categorized under “healthy”, then I don’t think you will have a problem appreciating their items. 300-450 calories meals are quite small, so for those who aren’t used to it (like my parents), you might find yourself wanting to eat something else. Among the three of us, I was the only one who felt that the meal I had already left me full, but not bloated. There was definitely space left to eat more, but I wasn’t craving for anything else afterwards.

Like most things labeled healthy in this world of ours, Zigla!’s prices are pretty high and may not fit the budget of most people. I honestly liked their fruit blends, but they’re quite costly at almost Php200 per bottle. I think the prices are close to those from juicing/detox diets which are so popular today.

If you’re interested to try their food, Zigla! is located at the Lower Ground Floor of Robinson’s Magnolia in New Manila, Q.C.