Makati Chronicles: Hawker Chan Philippines Opens its Third Branch in Glorietta 3

Hawker Chan is easily one of my favorite brands last year but it having branches in polar opposites made it hard for me to visit it regularly. The struggle will finally end though as Hawker Chan opens its Makati branch!

Hello, Hawker Chan Philippines!

Our beloved soya chicken is finally available in Makati starting TODAY, March 4, 2019!

Kam's Roast is now in Manila

Another Michelin-starred restaurant has reached Manila! This time, the famous foodie destination Kam's Roast has found a home at SM Megamall's Mega Fashion Hall and it will open this May 15 serving its mouthwatering roast meats. And I was lucky to be one of the few to have a sneak peek of FOODEE Global Concepts' newest venture.

Hello, Kam's Roast!

Known for its mouthwatering roast goose, Kam's Roast in Hong Kong has never been without a long queue in front of its facade. After all, it's not like all restaurants in the small city can impress food connoisseurs like Anthony Bourdain. 

First Bite: Makansutra

Hurrah for new (and posh) food halls and the blooming food business for giving us foodies more and better options. Thank you too for satisfying not just our tummies but also our insatiable desire for Instagram-worthy walls and overall interiors. But I am going a couple of steps (or sentences) ahead of my review for the latest food hall in Manila, Makansutra. 

Hello, Makansutra! 

This beautifully decorated food hall in SM Megamall is the brainchild of Chef Him Uy de Baron and Pinoy Eats World's JJ Yulo. The spacious food hall has a bunch of food stalls offering several Asian favorites with laksa as one of the most recommended dishes to date. Unfortunately, R and I were still full from lunch when we dropped by and only had room for drinks and sweets. 

We were like lost kids in Instagram paradise as we read through one menu board after another. After several minutes, we finally decided to go with Pulut Hitam with Coconut Ice Cream (PHP160), Bandung (PHP90) and Lime Barley (PHP80). It was actually easy to decide on which dessert to order as most were not available that time. 

The whole food hall has a pay as you order policy and for now all stalls only accept cash payments. (So make sure you have cash with you when you drop by.) We got our drinks as soon as we settled our bill. 

Restaurant Discovery: Tim Ho Wan

When there’s a hype, I get curious. When there’s a line, my curiosity disappears (unless I really, really want to try it). Tim Ho Wan has been one of the most anticipated restaurants this year. The line seems to be longer than when you process your NBI clearance. As much as I would love to try its famous pork buns, I always think of the long line and I’m not confident my tummy will like the wait as I am always hungry when I pass by Tim Ho Wan. I thought that the line would eventually disappear after a few weeks but it’s a totally different case for this place. Luckily though, grumpy W was in a good mood and lined up while I was busy looking for a paper bag to pack his late birthday gift. So…

Hello, Tim Ho Wan.

It was almost our turn when I arrived so I didn’t have to do the Trip to Jerusalem game (where you move seats every time someone gets a table) that long.

The menu is very straightforward. There are the famous pork buns, dumplings, a few rice toppings, and congee. They also have barley which happens to be one of my favorite drinks (thanks to Toastbox). W pretty much chose what we’ll eat. I just added two. We ended up with the following dishes: Pork Buns (PHP145/ 3 pieces), Rice with Beef and Fried Egg (PHP180), Pork Dumplings (PHP150), Prawn Dumplings (PHP160), Spinach Dumpling with Shrimp (PHP120), Steamed Egg Cake (PHP85), Vermicelli Roll with Shrimp (PHP190), and Mango Pomelo Sago (PHP90)

First to arrive was the plate of Pork Buns. It was served warm and I had pretty high expectations as people line up and wait to order this.

It was good. Not great but good. It tasted like your typical asado though this one had a stronger flavor. I also enjoyed the baked bun. I just find it slightly messy to eat. 

Next served was the Rice with Beef and Fried Egg which was rather soupy. It was also a bit bland for me.