Shoot First Eat Later

Sunday Lunch at Mitsuyado Sei-Men

I have a long queue of posts which I usually do in chronological order but I’m excited to write about our lunch yesterday at the current ‘hot’ ramen restaurant, Mitsuyado Sei-Men. For a non-ramen lover I’ve been eating quite a few ramen lately.

Mitsuyado Sei-Men is located in Jupiter street right next to Cova and before Paseo de Roxas if you’re coming from Edsa.

The owner Hubert Young of UCC fame was there and he gave me a short lesson on noodles. Ramen came from the word lamian which means Chinese pulled noodles. Even pasta came from China. Sei-men means “to pull noodles.”

Mr. Young’s family is in the flour business and they know the importance of good flour. The best flour is from the first extraction of wheat and that is cake flour which they use for their noodles that they make in this room near the entrance of the restaurant. The picture on the right shows white rolling pins on a rack.

I really like the ‘old world’ Japan feel of the restaurant.

We went there at 11:30 am and were able to get a function room for our group of 12. After 12 there were already lines of people waiting for a table. Look at the detail on the door jamb below.

Without a doubt these are hands down the best gyoza I’ve ever eaten!!! I took a bite and was surprised at the flavors that assaulted my tongue. The ground pork was chopped finely and very, very juicy. It reminded me of xiao long bao. The skin was thin and from the picture you can see the bottom was perfectly crisp while the rest of the dumpling was soft. It was so flavorful already that it didn’t need any dipping sauce at all. I would have liked some chili oil to kick up the flavors even more. I’m sorry to say the gyoza at Ukokkei and Ippudo pale in comparison. Our group of 12 consumed 6 orders of gyoza.

gyoza P180

The kids and one adult preferred the traditional shoyu based ramen topped with uber tender char-siu.

char-siu ramen (L) P400

My mom ordered the yuzu ae-soba which I really liked. It had obvious tart flavors from the yuzu, a citrus fruit from Japan. The dish wasn’t at all oily and the thin noodles were very al dente. This is what I will order the next time I go back.

yuzu ae-soba P230

I didn’t get to try the tempura but those who ate it said it was good.

ebi tempura P280

My seat mate Jeffrey ordered the Japanese fried rice so I was able to try it. Japanese short grain rice was used to make it so it was really good. Again it wasn’t oily. You can eat this without any viand just like what Jeff did.

Japanese fried rice P170

It’s good that there are several dishes in the menu for those who are not so keen on ramen or noodles.

chicken black pepper teriyaki don P240

The specialty of the restaurant is tsukemen or dipping noodles.

The most basic is tsukumen where you get a plate of thick, chewy noodles and a bowl of really concentrated pork tonkotsu broth with some fish cake slices and veggies. If you want super al dente noodles ask for cold noodles. Warm noodles will get you medium bite while hot noodles will be the softest.

tsukemen (R) P240

If you want more veggies order the yasai tsukemen which comes with a plate of bean sprouts, cabbage and carrots.

yasai tsukemen (L) P300

For a non-traditional ramen you can try the cheese sauce tsukemen. I personally didn’t like it because the cheese sauce tasted just like cheez whiz.

cheese sauce tsukemen (R) P310

The karashi was the spiciest broth. I wasn’t able to try it but my friend Anthony said it was had the right amount spiciness for him. Anthony ordered a side of marutoku which came with char-siu (roast pork), aji-tama (Japanese egg), nori (seaweed) and yasai (vegetables). You can order any of the extra toppings with any noodle dish.

karashi tsukemen (R) P250 plus marutoku P100

Mr. Young suggested I try the marutoku tsukemen since it was my first time and it contained all the toppings.

marutoku tsukemen (R) P340

I really loved the chewy noodles. It was unlike any other noodle I’ve tried. I ordered my noodles cold and I found the texture just right. The pork tonkotsu broth was really concentrated and salty and perfect for dipping the noodles in it. It was too salty to drink. It had a lovely yuzu flavor to cut the richness of the broth. The flavor of yuzu is tart and often described as having the taste of grapefruit with an overtone of mandarin orange. Even when the broth was cold it was still delicious with the noodles. In Japan tsukemen is served hot or cold.

The addition of the egg, char-siu pork and veggies made an order too filling for me and I wasn’t able to finish my noodles. Maybe it’s also because of all the 3 pieces of gyoza I ate.

The coffee jelly was a nice dessert to end quite a heavy meal.

sumiyaki coffee jelly with ice cream P90

mini halo halo P150

Tsukemen (click to enlarge)

Mitsuyado Sei-Men menu - Extra Toppings & Ramen

Extra Toppings and Ramen

AE-Soba, Donburi & Rice

Side Orders & Desserts

Drinks

The star of Mitsuyado Sei-Men are the noodles. Whether you order ramen, tsukemen or soba you will get extra ordinarily good al dente noodles. My friend Elizabeth said they were the best noodles she has eaten even better than in Hong Kong or Japan. I agree with her. Don’t forget to order the gyoza too. That’s what I will go back for plus an order of Yuzu AE-Soba.

Mitsuyado Sei-Men: The House of Tsukemen
22 Jupiter Street, Brgy. Bel Air, Makati City, Philippines.
11.00am to 12.00am daily
telephone: +632 511-1390
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Dinner at Empire City Roasted Duck

There are several restaurants in K11 Mall and Empire City Roasted Duck is one we liked more. We’ve eaten here before and were quite satisfied with the food.

They gave us an unusual starter of sweet fruits.

The good thing with this restaurant is they offer soups by the bowl instead of the usual big servings of soup in other Chinese restaurants. Both soups were good.

bean curd & bamboo pith pottage HK$30

double boiled soup with Chinese ham, fish maw & cabbage HK$55

I still have to try their Peking duck but since only two of us eat duck I have to order my favorite fried salted duck instead. It was served with fried sweet potatoes.

deep fried duck meat with salt HK$78

I really liked this simple udon with mushrooms. Very flavorful and not greasy at all.

udon with assorted mushrooms

I don’t remember what these veggies were but these were served cold and were very refreshing just like a salad.

veggie with chicken bundles

The perfectly fried bottom of their pork and veggie siopao added delightful crisp and contrast to the fluffy dough and savory filling.

pan fried pork & vegetable bun HK$30

baked turnip pastry HK$30

Empire City Roasted Duck menu

Empire City Roasted Duck
Shop 221, Level 2, K11 Art Mall, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
telephone: (852)2628-0662

Philippine Airlines Meals Mnl-Hkg-Mnl October 2012

The best way to start an early morning flight is with a bowl of hot chicken arroz caldo from Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay Lounge.

I was so happy to ride in Philippine Airlines’ 777-300ER which was quite comfortable even in economy. Welcome additions like a cup holder, bag hook and usb port were much appreciated.

I suddenly thought the chair and amenities seemed familiar and I remembered the flight I took on Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A330-300 which had almost the same exact features and this was way back in 2009!

Finally an entertainment system where you can choose what you want to watch and pause when you want. I even played a couple of games of Bejeweled.

For breakfast I chose the pork asado which came with Red Ribbon’s cinnamon roll and a bonus mini moon cake.

pork asado

The pork asado was tender and had a sweet sauce. Quite good and edible specially for airplane food.

This was the almost empty second section of economy. I think not even half of the plane was occupied.

I don’t like the 2-3-2 seating on business class. I much prefer a 2-2-2 layout.

I think only one person sat in business class that flight.

Don’t you just love the bathroom in Hong Kong’s airport? When will we ever have toilet seat cleaner in our bathrooms in Manila?

Our flight back to Manila was in a much smaller plane which still wasn’t full. I was lucky enough not to have a seat mate.

pork steak

The pork steak had a good peppery flavor but the meat was a bit tough probably because of the total absence of fat on the pork. In a way that was a good thing too.

Dessert was Red Ribbon’s moist banana cake. Overall I’m still happy with the food served by Philippine Airlines unlike other airlines that serve yucky stuffed bread for their meals.

Shanghai Wonton from Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant

Whenever anyone asks me where to eat in Hong Kong my reply is always Chuk Yuen for dim sum and Wu Kong for the food and xiao long bao. Every time I go to Hong Kong I eat at these two restaurants at least once.

Each time I go to Chuk Yuen they have something new in their dim sum menu. Last October it was the Shanghai wonton in chili and sour sauce. I had no idea what it would look like and just took a chance. An order yielded 4 large wontons with a sweetish soy based sauce in the bottom of the plate.

Shanghai wonton in chili & sour sauce HK$26

Inside were big pieces of shrimp and some pork. It was really good specially with the sauce and chili topping. It wasn’t too salty or too spicy.

What surprised me were these bundles of vermicelli on top of the wonton. These were a delightful bonus, crunchy noodles topped with bits of spicy pork. This my new favorite dish in Chuk Yuen. I hope they will still have this in December.

Chuk Yuen Seafood Restaurant
Basement, Hong Kong Pacific centre
28 Hankow Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong
telephone: +852-2722-0633

Take Out Dinner From Tim Ho Wan

For lunch I ate at Nanhai No. 1, a Michelin One Star restaurant in a beautiful setting with matching prices. For dinner I bought dim sum at a hole in a wall in Mongkok which also had the distinction of being the cheapest Michelin One Star restaurant in Hong Kong.

I went to Tim Ho Wan late in the afternoon hoping that there’s no line.

I don’t think there’s any time in the day that there is no queue to eat at Tim Ho Wan. Locals and foreigners know good cheap food is worth the wait.

Well I don’t have patience to wait so I ordered a variety of dim sum for take away. I only waited 15 minutes for it.

Both chicken feet and spareribs were good but nothing spectacular but I’m not complaining since an order costs HK$14 only.

steamed chicken feet and spareribs with black bean sauce HK$14 each

The Chiu Chow dumplings had a thick and sticky wrapper with seafood and peanuts filling. Quite good.

steamed dumpling Chiu Chow style HK$10

My favorite was the glutinous rice in lotus leaf (lo mai gai) which was called glue rice dumpling on the menu. It was moist, very flavorful and had lots of lean pork as filling. It tasted much better than the ones I’ve had in more expensive restaurants.

glue rice dumpling (glutinous rice in lotus leaf) HK$22

I bought 4 orders of my ultimate Tim Ho Wan favorite BBQ pork buns. Cheap or not these are really the best bbq pork buns. Your first bite will be sweet, savory pork filling and not just bread. There’s just enough bread to wrap around a lot of filling instead of the other way around in most places. These were perfect the next day for breakfast.

baked bun with bbq pork HK$15 (3 pieces)

My friend Tisay gave us a box of warm Portugese egg tarts from Macau Restaurant. I haven’t had these in a long time and enjoyed the rich buttery crust filled with creamy egg custard.

Portugese egg tarts from Macau restaurant

Tim Ho Wan menu

A visit to Tim Ho Wan is now a part of my trip to Hong Kong. I still have several dishes I want to try. I doubt I’ll ever get to eat inside the restaurant but I don’t really mind. For those who stay in a hotel in Hong Kong I suggest you take out the BBQ pork buns since you can eat them anytime.

I’m sad that this branch has closed as of January 2013.

Tim Ho Wan
Shop 8, Taui Yuen Mansion Phase 2, 2-20 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
旺角廣華街2-20號翠園大樓2期地下8號舖
telephone: (852) 2332-2896

The newest branch of Tim Ho Wan is at:
Shop 72, G/F, Olympian City 2, 18 Hoi Ting Road, Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon
telephone: 2332 2896

Lunch at Nanhai No. 1

I’ve featured several restaurants in iSquare since we often eat there if we’re too lazy to walk. It’s just a few minutes walk from our place in Tsim Sha Tsui. I never knew there was a Michelin One Star Chinese restaurant, Nanhai No. 1, in the building until I read the reviews on OpenRice.

The more casual restaurants are located in the mall levels of iSquare while the fine dining restaurants are on the 25th to 31st floors.

The interiors of the two-level high ceiling restaurant were modern and beautiful. It could have been inside any 5 star hotel.

The best part was the view of the harbour and you can see the skyline of Hong Kong side if not for the fog. I read on OpenRice that if you wanted to sit on the tables by the window you will be charged a minimum consumption of HK$500 plus service charge. They didn’t tell us that but we sat one table away from the window and had an unblocked view too.

I loved the tiles they used. The uniform of the wait staff looked too casual for the restaurant.

We were given a basket of addictive shrimp crackers to whet our appetites.

The oolong flower tea was very good.

They had some unique dim sum dishes that I’ve never seen anywhere else.

✔ ✔ ✔ crispy cod fish pastry HK$45

✔ ✔ ✔ crispy chicken liver pastry HK$45

My favorites were the crispy cod fish pastry with it’s flaky crust and delicate fish filling and the crispy chicken liver pastry that like creamy paté.
(taken w/ iPhone 4S and edited with Camera+)

The black truffle and crab dumpling was just satisfactory. I couldn’t really taste or smell the teeny bit of truffle.

✔ ✔ black truffle & crab dumpling HK$50

I loved the mild chili sauce on the table and I asked if they sold it. Yes they did!

chili sauce

My favorite dish of all was the oyster cake which was unlike any I’ve tried. In Manila the oyster cake is usually made with eggs and tapioca flour which makes for a sticky interior and slightly crisp exterior. This version was very crispy like it was dipped in a batter.

✔ ✔ ✔ pan-fried oyster cake HK$168

While the outside was crispy the inside was soft and pillowy, the perfect bed for the plump fresh oysters. You have to eat this quick while it’s hot and crisp. It deflated when it became cold.

The next two dishes were quite disappointing. I’ve had much better elsewhere.

✔ crispy beancurd skin roll HK$65

✖ pan-fried radish cake HK$40

My dad just had to have his soup.

✔✔ superior sfin soup HK$318 per bowl

The super sticky sweet dumpling filled with red bean paste was a delight.

✔✔ glutinous red bean paste dumpling HK$48

My bottle of chili sauce came in a yé shanghai bag since it’s also owned by the same group.

Nanhai No. 1 Michelin One Star. 1 Michelin 1 Star

lunch menu (click to enlarge)

special set menu (click to enlarge)

Nanhai No. 1 is a very nice place to eat if you have guests and want to impress them with the ambiance, view and food. I still have to try their other non-dim sum dishes. I shall return.

✖ skip it
✔ not bad
✔ ✔ do try
✔ ✔ ✔ MUST order

Nanhai No. 1
30/F, iSQUARE
63 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
telephone: (852) 2487 3688
menu
website

Lunch at Ippudo Hong Kong

I’m not a ramen fanatic so I didn’t even know about Ippudo until my friend Deb informed me that I MUST try it since it was famous in Japan and even had branches in New York, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei .

Ippudo (一風堂) was located in Silvercord in TST which was a short was a short walk from where I was staying.

I was scared of long lines that’s why I arrived a few minutes before they opened at 11:30 am. We finished lunch around 12:30 pm and it still wasn’t full. It’s safe to go any time before 1:00 pm which is the start of the lunch break of the office crowd in Hong Kong.

55 ramen bowls display the wall of the Hong Kong branch. In New York they have 110 bowls on their wall.

There was a sesame grinder on the table if you want to add ground sesame to your ramen for a nutty flavor which I did. I was able to buy this grinder in Jusco’s HK$10 plaza.

A hand-sized white bun stuffed with a thick slice of pork, lettuce, IPPUDO’s secret BBQ sauce, Japanese mayonnaise and mustard, creating a tantalizingly sweet taste. source

These seem like the Japanese version of cua pao but the only similarity ends with the bun and the use of pork as the filling. The tender fatty slices of pork belly were a delicious treat with it’s sweet & salty flavors bound together with mayonnaise. How can you go wrong with putting two kinds of fat in one bun? It was good for appetizers.

Ippudo BBQ Pork Bun HK$28

Ippudo offers 4 kinds of ramen, 3 using tonkotsu pork bone broth and 1 with kasane broth. The thin Hakata-style noodles can be ordered regular or extra al dente (katamen).

ramen menu (click to enlarge)

The 25-year old recipe requires the slow cooking over long hours to achieve a perfect emulsion of oil and liquid, creating a rich and powerful Tonkotsu that enhances the flavour of pork–bone topped with IPPUDO’s secret miso, garlic oil, lean slices of pork, black fungus, soybean sprouts and scallions. source

I chose the ‘red’ Akamaru ramen which promised a bolder flavored broth.

‘red’ Akamaru Shinaji HK$68

It’s a good thing I remembered the term ‘katamen’ which meant extra al dente for my noodles since I didn’t know how to say it in Cantonese. Even to the last strand my noodles remained firm. I really liked the rich pork broth which wasn’t oily or salty. The pork was lean and I liked the addition of crunchy bean sprouts.

My mom ordered the spicy karaka and I liked it even better. I didn’t specify the heat level which goes up to 5. The heat was smooth and was perfect with the broth. I plan to order this when I go to Hong Kong in a couple of weeks. It would be perfect with the chilly winter weather in December.

spicy Ippudo Karaka HK$78

This set of chicken dumplings is an exclusive IPPUDO snack. The special minced chicken recipe gives each dumpling its delicious juiciness. source

The chicken and cabbage gyoza were just ok and nothing great. I appreciated the crisp bottom though. I did love the chili oil and soy vinegar dip that came with the dumplings.

Ippudo Gyoza Dumplings HK$38

new dishes (click to enlarge)

For those who don’t like ramen they have several salads, sides and a la carte dishes you can order.

sides & rice (click to enlarge)

a la carte menu (click to enlarge)

While I’m still not a rabid ramen fan I finally realized the joy in eating a big bowl of noodles and hot soup. When you have really good and well made broth it hits home like true comfort food does.

Ippudo Hong Kong
Shop No. 20 Silvercord
2nd Floor, 30 Canton Road, TST Hong Kong
telephone: 957 8893
11:30am to 11:00pm (Monday to Sunday)
website

Kitchen’s Best Home Patisserie

When I received an invitation to partake of a dessert buffet it didn’t take me 5 seconds to reply a big YES!

I must confess I wasn’t aware that Kitchen’s Best Home Patisserie had a store in the Fort. I only knew the brand from the days I was in the bazaar scene and would often see them there. I also remembered that they had good desserts and I would definitely want to try them again.

To celebrate their anniversary Kitchen’s Best had a scrumptious dessert buffet spread that cost only P250 for non-guests. I invited Rochelle and her son to join me. If they decide to make this buffet a regular thing they can charge much more and I guarantee they will be swarmed with dessert lovers like us.

I really tried my best to try all the sweet treats and I thought I could do it since most of the goodies were presented as small bites. Let me tell you now I probably got to try only half of the tempting treats on the table.

Naturally i tried all the chocolate ones first like all these bars below. Everything was good but I had my favorites.

assorted bars

Among all the chocolate bars and small cakes my hands down favorite was the plaisir sucre. I just loved the crunchy texture of the hazelnut dacquoise and the smooth creamy chocolate filling. It’s everything I want in a cake – texture and flavor.

plaisir sucre

My next favorite green tea panna cotta. Since I love anything green tea this was actually the first thing I tried. I was delighted that it passed my rather stringent test for matcha desserts. The flavor was strong without being overwhelming. Even the red beans were a pleasant addition to the creamy panna cotta.

green tea panna cotta

macarons

parmesan sticks

almond brittle

carrot, snickers cheesecakes

chocolate & mango tartlettes

My next loves were all their sansrivals. Asides from the ube and frozen brazo there were also coffee toffee and mango sansrivals. All unique varieties of sansrivals.

The meringue layers were light and crunchy and the buttercream fillings were very flavorful without being too sweet. Of the four varieties my favorites were the ube (purple yam) and coffee toffee.

ube sansrival or purple yam cake

Understandably the meringue layer of the brazo and mango sansrivals weren’t as crunchy due to to the nature of the fillings.

frozen brazo sansrival

my chocolate plate – plaisir sucre, glutton’s cake, opera cake, caramel walnut and chocolate obsession

I liked their macaron. Nice crunchy, chewy shell and good flavored filling but just a tad too sweet for me. Rochelle and I both adored their sweet, salty parmesan sticks.

parmesan sticks, macaron,tarte citron meringue

My messy, melted plate which was my favorite among all three plates.

frozen brazo sansrival, mango sansrival, coffee toffee sansrival, ube sansrival, peanut butter bar, almond brittle and snickers cheesecake

After gorging on all those cakes I immediately bought a whole coffee toffee sansrival for my cousin Sidney who was visiting from Los Angeles. That’s how much I was impressed with their sansrival.

coffee toffee sansrival P650 (5×7)

Just look at how thick and airy is the meringue layer. I usually scrape out the excess butttercream but with this I ate it all. I really liked the coffee flavored buttercream with all the gooey crunchy toffee candy. I’m adding this to my list of favorite sansrivals in Manila.

One of these days I want to try their food. I’ll order a croque monsieur sandwich or beef belly and a slice of plasir sucre or purple yam cake.

Kitchen's Best Home Patisserie breakfast menu

Kitchen’s best menu (click to enlarge)

I’m really happy to get reacquainted with Kitchen’s Best Home Patisserie. I now have a new source for cakes to bring to a party or as a gift to friends with birthdays.

Kitchen’s Best Home Patisserie
McKinley Park Residences
3rd Avenue and 31st Street
1201 Fort Bonifacio
telephone: 478-4870
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Sunday Lunch at My Kitchen by Chef Chris

Ever since I ate at C Italian Dining in Pampanga two years ago I’ve been wanting to go back. I was so happy to hear that Chef Chris opened a new restaurant in Paco, Manila which was still far but much more manageable than Pampanga. C is still open from what I’ve heard but Chef Chris is no longer connected with that restaurant.

My Kitchen is located at The Oasis Park Hotel, a boutique hotel right across Paco Park.

Chef Chris’ restaurant wasn’t in a popular location like Bonifacio High Street or Rockwell but it was still full. I think wherever Chef Chris opens a restaurant people will follow. That’ says a lot for a city with dozens of new restaurants opening and closing at a fast rate.

I made a reservation for our big group of 9 more than a week before but they didn’t have a record of it.

Thankfully they had extra seating at the bar across the pool.

Chef Chris

I wish the bread was warmed up but it was still ok specially with the delicious free pesto with cheese.

pesto with bread

Chef Chris is known as the creator of the panizza, a thin rectangular pizza cut into strips and served with arugula and alfalfa sprouts. How he came up with this combination escapes me but it works.

I already reserved the restaurant to treat my friends Jenny and Vivian and their families for my birthday when I saw Deal Grocer’s offer of 50% off for My Kitchen’s newest panizza flavors. I quickly bought two coupons.

Many have imitated his panizza and the ones I’ve tried here and here were very, very pale comparisons to the original. The crust was thin, crisp yet flexible enough to be rolled. If you look at the picture it would seem that there wasn’t a lot of toppings nevertheless the flavors were bold and just perfect. You can taste all the ingredients with every bite. The combination of cheeses were spot on too.

✔ ✔ ✔ Fra Diavolo panizza P792

Our favorite among the new flavors of panizza was the Fra Diavolo – olive oil marinade tuna flakes, kalamata olives, capers, anchovies, roasted pepperoncini and fresh Italian parsley. It was the perfect combination of salty and spicy. Even the kids loved it.

I ordered the Hotdog panizza for the kids – spicy homemade Italian sausages, smoked bacon, fresh sage, assorted mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. The ingredients were just what I liked in a pizza but somehow the Fra Diavolo just tasted better.

✔ ✔ Hotdog panizza P792

The food in My Kitchen wasn’t cheap but the servings were big and perfect for sharing. The seafood pasta had huge chunks of fish and lots of other seafood. Vivian and I even commented that we wish there was more pasta.

✔ ✔ spaghetti con frutti di mare P720

Jenny’s hubby Raymund doesn’t eat lamb but he loved the lamb ribs. These lamb ribs were like little meat lollipops bursting with flavor. If I didn’t order anything else I can just eat a whole order by myself. It was finger lickin’ goooood. Braised lentils, olive fried potatoes and Italian style broccoli were served with the lamb ribs. An order was more than generous for 5 adults to share. I think I ate about 5 ribs.

✔ ✔ ✔ slow roasted lamb ribs with garlic & rosemary rub P1,100

I love ox tongue but I’ve never thought of pairing it with risotto. This dish was sheer genius and something I want to try making. The ox tongue was tender but not overly so. The sauce was rich from Marsala wine and tomatoes and not wimpy cream of mushroom soup like other restaurants make.

As good as the ox tongue was I found the whole dish a bit overwhelming and too tasty that you can only eat so much. The kids even ate this with white rice. Nevertheless we all gave the risotto with ox tongue our stamp of approval.

✔ ✔ risotto ox tongue P820

I really liked their cheesecake. It was the perfect balance of creaminess without being too dense and overpowering. The lemon lime sauce was a nice touch too. Even the crust was delicious. My only gripe was the price. P320 for a small slice of cheesecake? Really?

They served Vittoria coffee which was pretty good.

✔ ✔ lemon lime cheesecake P320

I highly recommend eating at My Kitchen. Sunday is a good time to go since there’s no traffic and parking was easy. This was one of my favorite meals of the year and I want to go back again and again. I just can’t get the Fra Diavolo panizza and lamb ribs out of my mind.

My Kitchen by Chef Chris
The Oasis Park Hotel
1032-34 Belen Street Paco, Metro Manila Philippines
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My Kitchen’s Menu

✖ skip it
✔ not bad
✔ ✔ do try
✔ ✔ ✔ MUST order

Famous Belgian Waffles

I haven’t been to SM Megamall Building A in quite a while. I went there to buy a gift in Toy Kingdom. Imagine my surprise when Toy Kingdom disappeared from the ground floor. I was told they moved to the basement where the bowling lanes used to be. Whew!

After accomplishing my shopping in a very fast time with the help of so many staff I walked around the mall looking for some merienda I could buy for my staff. There were so many new stalls and restaurants from my last visit. A small sign at the entrance of the food court caught my eye and I looked for the Famous Belgian Waffles stall. I almost didn’t see it beside Hen Lin.

Their pricing is very affordable from P30-55 per waffle depending on the filling. The Malaysian coffee they sold was the instant sachet variety.

menu (click to enlarge)

They made the waffles upon order. I thought I had to wait long for a typical thick Belgian waffle. It was cooked quite fast since the waffle was very thin.

waffle fillings

I chose the cream cheese and peanut butter fillings. They spread the filling on one side and folded the waffle for easy eating.

These waffles tasted just like the waffles so popular in Hong Kong and Taipei.

waffles from Dundas St. Hong Kong

We all simply loved the chewy, sweet waffle specially with the cream cheese filling. The salty creamy cheese was just perfect with the mildly sweetish waffle scented with vanilla custard powder which I suspect was the secret ingredient just like what they use in Hong Kong. The peanut butter was a good quality brand too so we liked it as well. I wish I bought four waffles instead of two since my staff felt it wasn’t enough. I will definitely go back to buy these super yummy waffles. I’ll try the chocolate peanut butter combination next.

Just look at how fast they are opening branches! (from their FB page)
Nov. 10 SM San Lazaro
Nov. 15 SM Sucat
Nov. 16 SM Manila
Nov. 16 SM Megamall
Nov. 25 SM Makati
Nov. 25 SM Sta. Mesa
Dec. 1 SM Mall of Asia
Dec. 1 SM Clark
Dec. 1 Festival Mall Alabang
Dec. 7 SM Calamba
Dec. 7 SM Baguio

New branch:
3rd floor Food Choices, Glorietta 4

Famous Belgian Waffles
Food Court of SM Megamall Building A
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