Favorite Finds: Salad Dressing

Since November, I’ve been on the search for that elusive bottle of Wish-Bone Light Asian with Sesame and Ginger Vinaigrette. I’ve tried several stores, including Makati Supermarket (where I first found it), but to no luck. I did, however, end up with a salad dressing haul from Rustan’s Fresh last week.

This was not planned. As usual, I was scouring the shelves for that Wish-Bone vinaigrette but I found Newman’s Own Low Fat Asian instead. Like what I wrote in my previous entry, Asian dressing is not that common in supermarkets. I’m happy that the local brand Clara Olé has expanded its range of salad dressings but I’m not too fond of its version of Asian (I love Orange You Glad? though). So yeah, I was stoked to see this supermarket carry not just one but other brands of Asian or Asian-inspired vinaigrette.

Rustan’s Fresh is a great place to find an array of salad dressings. This needs to be said because “creative” salad dressings are not a common sight in other supermarkets (be they big or small). Heck, even the smaller Rustan’s Fresh puts the warehouse that is S&R to shame when it comes to salad dressings. Of course, it might be a better option to make one yourself (because it’s fresher and more natural that way) but my lazy self would rather buy one from a store or an organic market.

You can just imagine my excitement when I saw how well-stocked the salad dressing shelf was at this Rustan’s Fresh branch. It’s no wonder I decided to get more bottles than I actually needed. I’m still without my Wish-Bone Asian but I guess these four dressings will do for now. 

I might have tried Newman’s Own before but this was my first bottle of Low Fat Asian. I’ve sampled it already and honestly? There’s not much to write home about. It’s your basic spicy Asian dressing. I would have liked it a bit thicker though. That Wish-Bone Asian vinaigrette has really set the bar high.

I’ve encountered Annie’s Naturals before but what held me back from buying was the heavy glass bottle and the fact that I was commuting back home. This time, however, I had a ride so I decided to help myself to one bottle. I thought of getting Gingerly because I remembered that Wish-Bone’s Asian dressing specifically mentioned “with ginger” on the label. Thus, Annie’s ginger vinaigrette must come close to it, right? Well, not really. The ginger is definitely present but it’s not the taste I’m looking for. This one is thicker that Newman’s Own but still not as thick as I like my vinaigrette. I tried combining Gingerly with Newman’s Asian and the end-result is better than either of them, but still quite far from Wish-Bone’s Asian.

I haven’t tried Newman’s Own Light Lime yet but I’m restraining myself from opening yet another bottle as I already have a few in the fridge. I have slightly higher expectations of this one than its Asian brother.

And to make things interesting, I also got Biltmore’s Creamy Asiago. I’m excited to try this one as well because: 1) I haven’t had a creamy/cheesy dressing in the longest time, and 2) that bottle would look so good on the dining table.