Girl math: With foodpanda’s 50% off dine-in, it means 1 person basically eats for free

UPDATE on Oct. 31, 12pm: foodpanda has informed that the promotion has been fully redeemed as of 3pm on Oct. 30.

While some may think Girl Math is a delulu way of tackling money, it can help you save money.

I personally practise Girl Math to justify some of my shopping sprees, so I decided to try it out during my meals.

As I have a penchant for eating different cuisines, dining out is a great way to try something new and find a great place with good vibes.

And because I spend more money on food than I should, here’s how I girl math my way into more savings.

This October, when you use foodpanda dine-in, you can get 50 per cent off your total bill when you eat out at all partner restaurants.

Spoilt for choice, I decided to test out how much savings I could get from the Dine-in Fiesta campaign and chose two restaurants to try out new cuisines at:

• TAP at 9 Penang Road for craft beers and bar food
• Bakalaki Greek Taverna for Greek food

Girl Math and good food

I love going out and dining at restaurants, especially with friends, because you can bond over good food and great conversations.

After a busy week, I decided to head out with a colleague for lunch to unwind and catch up with each other.

We headed to TAP at 9 Penang Road, a craft beer place which also has an extensive food selection.

Beyond the usual bar food like burgers, pasta and quesadillas, TAP also offers Thai cuisine, which makes it a great place for people with different cravings.

Thankfully, me and my colleague were craving Thai food, so we ordered Honey Sesame Prawn and Basil Minced Chicken.

We also ordered a pint of cider and Indian Pale Ale to wash our food down.

Going in with no expectations, we were pleasantly shocked by how hearty the meal was.

The food was hot, and the fried egg was perfectly cooked with an oozy egg yolk.

The Honey Sesame Prawn had a generous portion of prawns that were quite big, and the balance of sweet and savoury was just right.

The Basil Minced Chicken may seem like a basic dish, but it was so flavourful with the basil and the right amount of spice that it was not overpowering.

Washing it down with our drinks felt nourishing for the soul.

However, the best part was when the bill came and I got a 50 per cent discount for the whole meal because I was using foodpanda dine-in.

When I was ready to pay, I asked for the bill, chose the restaurant in the foodpanda app under the “Dine-in” tab,  and tapped “Redeem & Pay”.

The payment process was so simple as the calculations were done on the app.

All I had to do was to key in my total amount, which was S$79.40, and the app did the rest.

So, for two whole pints and two main courses at a craft beer place, I only had to pay S$39.20 for me and my colleague.

That is S$19.60 per person.

With such a heavy lunch, I did not eat dinner, so I spent S$19.60 on food the whole day.

For dinner a couple of days later, I went out with another friend to this Greek restaurant at Martin Road called Bakalaki Greek Taverna.

I have not tried Greek food before, so I was really excited to have a meal here and even extensively researched its menu.

The exterior was chic and the interior was incredibly cosy, with pretty bougainvillaea decorating the place.

As we were not big eaters, the best way to enjoy our meal was to share a starter and a main. We also got a couple of wines because I am in my wine girl era.

We ordered Tzatziki dip, Greek yoghurt mixed with cucumber, garlic and the restaurant's extra virgin olive oil.

If we added S$2, we could add a second dip and get two dips, which is a steal.

So, we ordered the Taramosalata dip, a white cod roe dip mixed with breadcrumbs and lemon juice.

The dips came with two slices of toasted bread, but we ordered additional pita bread to enjoy the dips.

The Tzatziki dip was refreshing and light, while the Taramosalata was tangy and salty, which was a great starter for our meal.

We ordered a Kalamaki Merida with chicken skewers on pita bread and fries on the side for mains.

The chicken skewers were tender, juicy and packed with flavour. It was seasoned well and wrapped in pita bread with some Tzatziki; it was a perfect bite.

The Tzatziki dip was my favourite as I love cucumbers, but my friend loved the Taramosalata and kept dipping her fries in it.

The portions were really good sizes, and we were full after the meal.

And the perfect way to end the night was getting 50 per cent off the entire bill.

The original price for one starter, one main, and two drinks was S$92.07, but I only paid S$46.04 with foodpanda dine-in.

That made it S$23.02 per person for the whole meal, and with no breakfast for me the next day, I basically saved more money.

50 per cent off = 1 person eats for free

For those two meals, I saved a total of S$85.24.

A subscription to pandapro, foodpanda’s subscription programme with exclusive perks, costs S$47.88 a year.

With the amount I saved after receiving my 50 per cent dine-in discounts, the savings I accumulated paid for my pandapro subscription.

I even earned S$37.36, which is basically a free meal for one person.

And that is Girl Math.

But before I leave you to be, here’s your reminder that foodpanda’s Dine-in Fiesta is only till Oct. 31, so there is a limited amount of time you can get 50 per cent off your entire bill.

You’re welcome.

This article by foodpanda gave the writer more of a social life.

Top photos via Hannah Martens and foodpanda SG/Instagram