First Bite: Milk Trade

Once upon a time, there was a sudden craze for egg waffles. Instagram, Facebook and food apps were bombarded by these delectable bubble waffles in different shapes and sizes. One particular shop that I wanted to visit was Milk Trade. But its location was not attractive at all. I do not want to brave the Makati traffic just for it. Hence when I was able to visit Century City Mall a month back, I made sure that I get to stop by this popular egg waffle place.

Hello, Milk Trade!

R and I rushed to Century City Mall right after a big feast and headed straight to Hole in the Wall. We were so worried that we would be greeted by a closed sign as we got there a couple of minutes before 10 p.m. and a few sites noted that Milk Trade closes that time. 

Luckily, it was still open and the friendly staff of Milk Trade entertained us. She also didn’t turn into a grumpy lady while R and I discussed which waffle goes best with which steamed pudding. After 5 minutes or so, we went with the staff’s recommendation—Matcha Egg Waffle with Chocolate Steamed Milk (PHP150). 

First Bite: Yo! Panda

It frustrates me whenever there are new restaurants quite far from me. It frustrates me even more when I see its mouthwatering dishes. But thanks to some errands, I managed to swing by SM Megamall and finally got to try Yo! Panda.

Hello, Yo! Panda. 

I saw a handful of posts about this place last weekend and it gave me an impression that it only offers egg waffle sundaes. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that what I thought to be a dessert store offers other modern Hong Kong dishes such as baos, noodles and rice bowls. Without much thought, I decided to have lunch here instead of going to another restaurant that I have been eying for months.  

Yo! Panda’s area is small and quite cramped especially for those sitting by the walk way. It was also quite hot inside. I guess it was because it was a bit crowded and the location of the restaurant, being near the exit, makes it harder for the A/C to do its magic. There were some flies too that remind me of Uptown Mall where the fly to human ratio is 1:1. The place is charming though.

I quickly ordered the recommended Cantonese Style Beef Brisket (PHP280) and a glass of Premium Hong Kong Milk Tea (PHP130) while my sister went with Scallion Chicken Chop (PHP230). My mom arrived a couple of minutes after and ordered Burger Steak & Rice (PHP280) and a glass of Yo! Panda’s Signature Iced Tea(PHP100). My mom and sister also ordered Mango Cheesecake Vanilla Soft Serve Waffle (PHP180) for dessert.

My rice bowl arrived first and after a few snapshots here and there, I took a mouthful.

The beef brisket was undeniably soft. It was almost the melts-in-your-mouth type of meat. And simply typing those words make me salivate.