Han Pao Tea House: Chinese Nomz Without A Twist (not that its a bad thing)

Hai everyone! I'm having one of the worst cases of the Monday blues in recent memory. Rain and the first day of the work week don't go together. The gloomy weather takes my weekends-should-be-longer pouty mood and quadruples it. On the flipside, a new day means more new nomz to discover and that perks me up whenever and wherever. 

Like Han Pao Tea House. If it weren't for the Bim's sisters, I wouldn't have found out about this Chinese restaurant located all the way over at Mandaluyong City. We were in the area a few Sundays ago and we were looking for a place to eat at on the way home when they suggested this Chinese restaurant in Sunshine Square. I was not familiar with the area, so I agreed right away as long as they'd lead me to it.

Appetizers Chicken Feet (p70) and Cold Cuts Platter (p280 (S))

Chinese restaurants are a dime a dozen in this country, we've embraced Chinese cooking as if it were our own. The popular restaurants serving Chinese food in thte country have adjusted their dishes to suit the Filipino taste buds. One of the first things I noticed about Han Pao Tea House is the number of Chinese diners present. I figure that if the Chinese like the cooking in this particular restaurant, then it must be good.

Cream Corn Soup w/ Quail Egg (p130) and Yang Chow Fried Rice (p100 (S))

Skimming through the menu, I noticed that most of the items are typical Chinese restaurant nomz. For appetizers, we ordered Chicken Feet and the Roast Combination platter. I'm not a fan of chicken feet (don't throw stones at me!) but I tried the sauce on this one and it was surprisingly tasty. It wasn't as spicy as other chicken feet sauces but it had the right amount of kick. 

The Cold Cuts Platter was filled with all kinds of roasted goodness, but what stood out was the Hainanese Chicken which had meat so tender and a sauce that wasn't too salty. Not much can be said about the Cream Corn Soup w/ Quail Egg (my favorite), the Crispy Chicken, and the Beef with Broccoli Flower besides the fact that although common fare, they tasted better.

Main dishes Crispy Chicken (p200 half) and Beef with Broccoli Flower (p250)

My title may be a bit of a misnomer, this is in no way a hate post but you probably have figured it out by now that I absolutely enjoyed the nommables at Han Pao Tea House. Yes, the contents of their menu can be found in most other Chinese restaurants all over the city but Han Pao Tea House's nomz are well-made, reasonably-priced (far more reasonable than all Chinese restos I've seen so far, even the fastfood ones), better-tasting, authentic and delicious.

Han Pao Tea House

Location: G/F, Sunshine Square, 312 Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong

Contact Info: 717-0465

A Zong Media Noche

We're more than halfway through the first month of the new year and this post is very late but I really wanted to write about the nomz at Zong, so please humor me and let's all pretend it's two weeks ago. 

(..and Christmas music starts playing)

For New Year's Eve, no one in my small family of three was in the mood to prepare food (and wash dishes) for media noche; so for dinner, we drove over to Westgate in Alabang to see what was open for business.

Zong was one of the three restaurants open that night

Only a couple of restaurants were open when we arrived and because we were already familiar with the menu at Zong, it was the unanimous choice. It was my first time to dine in the WestGate branch, it was always at the one at The Strip in Bonifacio Global City that I frequented. The area wasn't all that different, it's a bit smaller than the one in The Fort, but both branches had the same look and feel, with modern but simplistic decor.

All three of us were in the mood for good Chinese food and luckily, Zong has an abundance of that. We started the meal with the generic Jelly Fish Salad with Century Duck Eggs. It wasn't bad, but it's not the best (I like Lutong Macau's version better).

Jelly Fish Salad with Century Duck Eggs (p128)

The less than satisfactory appetizer had me looking forward to my main dish. It was such a cool night that night that I wanted something warm so I ordered the Roast Duck Noodle Soup. This was the dish that helped make my new year look so promising. The large bowl of steaming noodle soup topped with tasty roast duck met all my expectations and more.

2011 is promising because of this- Roast Duck Noodle Soup (p168)

The appetizing scent of fantastically roasted duck tickled my appetite so that I started eating without waiting for the other dishes to arrive (it was the first main dish served). It was as good as it smelled.

The soup was tasty without being salty or too oily, the noodles were aplenty and not too soggy, and the duck was juicy and very flavorful. It reminded me of noodle soups from those hole-in-the-wall eateries in Hong Kong (where you get the best nomz). Zong's Roast Duck Noodle Soup has become my favorite dish at Zong and one of my favorite dishes ever.

Spareribs and Tausi  Rice Topping (p168)

My folks ordered less than stellar dishes (compared to the Roast Duck Noodle Soup). My dad had the  Spareribs and Tausi Rice Topping while my mom ordered the X.O. Fish Rice Topping. Both were in thick brown sauce and topped on rice. To be honest, the only difference was the meat used- one was pork and the other was fish. Both tasted almost the same to me.

X.O. Fish Rice Topping (p168)

Zong has always been a reliable restaurant since they started years ago. They have good Chinese nomz at prices a bit higher than mainstream Chinese restaurants in the city but you get better ambiance and service. And they serve pretty good duck.

Zong
Location: Central Precint, Commerce Ave., Westgate Alabang, Muntinlupa
Contact Info: (02) 771-1428
Website: http://zong.com.ph/

Have a Taste of Binondo in Makati at Dragon Wok

It's almost over, but the dreary Monday blues is still wreaking havoc on my otherwise relaxed and well-rested state of mind that's still stuck on the weekend. Pardon today's less than cheerful account of a nomstop*, I'll try to cheer up along the way (derrishuz nomz usually do teh trickxxorz).

Sometime last week, I headed to Parksquare (the unofficial electronics complex of Makati) after work to canvas for Christmas prices of electronics. After a few hours of walking (and realizing that I can't afford an HTC Desire), the call of the bottomless pit that is my stomach was too loud to ignore and we had to find a place to grab dinner from.

The regular sized version of the Dragon Wok menu

Near one of the exits of the mall is a floor to ceiling banner of the menu of Dragon Wok restaurant. The prices seemed reasonable, at the 100 to 150 pesos range so we decided to give it a go.

Jupiter Archives #1: Quality Chinese Food at Lutong Macau

Friday night crowds are usually something I try to avoid. Busy malls don't appeal to me, so I look for restaurants in isolated buildings or street corners instead. Lately though, I find myself drawn to the famous Jupiter St. in Makati, where a row of restaurants line the length of the street one after the other.

While I have eaten at some of the eateries on the street before, I want to make it a goal to try them all  (and write my stories) before the year ends. We'll be starting off with Lutong Macau, an oriental restaurant that's a popular spot for small gatherings among Makati corporate drones.

Friday night feast

Luckily, the place wasn't too crowded when we got there. We were ushered to our table pretty quickly and were welcomed with the very distinct smell of Chinese cooking. Our predicament was that we wanted to try many dishes, but as there were just two of us, it seemed a bit indulgent to order too much on a regular night.

Classic Chicken, Classic Savory

As a kid, I was in love with anything that was chicken and asked for it for every meal that my relatives ended up calling me manok instead of my actual name. I wasn't really very picky with my chicken, but I had favorites. Savory Chicken was one of them. My lola would order a whole Savory chicken (she pronounced it as "sah-vor-ee") as a treat on some days and I'd be happily enjoying every last spoonful on my kiddie plate, even going as far as licking the plate clean.

 The store front at the Bicutan branch

Savory Chicken's fried chicken has a distinct taste that no other restaurant has replicated up until now. They seem to have gone away for a while because my most recent memories of Savory Chicken were the random trips to the Binondo branch when my lolo from Davao would be in Manila (he also pronounced it as "sah-vor-ee"). These trips were few and far between and couldn't have been less than 7 years ago. But they're back now and in full force. Branches have sprouted in many malls of the city, giving us chicken lovers more chances to have a go at their special fried chicken.

 Classic fried chicken from Classic Savory (p345)

They're now called Classic Savory and one of their newer branches is tihe one in SM Bicutan. Caught sight of the store about a month ago and I've been meaning to eat there since. And then came one Sunday when my family came to visit and we had no food in the house. It was the perfect excuse to head to the mall to finally try the food at Classic Savory.

The restaurant was surprisingly full for a late dinner on a Sunday, families are usually headed home by that time to rest and prepare for work/school the next day. We had to wait for a good 20-30 minutes to get us a table. But boy, it was well worth it. I am happy to report that their Savory Chicken is as good as I remember it to be. If anything, it's more flavorful now. The skin is light and crispy while the meat is tender yet firm with that delicious Savory secret flavor that I still can't identify but absolutely love. You can tell that I'll be going back to Classic Savory for more feel-good chicken dinners!