Quarantine Favorite: Hungry Apron PH's Hainanese Chicken

Time flies by so fast. I can't believe that I'll be giving birth in a few weeks. And as much as I dread it, I am considering to do ge lai as it is said to help post-partum. But I discovered a dish that I think would make me look forward to eating gingery food!

Hello, Hungry Apron PH. 

I love Hainanese chicken. Sadly, I seldom find good ones here in Manila. More often than not, I'd end up having dry or bland ones that are highly dependent on the ginger spring onion sauce. Thankfully, the brilliant people behind Matt's Waffles decided to share their amazing Hainanese chicken with us.

Food Delivery Favorite: Kopi Roti

Kopi Roti has always been my go-to airport snack whenever I fly from NAIA Terminal 3. I'd grab a couple of its delectable Kopi Buns to munch on as I wait for my flight (which more often than not gets delayed). But the lockdown made traveling impossible and I was already missing my favorite flight snack come May. Thankfully, they opened a few stores to have our Kopi Roti top picks available. 

Hello, Kopi Roti.

Kopi Roti is one of the pioneers in Manila that offer kaya toasts. Though I've had some of its staple Singaporean dishes, including kaya toast, I always go back to its fragrant Kopi Buns. 

PizzaExpress Launches International Flavors

PizzaExpress spices things up on its second year by bringing the famous Pizza Express flavors from Indonesia, Singapore and China. Expect a burst of bold flavors in every bite! 

Hello, PizzaExpress.

We dropped by PizzaExpress' SM North EDSA last week to try the favorites from its international counterparts. A total of five pizza flavors are up for grabs from May 6 to June 30, 2019 and we got to try them all. 

First Bite: Nanyang

They say Asians can't live without rice. Well, I could but I definitely will go crazy without bread. I'm a sucker for good toast. It's one of my staple meals for breakfast. And when I got a taste of Kaya Toast, I'm hooked! Needless to say, I was heartbroken when I found out that Toast Box bid Manila farewell. But my frown was turned into a big grin when Nanyang opened. 

Hello, Nanyang.

Nanyang is the local counterpart of the crowd favorite Toast Box. Offering scrumptious toasts paired with soft boiled egg, it was an instant hit with me.

Northern Chronicles: Hawker Chan SM North Edsa is now open

Hawker Chan has been one of the most anticipated brand openings this year. It has received so much love since it opened its first store in SM Mall of Asia. Its winning and unbeatable bang for the buck Soya Chicken and the lovable Chef Chan Hong Meng have been just two of the main reasons why Hawker Chan became an instant hit with us. And for those from the North dreading to fight the Manila traffic just to get a bite of Hawker Chan's succulent chicken, this is for you... Hawker Chan is now open at SM North Edsa!

Hello again, Hawker Chan!

Hawker Chan finally opened its second branch at SM North Edsa Main Mall last November 29, 2018. 

First Bite: Wee Nam Kee

Wee Nam Kee has been around for several years now, but for some reason, it never succeeded in attracting me to any of its branches. And the weird part is that I love Hainanese chicken. But it was in my fate to eventually step inside Wee Nam Kee and that day finally came two months ago. 

Hello, Wee Nam Kee!

We visited its Serendra branch one Friday night and we were instantly greeted by warm yellow lights and a crowd feasting on some Singaporean signature dishes. 

Plate after plate of scrumptious looking dishes were served on our table while another server was busy serving everyone glasses of Iced Lemon Tea (PHP70 | PHP95, bottomless). 

As a Wee Nam Kee first-timer, I didn’t know that the dishes served to us were the Singaporean restaurant’s new offerings. 

Love at First Bite: Peperoni Pizzeria

Buy One, Take One. Those four words are just too appealing when used in the same phrase for a promo. 

I have been reading a lot of good reviews about Peperoni, a newly opened pizzeria in Uptown Mall. It being featured on the looloo blog as one of the must visit restaurants of pizza lovers made me want to visit sooner!

It was perfect that J wanted to get his "pabili" from Japan as soon as possible and since dinner's on him, I requested that we visit the new pizzeria a lot of foodies have been raving about. 

We went on the last day of the grand opening promo and the place was packed at 7:30 p.m. We were lucky though as the long communal table was not yet full and could accommodate us.

We were greeted by several bright colored metal chairs and an adorable witty lighted signage. The ceiling was also adorned with pizza paddles. (And a big plus about this place is that there are noticeably less flies flying around here compared to other establishments.)

After browsing through the menu, we decided to go with Pancetta and Prosciutto Crudo de Parma (PHP395, 9" pizza | PHP565, 12" pizza | PHP1,250, 21" pizza). Prices for the pizza are not bad at all! I checked the other dishes and some are reasonably priced. Some appetizers like soup though are a bit steep at PHP200. Then again, I do not know the serving sizes of these dishes. 

Service was quick! Our pizzas were served in less than 15 minutes. 

I took a slice of the Prosciutto Crudo de Parma pizza first and it sure tested my determination to eat. The knives were too dull to slice the prosciutto topping and it was the spoon that did the job. 

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.