Singapore's One Michelin Star Putien Now in Manila

Manila's food scene is on fire with the influx of local and foreign brands opening left and right. And with Singapore's One-Michelin Star Putien entering the market, we could definitely say that Christmas came in early this year.

Hello, Putien.

Putien started as a humble coffee shop in Singapore back in 2000. Named after Putian, a suburb of Fujian, China, it was Putien's founder, Mr. Fong Chi Chung's way to pay tribute to his hometown. By serving food made with fresh ingredients and packed with flavors, Putien eventually grew into a full scale restaurant and earned its One-Star Michelin in 2016. Now with several branches worldwide, Putien found a new home in Manila, its 67th worldwide.

A Sip of Singapore: Nanyang

Nanyang has been a popular destination for its delectable and bang for the buck laksa and chicken meals. It also has filling kaya toasts which come in different spreads. A bite of its offerings quickly transports its guests to Lion City, Singapore. But one other thing Nanyang got my taste buds turning pink with glee is its superb drinks!

Hello, Nanyang. 

Nanyang's great selection of drinks is one of the reasons why I keep going back for more. From Milo Dinosaur to its refreshing homemade barley, I'd make sure to swing by for a drink or two while roaming around the mall. 

La Lola Flies to Singapore!

La Lola has been spoiling us with its freshly made churros and its rich chocolate dip since December 2014. Now with 16 strong stores nationwide and offering a mix of sweet and savory bites and drinks, La Lola is ready to fly and spread happiness outside the Philippines.

La Lola Churreria flies to Singapore!

Yes, the brand that was conceptualize and grew in Manila is now on its way to Clarke Quay, Singapore. 

First Bite: Hawker Chan Philippines

We'd often equate Michelin-starred restaurant to a fancy meal, costing us an arm and leg. But with the popularity of the likes of Tim Ho Wan, Michelin's list of top rated restaurants grew even wider in terms of cuisine and budget. And just a few years back, the famous Cantonese restaurant was kicked out of its position as the most affordable Michelin-starred restaurant by Hawker Chan, a humble hawker stall from Singapore. 

Hello, Hawker Chan.

This famous hawker stall is one of the must visit stops when visiting the land of the Merlion. 

First BIte: Uma Uma!

After getting a few sips from my Aphrodisiac drink from Horse's Mouth, I moved to Uma Uma's bright dining area for some yummy treats. 

The interiors of this area is different from Horse's Mouth. It was a lot warmer and brighter. They made use of lighter colored wood and it had a stronger Japanese vibe to it.

After a few minutes, A arrived and we ordered the Uma Uma Ramen (PHP360) and One-Bite Gyoza (PHP140). A also asked for House Tea but he was informed that there is a PHP35 charge per glass. 

While waiting, A mentioned that he's curious with "Hakata-Style." I told him that it must be referring to the area in Fukuoka called Hakata. Perhaps it originated there. Not really sure as I'm just after the food and I don't really care where the food comes from or what cooking style was used as long as it's good food! *uncultured foodie*

First Sip: Horse's Mouth at Uma Uma!

I have been seeing a handful of reviews about this new ramen player in town and it sure made me so curious! I wanted to try it ASAP but the location of this restaurant made me hesitate. Then again, the food gods love me. I got invited to attend this Lifestyle Asia Thanksgiving dinner at Sofitel and I saw this as an opportunity to drop by Uma Uma. 

Hello, Uma Uma! 

Located at the second floor of the new and posh S Maison of Conrad Manila, it was sandwiched between Chibo Okonomiyaki and Rossini. 

I entered from the outside door so the first thing I saw was the ramen joint's bar called Horse's Mouth. The interiors were dark with an interesting Japanese painting decorating the dark wooden wall.

I browsed through the cocktail list of the bar and noticed that the drinks are not cheap at all. Most are over PHP300 with a few under it. Clueless of what to order, I decided to ask the barista who happens to be one of the owners, I think. 

He suggested a few drinks but I was sold with Aphrodisiac (PHP360) which he mentioned to be the most photogenic and refreshing. 

Also, the alcohol level isn't that high, making it the perfect pre-event drink. I gave it a go and it was prepared right away! 

I must say, the drink was pretty good. 

Not Just Toasts: Toast Box

After an afternoon of being tea-loving friends, we decided to stop by Toast Box, a cute little restaurant that I thought only serves toasts. Hey, the name was deceiving. 

Hello, Toast Box.

N was drawn to this restaurant while we were trying to burn some calories (and J mesmerized by LEGO). I was pretty surprised that the restaurant has a lot of dishes to offer. They serve Nonya Laksa (PHP225), Hokkien Prawn Mee (PHP220), Chicken Sausage Noodles (PHP149), and a lot more aside from toasts. N, J and I ordered the three I just mentioned. We all added PHP30 to get a glass of Iced Barley.

 

The place was really packed when we entered but were lucky to spot an empty table right away. Despite the crowd, service was pretty quick. We were still digesting our brunch when our bowls arrived.

I wasn’t really able to taste the bowls of N and J as the itsy bitsy taste of their soup made me drink a third of my drink. It was SPICY! I have mentioned in my previous blogs that my tolerance for spicy food is pretty much non-existent. I try but there are just some I really could not eat as I’ll just cough throughout the whole meal.

In-N-Out in Singapore! Is Manila next?

I often check my Facebook News Feed for updates and one particular update made my eyes bigger than it used to.

IN-N-OUT is now in Singapore!!!

  

In-N-Out finally branched out and in Singapore! I am not very sure if this is the start of the well-loved burger joint from being a just-in-California brand to becoming a global brand.

A Singaporean Lunch for 0.5

My colleagues and I decided to go out for lunch and meet up with a fellow publisher we miss dearly.

Since we only have a few hours to spare, we went to SM Megamall for lunch which (luckily) is about 10 minutes away from our workplace. 

We went straight to Orchard Road since we targeted to have desserts at Blenz. Always the curious George, I ordered something I haven’t tried yet. Soon, I uttered “Black Pepper Chicken, and one Chin Chow.” Well, it looked appetizing.

  

The service was fast. I got my order in less than 10 minutes (it somehow reminded me of how much I wanted Pizza Hut to fail their 10 minute challenge so that I could get my meal for free).

Now to describe my meal…

Chin Chow

My drink, Chin Chow (PHP65), was served right after paying for my meal (it was pay as you order type of restaurant) so I took a sip while waiting for my lunch. Well… it was just like the typical black gulaman only the gelatin/jelly was shredded thus the slim straw. It was also extremely sweet. I thought that the ratio of the syrup and water was 2:1. It was served lukewarm as well which I did not like… at all.

Black Pepper Chicken

Now for the main dish—Black Pepper Chicken (PHP175). It was… okay. I find it overpriced since the serving was too small, even for a toddler (well, a toddler with a healthy appetite). There were too much pepper (doi! It was a given but it was way too much) and the chicken cuts were more of nibble size than bite size. There were about the same number of green pepper slices and chicken cuts wherein I believe that the green pepper should have been a garnish. Oh well.

I was a bit envious of my colleagues’ orders since two of them ordered Hainanese Chicken and the cut was quite big. I didn’t order that since I just had Hainanese Chicken two days ago. 

The tapioca dessert seems promising though. Perhaps on my next visit, I will stick to dumplings and dessert. But I’ll probably skip Chin Chow and stick to water. 

Orchard Road is located at 2nd Level, Bridgeway, SM Megamall, EDSA corner Julia Vargas Ave. Mandaluyong City.

High with Hainanese chicken

Thanks to my mom’s friends, we were able to discover this hidden treasure in front of the Robinsons Galleria supermarket. There lies a small restaurant with glass walls. The name of the restaurant is… you guessed it HAINANESE DELIGHTS.

The restaurant offers mostly chicken dishes. We had Hainanese Delights (their most ordinary yet best selling dish), Hainan Fried Chicken and The Singapore Staple (which was basically just noodles with Hainanese Delights).

To all rice lovers, for every order of Hainanese Delights and Hainan Fried Chicken (and for some of their other entries), you get UNLIMITED RICE. Yes, it’s not only in a certain inasal or Japanese store can you get unlimited rice. What’s even more delightful about this is that the unlimited rice is not your ordinary white rice. It has butter and it goes really well with the ginger sauce they have. It is truly something that will make you eat more.

Sorry, we were so hungry that I just took a group shot instead.

Moment of truth.

The Hainanese Delights looks like your typical boiled or steamed chicken. But it has a different taste. It has a light sweet taste that is further enriched by soy sauce or the ginger sauce. Because the taste is quite light, you will not get tired of it easily.

As for the Hainan Fried Chicken, well… it’s not really the fried-meaning-crispy kind of chicken. The chicken is quite the same as the Hainanese Delights only this time, the skin of the chicken is darker because it was supposed to be fried. The taste though is richer than the Hainanese Delights making it more appealing to kids.

Lastly, presenting The Singapore Staple.  To describe it in basic terms, it is your typical Wanton Noodle soup with chicken instead of siomai. It’s actually good, though I needed to add some soy sauce to add more flavor.

All of the dishes we ordered are only PHP120 each and believe me, if you eat like me (meaning an order of Caesar salad is enough to make me full), then you won’t go wrong with this one and you’ll even end up having leftovers.

Hainanese Delights is located at the Lower Ground of Robinsons Galleria (in front of the Robinsons Supermarket, the one beside Watsons).