First Bite: Hong Kong Little Kitchen

We've witnessed a growth spurt in the international food scene with more foreign brands coming in the metro these past few years. On top of that, there are also local shops that offer our favorite sushi, pizza, noodles and burgers. And with more restaurants to choose from, it can be challenging to discover the ones worth your money (and limited tummy space). Thankfully, I got to know this under the radar shop in New Manila that offers great Hong Kong cuisine. 

Hello, Hong Kong Little Kitchen. 

Hong Kong Little Kitchen is one dainty shop tucked inside New Manila serving roast meats, noodle soup and other popular dishes you'd find in Hong Kong. I was in for a treat last Saturday when this restaurant spoiled me with some of its bestsellers. 

First Bite: Shi Lin

I'm a big fan of Xiao Long Bao. I simply cannot resist these adorable steamed soup dumplings especially when doused with black vinegar. And though Paradise Dynasty and Lugang stole my heart and a part (or whole compartment) of my tummy, I'm always open to trying other places offering my favorite. This time around, I visited Shi Lin. 

Hello, Shi Lin. 

I love how R lets me choose where to eat (except on Mondays when it should be Fish & Co.) for dinner. I'd always pick either our favorite joints or a place I've never been to. Since I've never tried Shi Lin's xiao long bao, I suggested that we have dinner there one night. 

First Bite: Shangri-La Finest Chinese Cuisine

Celebrating Chinese New Year has been deeply ingrained in our culture. We'd see non-Chinese families also welcoming the Lunar new year by feasting on Chinese delicacies,  cheering during the Dragon Dance and elaborate fireworks displays and handing ampaos to the little ones. Such strong obervance led to the said celebration to be declared a special non-working holiday since 2012. And there is no better way to spend this day than to indulge in some classic Chinese favorites.

Hello, Shangri-La Finest Chinese Cuisine.

First Bite: Fat Fook

I've always been so curious about Fat Fook ever since I saw several posts of its famous chicken chops online. It made me wonder if it would be a lot better than the other brands that claim to offer the number 1 Taiwanese chicken chops. However, its location wasn't exactly a "couple of blocks away" from where I live so it took me several months before I got to visit it. And I finally did last December when I was out panicking on what gifts to buy. 

Love at First Bite: Canton Road

I have been wanting to visit Canton Road ever since I saw its panda bun stuffed with salted egg yolk. It was a powerful combination of two things I love and I couldn’t help nag R about it. However, our weekend schedules were uncooperative and we couldn’t find the time to drop by this new Chinese restaurant in Shangri-La at the Fort. And while I was weeping with sadness, I got an invite from the lovely gals of Zomato to feast on some of Canton Road’s spectacular dishes. Woohoo!

Hello, Canton Road. 

I have never been to the hotel and residential side of Shangri-La at the Fort so everything looked so new to me. But as expected from a notable establishment, the hotel lobby was majestic and every single staff member was courteous and assisted me to Canton Road.

As I walk closer to Canton Road, I was greeted by beautiful interiors in dark hues and touches of gold. The place screams Asian elegance. 

First Bite: FowlBread

I am a big fan of Le Petit Souffle and Scout's Honor hence I was so giddy when I found out that the brains behind these two establishments have a new baby on its way. It has been a few weeks ago since I first saw C's post about Fowl Bread. I counted the days and weeks till its grand opening. I even commented on Chef K's post on when it'll be open and she replied this afternoon. She said, "today." And off I go to FowlBread.  

Hello, FowlBread!

The place is at one of the corners along High Street (near Krispy Kreme) and its bright electric blue signage against its industrial interiors sure catches attention.

Despite the small size of the restaurant, there were a lot of servers on standby to assist. One friendly lady guided me to my table in the air conditioned area of the establishment and quickly handed the menu. 

There are only three dishes and two sides to choose from so it's not really hard to choose. I was told that the Chicken Sandwich (PHP215, ala carte | PHP265 with salted fries | PHP295 with garlic fries) is the best one out of the three so I went with that one. I also got garlic fries to go with my sandwich because it was recommended too. (And I was eating alone so I don't really care if my breath stinks after.) You can have your burger with a bit of spice, a lot of spice or none at all. I opted to get "normal" as I am never a fan of anything spicy. I didn't bother to order drink since there was only one drink that seemed promising but at PHP180, I felt that it was a bit steep. I do hope though that it's served on a huge glass. 

After 10 minutes or so, my sandwich finally arrived.

Since I was dining outside, I opted to use the utensils in front of me and sliced a bite size off my burger (I'll call it burger from this point onward since it looked more like a burger than a sandwich to me). And it was a challenge. The crispy chicken skin was tough to cut and it made everything else go off to all directions. I ended up putting the chicken skin aside and crack it to pieces and use it as topping.  

First Bite: Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung. Those three syllables are music to foodies’ ears and eyes when they found out that this famous chain is finally opening its doors in Manila, thanks to Moment Group of Restaurants. I couldn’t really join or understand the hype as I have never been to one but I was told that it was very similar to Tim Ho Wan which I was not really crazy about. But then I had the opportunity to try this well-loved Chinese restaurant when I visited Hong Kong a few weeks back.

Hello, Din Tai Fung.

We visited the Din Tai Fung Miramar Mall branch since it was the one nearest our hotel. And it sure was a good call as when we arrived, there was no line at all. The mall, which was renovated in 2008, was pretty empty except for this restaurant with a massive floor area.

The first thing I noticed was that there’s a time limit for dining. I forgot to take note though up to how long we could stay. But the French way of dining is definitely out.

We settled with the following dishes: Steamed Pork Dumplings/Xiao Long Bao (HK$58), Braised Beef Noodle Soup (HK$82) and Steamed Taro Paste Dumplings (HK$43) for dessert.

While waiting, we enjoyed our warm house tea (which apparently not the house tea we are used to as we had to pay HK$9 per person for this and water is more expensive).

First served was our xiao long bao which were pretty good. It was juicy and flavorful and dipping it in the black vinegar sauce made it even more delectable. It was also served piping hot so we had to wait a bit to let it cool. However, Lugang Café’s xiao long bao wasn’t far from Din Tai Fung’s. I could settle for Lugang anytime.

The braised beef noodle soup was something else though. It was probably one of the best noodle soups I’ve tasted. The noodles were cooked just right, not too hard nor too soft and the broth had this lovely sweet yet salty flavor. It wasn’t oily too. And the braised beef… it was so soft and flavorful too. (Waaah!  I am drooling now.)

Kapitolyo Food Stop: Red Panda Bistro

I’m still amazed with how Kapitolyo transformed from a quiet residential area to one of the busiest foodie destinations in the Metro. I remember how we’re limited to two options, St. Gerald’s (a homey café near my school) or Three Sisters (one of the pioneers in the area that sells delicious barbecue and pancit bihon). Now, I have so many options that I also need my toes to count it.

The spotlight this time is on Red Panda Bistro. I planned to try this place out with N a few months ago but the menu didn’t appeal to us so we went to Gostoso instead. I was still curious about the place though so when M invited me for dinner, I suggested Red Panda.

 

Since the cuisine is Chinese, I wasn’t really that ecstatic in choosing what to eat. Plus, I was so embarrassed for arriving late and looking harassed with uncombed hair. Anyway, we decided to go for the following: Roast Duck Dumpling (PHP115), Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese Gratin (PHP380), and Chinese Style Ossobucco (PHP490).

Restaurant Discovery: Corner Tree Café

A has been telling me that there’s this good vegetarian restaurant along Jupiter street in Makati. I never really bothered to visit the place right away as I’m not vegetarian and I was going crazy with the number of restaurants popping here and there in Kapitolyo. But I guess I was fated to visit the said vegetarian restaurant when I went to Mystery Manila the second time around.

Hello, Corner Tree Café.

The quaint café is located at a corner hence its name. The place is pretty small too and could accommodate perhaps 20 people maximum.

J and her friends were already there when I arrived. I then hurriedly ordered as we only have less than an hour to go to Mystery Manila. I went with Vegetable Dumpling (PHP150), Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna (PHP445), Chocolate Mousse with Dark Toblerone (PHP220) and a glass of Organic Lemongrass Iced Tea (PHP99).

Service was slow. I waited for over 20 minutes before my first dish arrived.

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.

Lugang Café's Feast All You Can

For some reason, “eat-all-you-can” lures me like a bug to light. It never fails to make me drool like some hungry toddler. I went crazy when I saw the ad for Lugang’s feast-all-you-can as I failed to try it last year with my former colleagues due to conflict of schedules.

My food loving friends and I agreed to meet at Lugang Café around 7 p.m. at the SM Megamall branch and that the first person to arrive reserve a table for us. A was the early bird that day and she made sure that I remember it for weeks with her nonstop messages and calls. (I still love you though.)

I arrived soon after and I was surprised that there were only very few people. I guess Monday's not really a popular day to feast. 

L arrived a few minutes later and we decided to order our first plates.

I also ordered Blended Mango and Sago with Coconut Milk as my beverage (and dessert in one).

Steamed Pork Xiao Long Bao is of course one of our first orders followed by… well, a lot more.

Presenting... our feast.

Vietnam Egg Rolls (It was served warm and crunchy and it sure made our grumpy tummies happy.)

Steamed Vegetarian Dumplings with Truffle Oil (I find this one to be too oily and had the umay factor. One or two of this is enough for me.)