First Bite: Wok2Go

In order to survive in Manila, one must learn to move and act fast. And with the intense daily struggle with city traffic, we are challenged to do several tasks at the same time. Thankfully, a new food concept understands our need to be always on the go and three brilliant minds thought of Wok2Go.

Hello, Wok2Go.

This refreshing concept by Kim Garcia, Marc Soong and Angie Mead King located at Venice Grand Canal Mall is designed to allow its diners to enjoy its savory dishes while being on the move.

Stuck in Seoul: Food Café

Walking around Gyeongbukgong Palace, N Seoul Tower and the shopping streets of Dongdaemun drained me so much that I almost fainted. Then I realized, I wasn’t really tired… I was hungry. After convincing my mom and sister to stop shopping, we finally got out of the shopping mall and headed to… the tourist information center and asked for a nice place to eat. And the friendly staff mentioned Food Café. So off we go to the place they say that serve yummy Japanese dishes.

Hello, Food Café!

This simple food joint is located near the line of malls of Dongdaemun and the Dongdaemun subway station. And since it has a nice location, it was a bit packed with hungry night owls when we got there. Luckily, we easily got seats (and a table of course!).

After browsing the menu, we decided to go with Cheese in Pork Cutlet (7,000 ₩), Seafood Udon (6,000 ₩) and Vegetable Kimbap (3,000 ₩).

Service was quick and first served was the plate of cutlet.

It looked like your usual crunchy pork cutlet but each bite was delightfully cheesy. The melted cheese sure made this katsu a happy pill for the tummy.

I was looking forward to the seafood udon as I was freezing that night! And it did not fail me at all. It was served piping hot and it definitely warmed me, especially my tummy. 

Best Crispy Pata in Town: Livestock PH

There are times when I have intense cravings to the point that I find it hard to sleep as I just have to sink my teeth into whatever I’m craving. Two weekends ago, I had a sudden craving for crispy pata at 12:15 a.m.. Luckily, W was game to try Livestock PH as he heard that it’s one of the restaurants that serve the best crispy pata in Manila and he personally knows the owner. (No, we didn’t get discount.)

It took us over an hour just to get to Livestock PH and we were both hungry. We were fortunate though that we easily got a parking space.

Hello, Livestock PH!

When we arrived, there was no table in the no-smoking area that could accommodate us so we agreed to stay at the al fresco area while waiting for a table inside. Again, it was a lucky night as no one was smoking then.

We decided to order the following: Melts-in-your-mouth Crispy Pata (PHP590), Not-an-Ordinary Kare-Kare (PHP396), Vegetable and Seafood Pot (PHP255), Salted Egg Rice (PHP98). I also ordered a Red Cucumber Slushie (PHP105).

It took them over 45 minutes to serve our food and W and I already ran out of topics to talk about.

Finally, the highlight of the night was served.

I enjoyed watching the server chopping the crispy pata with a popsicle stick. Too bad W was in the washroom while the food was served.

Singing for Chicken

It seems that Hainanese Chicken is becoming more and more popular in Manila. Almost all malls have at least one restaurant offering this dish and Shangri-la is not an exemption.

Sing Hainanese Chicken restaurant is one of the newest restaurants in Shangri-la and we were excited to dine there.

It was already past 8PM and the place was still packed so we thought that it must be a good place to have dinner.

We ordered Hainanese Chicken Rice Topping (PHP180), Roasted Hainanese Chicken Rice Topping (PHP180), Vegetable with Oyster Sauce (PHP150), and Chicken Lumpia (PHP150). I also had Pandan Gulaman Juice (PHP60) since it sounded interesting.

The first two dishes that arrived were the Hainanese and Roasted Hainanese Chicken Rice Topping. The first thing I noticed was the restaurant removed all the bones. (Yipee!) It was served with lettuce and cabbage.



It looked pretty much like the other Hainanese Chicken I had before. The taste though was different. Cooked with soy and sesame oil, it was a bit bland… actually too bland. I dipped it in a lot of ginger and I still could not taste it. The Roasted Hainanese Chicken tasted a bit better as there was more flavor.

As for the rice, it was quite salty and oily. It complements the chicken’s lack of flavor though. I was just not used to it.

The Vegetable with Oyster Sauce was quite good. Sing used fresh vegetables. It was a sweet yet light side dish. I liked the chopped onions best.

As for the Chicken Lumpia, it reminded me of the Bangus Lumpia of Bangus. (Isn’t it weird that there are just so many dishes that tasted like chicken?) I liked it but it was a bit dry.

Oh, for the Pandan Gulaman Juice, it was your typical gulaman… with green gulaman and a hint of pandan.

Sing Hainanese Chicken is located at 6th Floor Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City