Shoot First Eat Later

Shaved ice, other desserts and more at Lugang Cafe

No I don’t have shares in Lugang Cafe but i wish I did. I just darn love the food. Tuesday was a holiday and we brought some friends to Lugang to share the joyous experience of eating there. It seemed half the town had the same idea. The place was packed and I saw a lot of friends eating there.

We ordered the usual xiao long bao and fried dumplings. These were the new dishes I tried.

We were surprised that the garlic pork roll was a cold dish. It was interesting and quite flavorful.

garlic pork roll P160

Michelle and Andrew are kids who love roast pork or asado or char siu. Whenever we eat in Chinese restaurants we have to order this for them. Michelle proclaimed this better than Choi Garden’s. Gasp! It was very tender and not that sweet. It was quite lean too.

roast asado P300

I discovered a new favorite dish. Who would have thought pairing Chinese crullers (fried long doughnut) or you tiao with beef would work so well. Chinese crullers are traditionally served with congee or soy milk.

In this dish the crullers remained crunchy even while it absorbed the savory sauce. The way I ate it was I got piece of super tender beef and a piece of cruller and popped it in my mouth at the same time. The contrast in textures was simply amazing. And the sauce wasn’t salty so I didn’t need to eat with rice. We ended up with a second order because even the kids loved it.

beef w/ Chinese cruller P280

The Hainanese chicken was tender and very juicy.

1/2 boneless Hainanese chicken P450

The pineapple fried rice was unique. It had pork floss on top and lots of whole cashews and pineapple bits in the rice.

pineapple fried rice P280

Another reason that I think Lugang Cafe will be a big success is that they are the only restaurant in Manila (that I know of) to offer a huge array of Chinese desserts just like Honeymoon Dessert, Hang Fa Lau and Sweet Dynasty in Hong Kong. And they have even more with their popular shaved ice desserts.

David Chang of New York’s Momofuko fame even commented ““This Bellagio is not a Las Vegas hotel, but a faux-swanky Taiwanese brasserie. There are several locations in Shanghai, and they’re all open at all hours. It’s my favorite restaurant in Shanghai—which I know is sacrilegious—but everything is so delicious, like the pork-belly pot with egg and their weird fried breads. Don’t leave without ordering the shaved ice—it’s a must.” from Travel and Leisure

The shaved ice didn’t really look like ice. Instead it looked like wide ribbons of peanut butter and black sesame. I didn’t care so much for the black sesame since I felt it lacked flavor. The peanut butter is another story.

They used Jif peanut butter to make this and it was evident in the flavor. It tasted like they froze a block of whipped peanut butter and shaved it. Though it melted on the tongue it didn’t taste watery just smooth, creamy and cold. If you are a peanut butter lover like I am than this dessert is the ultimate. Next time I will order all peanut butter only. If they put a drizzle of chocolate syrup on top then this would be a giant Reese’s bar. Yummmmm.

black sesame & peanut butter shaved ice P160

The mango flavored ice was more icy and sherbet like but the flavors of the mango was pure and not diluted. It was much finer and smoother than sherbet. I was told they use more than 30 kilos of mangoes a day.

mango shaved ice P160

mango flavored shaved ice P160

This dessert was similar to the one I always order in Honeymoon Dessert in Hong Kong. The black pearls were small and crunchy. Aside from fresh mangoes and kiwi the black one was a dried sweet fruit that I have yet to identify.

black pearls w/ coconut & fresh fruit P150

This cool and refreshing dessert had lots of super fine ice that melted right away without making the coconut base watery.

The kiwi juice was sour as expected.

fresh kiwi juice P180

Michelle is a bubble tea addict. She gave their strong bubble milk tea a thumbs up.

tapioca pearl bubble milk tea P130

I found the green tea latte too weak. I like the one from Starbucks so much more.

iced green tea latte P160

The second floor had a long dragon mural design on the wall. It’s a trademark in all Bellagio cafes in China.

Some tables on the second floor had a steel curtain for privacy. The owner, Peter told me this was also in all the cafes in China but in a much smaller scale. He decided to use it as a curtain in Manila.

Almost everyone ordered a drink which averaged P150 each plus the 3 desserts we ordered and lots of dishes. Our bill came out to P450 per head. That’s quite a good deal specially since we were all so full and happy.

Nov. 21, 2010

The same group ate at Lugang again today, Sunday, and these are the new dishes we tried. With all the dishes I’ve tried so far I don’t think it’s even 1/4 of the entire menu. I’ve got a long way to go. It’s hard to try new dishes when you keep wanting to order the same favorite dishes.

This shrimp dish was a house specialty. It wasn’t as good as the beef cruller since the cruller here wasn’t very crisp. It was different and interesting though. The mayonnaise based sauce was light and didn’t taste too rich for the dish. The pineapple added a refreshing flavor to the dish.

pineapple & shrimp stuffed in cruller P280

The spinach was very soft but the soup wasn’t very savory. It lacked flavor. But overall it was ok.

seasonal vegetables in broth w/ preserved eggs P300

Anthony and I loved this tofu dish. Strips of fried tofu simmered in a delicious black bean sauce.

Taiwanese tofu clay pot w/ pork P260

This was a big surprise. I thought it would be just sliced barbecued pork plopped on top of rice. Instead the rice was actually cooked in the clay pot and developed crispy bits on the bottom just like paella. The barbecued pork’s flavor seeped into the rice and the addition of a soy based sauce poured on it made it this clay pot dish a big hit with the two kids. The portion of the pork was quite generous too.

honey barbecue pork on rice in clay pot P380

The rice noodles or bihon was drier than the saucy version we’re used to but it was very flavorful. My only complaint was the dried shrimp was very salty.

Taiwanese stir-fried noodles w/ pork P245

If you like red beans, mung beans (monggo) and ice then this dessert is for you. A tower of ice is covered with beans and drenched with condensed milk. At the base there are pineapple chuck, sweetened tapioca balls and purple mochi cubes.

Bellagio Breeze P190

For you to understand how tall this dessert is I put my iPhone beside it.

We had to hack at the hard ice tower to get chunks to break and fall.

menu

Lugang Cafe
116 Connecticut St.
Northeast Greenhills, San Juan
Metro Manila
telephone: 721-9100, 570-9011

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice in Manila

Popular Hainanese chicken restaurant Wee Nam Kee from Singapore just opened it’s first overseas branch in Ayala Triangle Garden in Makati.

It was my first time to go to the new Ayala Triangle Garden and it was beautifully lighted at night specially with all the holiday decor.

The place was full with many patiently waiting outside for a seat.

This is our group of food tasters.

Since the restaurant was still on it’s soft opening it was understandable to have some service issues. This was the order our food came out.

We ordered 4 plates of chicken rice to share between 10 ladies. I really liked the chicken rice since it was very flavorful and can actually be eaten on it’s own. I hope it wasn’t loaded with chicken fat, salt and msg.

WNK chicken rice P40

This was a really tiny order of bbq pork or char siu. The pork was harder than I’m used to but the flavor wasn’t all that bad.

bbq pork P220

I really liked their cereal prawns much better than the ones at Tao Yuan which I found too oily. These prawns had the skin on and were a little bit sweet, a little spicy. The cereal was dry and yummy for munching or even as topping for the rice. The prawn head was really crisp and good too. Despite several cholesterol warnings from Jennie I ate 3 heads.

4 pcs. cereal prawns P375

The salted fish fried rice was quite good too. It had enough bits of salted fish that you almost always get a piece with each spoonful. The best thing was it wasn’t oily unlike other Chinese restaurants.

salted fish fried rice P215

We liked this tofu dish that tasted like hot and sour soup. The tofu was soft and flavorful. There were small pieces of shrimp, young corn and mushroom.

seafood hot plate P295

Again the noodles were not oily and the flavor was good except for the beef that was too salty. We also ordered stir fried beef tenderloin Chinese style but I forgot to take a picture of it. The sauce was good but the beef was even saltier. Like it was soaked in brine overnight.

beef hor fun P265

The stir fried baby kai lan we had was really good and perfectly seasoned. But this sambal kang kong was incredibly salty and spicy. Too bad I liked the sambal flavor.

sambal kang kong P190

Yes, the Hainanese chicken came last when there was no more rice. There was a misunderstanding when the waiter said we didn’t order chicken. Strange but how can we not order their specialty, right?

Anyway we were glad it eventually got to our table. Better late than never! The chicken was soft and fragrant. I can’t really say this was the best I’ve eaten but it’s good.

steamed Hainanese chicken, large P888

The 3 sauces for Hainanese chicken were already on the table and you can get as much as you want. The ginger was dry and not oily like the traditional kind. I appreciated that but I found there was barely any ginger taste. It was so mild it could have been any paste. I had to put a lot of the sweet, thick soy sauce on the ginger. That I really liked.

Nice detail under the table for bag hangers.

Overall I liked that most of their food is not greasy. I’m sure the food quality and service will still improve in time.

The atmosphere at Ayala Triangle Garden reminded me of New York. Nice huh?

Wee Nam Kee Menu
signature dishes, rice toppings, soups & dimsum
beef & pork, seafood, 2, rice, vegetables, dry noodles
noodles in soup, cold desserts, hot desserts

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice
Restaurants at the Ayala Triangle Gardens
Makati Avenue, Makati City
telephone: 846-8924

Parking Options: (info from Our Awesome Planet)
1st Option: Park on Makati Ave., near the corner of Ayala beside the Makati Stock Exchange

2nd Option: Park in the Basement. The entrance is along Paseo de Roxas, right after you turn from Ayala

The Best Milk Tea Ever – Gong Cha

This is the best milk tea I’ve ever had in my life and I found it in Hong Kong. Well it is the best until I try something better. For now it’s number 1 in my list. For a long time the best hot milk tea for me was at Cafe de Coral. Now I found an even better one.

The first time I tried it was when I went to Golden Shopping Centre in Sham Shui Po for my usual gadget and computer accessories shopping spree. The small stall was just across the street. It’s a good thing they have an English menu.

Gong Cha is a chain from Taiwan with branches in Hong Kong, Singapore and China. There are several Taiwanese tea stores popping all over Hong Kong and a lot of them don’t have an English menu.

My first order was milk green tea with bubbles or pearl jelly as they call it. I loved the strong brewed tea but not the sago. The sago was unsweetened and it just made me too full.

Gong Cha milk green tea with pearl jelly $14

The second time I ordered the same thing without the bubbles. They only had one size of drink and that huge glass is 500ml or 17 ounces. It served as my lunch.

Gong Cha milk green tea HK$12 of US$1.50

I was so enamored with their milk tea I looked for a branch nearer to where I lived. I found it in the newly renovated Star House which is right beside Star Ferry and Harbour City.

Gong Cha was tucked away in a small corner on the 3rd floor. Despite their hidden location they were doing brisk business.

Different kinds brewed tea were stored in stainless jugs.

Why is it so good? When you order milk tea they do not shake or stir it.

There are instructions on the lid on how to enjoy the milk tea. These are my own words based on the translation that Google gave me. There was also some matcha green tea powder sprinkled on top.
1. Open the lid and drink, letting the tea pass through the foamy layer.
2. Insert the straw and enjoy the flavor of the tea.
3. Use the straw to stir and enjoy the combined flavor of the tea and milk.

I did all three steps and this is what I discovered. The top layer that floated on the tea wasn’t just milk. It was cream! No wonder it was sooooo good. The funny thing was the cream tasted a little salty. Next I drank the tea using the straw. The tea was really strong sweetened brewed green tea and not made with artificial flavoring. When both cream and tea were mixed, the saltiness of the cream balanced the sweet strong tea perfectly creating the best milk tea ever. It was creamy yet the green tea flavor was very evident. This was better than any cold coffee concoction.

I hope someone brings this franchise over to the Philippines. It will surely knock out all the milk tea/bubble tea stores in Manila. The price was also cheaper than the ones in Manila. 500 ml for Hk$12 or only P67. With bubbles or sago it costs P78. The bubble tea I had yesterday was much smaller and cost P125 and the taste was simply inferior to this.

Gong Cha’s menu

They had so many other kinds of tea mixtures as well as juice and tea combinations. Next time I go to Hong Kong I will try the milk Alisan tea which is a famous tea in Taiwan.

I haven’t been to Star House in a long time and I’m glad I went because I found my favorite bargain store there. This is Japan’s Daiso store also called Saizen in Manila.

The store was small but packed to the rafters with all sorts of good buys from houseware to personal effects and lots of things you didn’t know you needed.

The new Star City is also now connected to Harbour City. The passage way is right beside Gong Cha on the 3rd floor.

Gong Cha
Shop 316A,3/F,Star House, No.3 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
telephone: 3485-5543

ShopC2, 153-155 Fuk Wah Street, Sham Shui Po

For other branches in Hong Kong click here.

Gong Cha in Manila!

Bubble Tea Restaurant and Awesome Ph

I’m always on the look out for good milk tea in Manila. I’ve finally found a good hot milk tea at Lugang Cafe but so far the bubble milk teas I’ve tried have been disappointing. They all taste more milk than tea. Will this be the one?

I’ve seen Bubble Tea restaurant in SM Megamall but I’ve never tried it before. I saw they were opening a branch in Wilson street in Greenhills and I planned to try it one of these days. But then I saw this post on Philippine sites offering coupons and deals like Groupon in the US.

I signed up for email notifications with a couple of sites. Nothing really interested me until I saw this deal from Awesome PH. I immediately bought the coupon and paid via Paypal Philippines.

Aside from the choosing anything from Bubble Tea worth P300 they also sent me a coupon for a free large milk tea redeemable at the Greenhills branch only until Nov. 14. So I went yesterday to claim my freebie.

Check out my bill. I paid P99 for a meal that cost P410. That was truly an awesome deal!

I ordered a Vancouver sushi made with 2 whole breaded shrimp wrapped with sushi rice, doused with teriyaki sauce and the whole thing was topped with spicy tuna salad. I loved it!! The tuna salad wasn’t spicy at all. The teriyaki sauce added depth and flavor to the sushi. One piece was a big bite with the fried shrimp in the middle. I can’t wait to try their other sushi creations.

Vancouver sushi P285

The sushi came out in 15 minutes. The milk tea came out 15 minutes later. Granted that the restaurant was 80% full at 5:20 pm on a Sunday that’s still no excuse for a simple cold drink to take 30 minutes to make. There were two other people who ordered take-out at the same time as me and both were getting equally impatient.

I also noticed that all the tables had food and people were eating without their drinks too. Some people were already finished with their meal by the time their drinks arrived.

I requested my milk tea to have no sugar but I saw the receipt indicated less sugar. It turned out to be just right because the sago or tapioca (bubble) was already sweetened. It was the best sago ever! It was thick and chewy. In Hong Kong, Taipei and the US the sago is unsweetened. I prefer it the Filipino way where they cook it in sweetened water.

The sago was the only saving factor for the royal milk tea which was their bestseller. I barely tasted any tea just all milk. Disappointment again. Next time I will order a plain green or black tea with sago.

royal milk tea, large P125

I liked the fresh and youthful interiors. The lighting was very good too.

They really have to improve on the speed and efficiency of their drink production. Maybe it has something to do with the distance of the tea shaker to the production area?

It was really tedious work the way they made the bubble tea. The poured sago and other ingredients into a glass in the area to the right of the cash register. Then they put the tea into a special container and walked to the tea shaker which was to the left of the cash register.

After the shaking is done they go back, get it and pour it into the prepared glass. There were 3 people making the drinks and still they couldn’t catch up on all the orders. Maybe the employees were new? Hopefully they will be faster in the future.

This was a cute seating area too bad no one wanted to sit there. I predict this will be converted to traditional seating in the future.

Hmmm dessert coming soon.

Come back tomorrow for the best cold milk tea from Hong Kong.

Bubble Tea Restaurant menu
milk tea, milkshake, coffee, tea
green tea/black tea, tea slush
Tokyo side treats, stick treats
pasta, burgers/sandwich
Tokyo entrees, soup/salad/sidings
yoshoku rice dish, noodles/donburi
maki-zushi, nigiri-sushi, sashimi

Bubble Tea Restaurant
U3 220 Wilson St., San Juan, Metro Manila
telephone: 477-6381

Lunch at Lugang Cafe

Lugang cafe is a new Chinese restaurant located in Greenhills and specializes in dishes from Taiwan, Beijing and Shanghai. The restaurant opens to the public today.

I was fortunate to have been invited to the soft opening yesterday noon. You see one of the owners is my dad’s god daughter and her dad is one my dad’s best buddies. Not to mention that she’s also my cousin’s cousin. Confused? With all these connections I was a bit nervous. What if the food was bad? How will I blog honestly about it without hurting anyone’s feelings? Thank goodness I truly, truly enjoyed the meal.

Lugang Cafe is a big restaurant occupying 3 floors in a new building along the busy residential Connecticut street. It’s right beside Conti’s and Bikram yoga. This is a franchise of the Bellagio Management Group from Shanghai, China and is the first branch outside China. The Greenhills branch is store number 27.

The owners rented a lot across the street for parking. This was a great move!

I was really impressed with the restaurant’s modern and classy interiors.

Even the ceiling lights were nice.

Almost everything was imported from China and Hong Kong, from the tables, chairs, couch and lighting.

The second floor will be opened around the 3rd week of November. The third floor is still under construction.

These semi-private seating areas will surely be very popular with bigger groups. There are also private function rooms on the 2nd floor.

Lugang cafe is owned by dynamic couple, Peter and Annie Chua.

Crystal Jade has a new competitor. Xiao long bao is one of this restaurant’s specialties and they have these hard working chefs making dumplings non-stop. Peter told me one of them worked in Din Tai Fung in Taiwan for 12 years.

I was surprised to like the loofah & shrimp dumpling so much since I don’t like loofah or patola. The dumpling skin had the right thickness and the filling was light and refreshing.

angled loofah w/ shrimp xiao long bao P158

I liked their xiao long bao! The skin was perfect and there was sooo much juice. My only comment is the filling lacked a little salt. That could be easily be remedied with a quick dip in their good soy sauce imported from Taiwan. This was definitely at par or maybe even better than Crystal Jade’s.

xiao long bao P158

For veggie lovers this is the dumpling for you. It was filled with soft, seasoned spinach. Yummy too.

vegetable & pork dumplings P188

There were only 4 of us for lunch but Annabelle’s dad sat beside us and kept ordering food he wanted us to try. He recommended the pan fried dumplings. They were crunchy and bigger than average.

pan fried dumplings P190

We don’t normally order drinks but this was highly recommended. It was a great thirst quencher and not too sweet. The aloe jelly was delicious. I really liked the glasses that looked like carafes.

aloe jelly in honey lemon juice P120

For so long I lamented that there was no good milk tea in Manila. My benchmark is the nai chai of Cafe de Coral in Hong Kong. Finally I found milk tea that tasted just as good and strong. An order of hot milk tea came in a cute pot and yielded more than 2 cups.

Cantonese milk tea P140

My favorite dish was Taiwan stewed minced pork. When I went to Taiwan recently I saw this dish everywhere. I tried it twice and it didn’t come close to this.

Taiwanese stewed minced pork P160

There was a whole boiled egg with the minced pork.

The pork was so tender and the sauce was indescribably good. I stopped eating white rice but I just had to order some to eat with this.

This is my idea of Chinese comfort food. Trust me, so so so good!

If you like scallions then this fragrant dish is for you. Since I’m not fond of them I just ate the chicken and wished for some ginger sauce. They did have Hainanese chicken on the menu. I can’t wait to try that next time.

chicken topped with scallion & ginger oil P450

This is Jenny, one of the two Chinese managers from Beijing.

My other favorite was the very flavorful three-cup chicken. This dish was entirely made up of chicken wings chopped into tiny pieces. Strange but it worked.

three-cup chicken P290

A friend in the next table told us to order this seemingly ordinary omelet. One bite and I knew it was extraordinary. It was a Chinese style omelet that was light, fluffy and filled with tiny bits of preserved turnips. That’s high praise coming from a non-egg eater.

Taiwanese omelet with preserved turnip bits P160

Taiwan omelet turnips

By this time we were all so full but the food kept coming. I had a soft tendon and some terrific spicy soup.

spicy beef and tendon noodle soup P250

I hate taro so I didn’t try this. My parents loved it though. They said the taro was super soft.

sweet taro sago soup P150

Frozen desserts are their specialty and they have a thick separate menu for drinks and desserts. We all liked this because it wasn’t sweet and it was slightly tart. I saw other desserts that were double in size.

passion fruit smoothy P190

I can’t wait to go back for another round of Taiwan stewed minced pork, half a bowl of rice, hot milk tea and a new dessert. This restaurant will surely be a big hit. Thanks again Uncle, Annie and Peter for lunch!

more dishes and desserts here

Lugang Cafe’s extensive menu (Flickr set)
(be sure to enlarge images)

dim sum & roasting, appetizer,
house special, 2, seafood, pork,
beef, poultry, tofu & vegetables
noodles, pot rice specialties & rice,
rice & soups, set meals & congee

Desserts & Drinks
iced snacks & shaved ice, ice cream & Cantonese desserts
Cantonese desserts & milk custard
smoothy, coffee & chocolate, sweet soups,
cold tea, hot tea, specialty drinks, freshly squeezed juice,

Lugang Cafe
116 Connecticut St.
Northeast Greenhills, San Juan
Metro Manila
telephone: 721-9100, 570-9011

Buffet take-out from Mayuri Indian Cuisine

All this food tightly packed in a styrofoam container cost $10 and fed 3 hungry adults with leftovers to boot.

Mayuri Indian Cuisine is located in a strip mall in Reston, Virginia.

The place doesn’t look like much but their food is authentic and the buffet is truly value for money. Their lunch buffet costs only $10 and features over 35 different items.

The food didn’t have names so we just got what looked familiar and good.

Aside from the styrofoam container we were also given a plastic container which we used for the scrumptious mango dessert.

My cousin in law who’s the expert did the packing of food. Look at the pictures and learn.

1. Place wet dishes in the compartments. This was spicy and tender goat curry.

Next was the super delicious butter chicken.

2. Top the saucy dishes with Indian flat bread to create the base for the second layer. Smart huh?

3. Pile on the dry dishes. That’s chili chicken. Good but too spicy for me.

4. Throw in some vegetable pakora and another chicken dish which I really liked since it wasn’t spicy.

5. At home transfer each dish to individual containers.

goat curry

vegetable pakora

chili chicken

vegetable cutlets

My favorites were the butter chicken and the fried veggies.

butter chicken

It was a really amazing how much food he was able to fit in one square container. We were all so full and had the leftovers the next day.

Last time it was my cousin La who packed the takeout box and it wasn’t as full but she got some fantastic chicken biryani and put the curry in the plastic container. Next time I go back I want to try my hand at packing the box!

Mayuri Indian Cuisine
2316 Hunters Wood plaza
Reston, VA 20191
telephone: (703) 860-4999

Lunch at Booeymonger

My cousins brought me to Friendship Heights in DC for some shopping. It was my first time to go there and I really liked the area. Too bad we couldn’t stay longer. We did have time for a quick lunch at Booeymonger.

Booeymonger is a deli/sandwich shop that is also in Ray Foley’s book “1,001 Sandwiches You Must Eat Before You Die” and AOL’s top 10 places for cheap eats in DC.

There were many interesting things in the menu not found in your regular deli. The sandwich concoctions were unique and mouthwatering. But I knew right away what I wanted and coincidentally it was the one listed in Ray Foley’s list.

the Fifth Avenue $6.50

I had the Fifth Avenue which was made with hot pastrami, grilled mushrooms, melted muenster cheese with mustard on a French baguette. Those are basically all my favorite ingredients together in one sandwich. It was super, duper yummy! The pastrami was tender and too salty, the mushrooms were fresh and the muenster cheese was just the right quantity to bind everything together.

I wish the baguette was toasted instead of just cold and soft like ordinary white bread. A few minutes under a panini maker would have made this a hot, crusty and yummier sandwich. That’s why my leftover looked like this.

Sha ordered the Gatsby Arrow made with roast beef and brie cheese.

Gatsby Arrow $6.95

We all shared a side of crispy, seasoned potato wedges.

potato wedges $1.50

La had the shrimp salad on a bed of garden vegetables.

shrimp salad $7.75

My niece Erin surprisingly had the homemade chili. Hmm I thought she didn’t like meat.

Homemade Chili w/ French bread $4.95

Booeymonger
5252 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20015
telephone: (202) 686-5805

other branches

Bonchon Chicken

These are the best chicken wings I’ve ever eaten.

I first read about Korean fried chicken in an article in the New York Times back in 2007. When I went to Virginia in 2008 I looked for Korean fried chicken and found Bonchon. I told my cousin Sharon about it and she bought a couple of boxes of wings and drumsticks for all of us to try. We fell in love with it and I made sure I got to eat Bonchon chicken at least once every time I go to the USA.

Bonchon chicken in the USA is sold as wings, drumsticks or whole chicken only. The best way to buy it is to call and order at least an hour before you pick it up otherwise be prepared to wait for a long time.

This is the secret to what makes Bonchon chicken so different from the usual fried chicken. (click image to enlarge)

image from Bonchon USA site

I love their fried chicken because it’s unbelievably crisp without any flour coating or batter. It stays crisp even when cold. It’s not greasy. I even tried blotting it with a paper napkin which came out almost spotless. The taste is slightly sweet and slightly spicy. The flavor can be tasted all the way to the bone and not only with the skin. I read that they achieve this by double frying the chicken

The sides that came with it were pickled daikon radish and Asian slaw.

I am beyond happy that Bonchon is opening in Manila this November in Ayala Triangle Gardens and soon in Greenbelt 1. Both locations are in Makati. I hope they open in Greenhills or Ortigas Center too. I’m sure this will be a big hit in Manila.

Dinner at Borough, The Podium Mall

I still have a lot reviews from restaurants in the US, Hong Kong and Manila but I had to share the restaurant we ate in yesterday because it was a very good discovery.

Chris wanted to treat us for her birthday and she asked me if I could suggest a place. I just saw the review of Borough on Our Awesome Planet a few days before and it caught my interest.

Borough is named after the five boroughs in New York – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. Borough the restaurant brings New York’s comfort food 24 hours, 7 days a week to the residents of Manila.

The Elvis sandwich was surprisingly listed under appetizers. I would have thought fried peanut butter and banana sandwich would be under the all day breakfast category. We all enjoyed it though specially with a dab of coconut dulce de leche and sour cream.

the Elvis sandwich P170

The chocolate chicken wings had mixed reviews. I personally didn’t like it so much. The flavor of cinnamon with a light hint of chocolate was evident but it was the heat of chili that dominated the taste. I wish it were crisp instead just soft.

chocolate chicken wings P280

The Caesar salad was quite nice with a light garlicky dressing. The bread on top as called an egg rothko. It was a slice of brioche coated with egg and fried. I wish there was a runny fried egg on top of the bread instead. That would have been more interesting than a French toast.

Rothko Caesar salad P200

Rochelle and Elisa had the onion soup. I tried it and loved the thick, gooey layer of salty & nutty Gruyère cheese. They didn’t scrimp on the cheese. The soup was little bit salty though.

French onion soup P200

Yvonne had the tomato soup. She found it a bit sweet. I tried it and found it just right. It was rich and creamy but there was a ‘tin can’ taste from the canned tomatoes used. Too bad since it was one of the better tomato soups I’ve tasted.

tomato soup P120

Chris & Tisay ordered the popular portobello mushroom sandwich. They both raved about it.

cheese injected portobello pita pocket P230

The mushroom was cheesy and fried. We all enjoyed the hot and freshly cooked potato chips that came with it. It was a generous quantity of simply salted potatoes chips with the skin on. Nice touch!

For me the big test of this restaurant was their cheeseburger which at P400 was not exactly cheap. The first thing I asked our server was, “Does the burger contain any eggs or extenders?” She guaranteed me that it was all beef and seasonings only. I simply cannot stand burgers with any extenders as you may know if you’ve read my other reviews of burgers.

I am very happy to report that this burger was all beef and it was seasoned with just salt and pepper. It was awesome! It’s almost as good if not a even a little better than my favorite burger from Chili’s. The beef patty tasted like good steak and it wasn’t greasy. The edges of the cheese were crisp and that gave a good salty crunch to the burger. Even the fries were great!

all beef cheeseburger P400

The biggest surprise was the bbq pulled pork sandwich. I never thought I’d find this in Manila and one that’s even better than the authentic Southern style pulled pork I had in Virginia.

BBQ pulled pork sandwich P220

The pork was super tender and the sauce was a strong vinegary, spicy bbq sauce that we all liked. The coleslaw was the perfect addition to tame the heat and sourness of the meat plus it added a much appreciated crunch.

Rochelle ordered the banana amaretto french toast for her main course. Smart girl! It was soooooooo decadent and heavenly. The bread was soaked in a banana custard and topped amaretto caramel flambe. It tasted so buttery and despite all the syrupy liquid drowning the French toast it was surprisingly not too sweet. It was a perfect balance of flavor, texture and all things good. This would work as a dessert for sharing too.

banana amaretto french toast P300

The server suggested the Mom’s milk and cookies. I think they should change the name to Mom’s cookies and milk. Don’t you think that sounds less awkward?

There were two types of cookies. A toll house type chocolate chip cookie and a spicy ginger cookie. Both were warm, soft and chewy. The milk was sweet and tasted like cream. I later learned that it was a combination of fresh milk and vanilla ice cream. The small bottle of milk came in an ice bucket and we were given small shot glasses that were just right for dunking our mini cookies in. This was truly comfort food.

mom’s milk and cookies P170

Thanks to Tisay who took this picture. And most of all thanks to Chris for the fabulous dinner and fun evening.

I’m so happy that Borough opened in Podium which is a stone’s throw away from where I work. I’m so happy they serve really good food and dessert. I’m not happy with their service and warm aircon but those things will eventually improve. I hope they maintain the quality of their food and add even more unique products not found in Manila’s restaurants. Thanks Borough, you brought New York closer to us. But did you forget hotdogs and pretzels?

Borough soft opening menu – front (click to enlarge)
appetizers, soup, salads, mains

Borough menu – back (click to enlarge)
pasta, sandwiches, all-day breakfast, dessert, sides

Borough Drinks menu

11/25/2010
We went to lunch at Borough to celebrate my office mate, Tina’s birthday. We purposely ordered new things and I’m happy to report that it was all good.

Sherrie, Tina and Cecylle

The chicken burger was a healthier choice than my favorite cheeseburger. The burger was super tender and juicy. The monterey jack cheese was perfect on the mildly flavored chicken burger. It added just the right saltiness and creaminess. I didn’t really taste the corn salsa and I forgot to look if it’s really under the patty.

chili chicken burger P380

The sole was simply fried in browned butter and splashed with lemon juice. Delish!!! With all the veggies, sliced almonds and rice it was a complete and filling entree.

sole amandine P410

The dish that brought a smile to my face was the homemade pumpkin ravioli. Take a bite of the ravioli and you taste sweet pumpkin filling accented by savory basil pesto, fragrant browned butter, toasted pecans and dried cranberries. It was an amazing play of flavors and textures that brought ooohhhs and aaaahhhs to everyone who tried it. This is definitely a must-order!

homemade pumpkin ravioli P250

One of the owners of Borough was there and he gave us a plate of Brooklyn cheesecake to try. Even though we were groaning from our over filled bellies we tried the baked cheesecake topped with caramel sauce and toasted pecans. Another hit!

There were chunks of cream cheese in the cheesecake and the caramel sauce wasn’t cloyingly sweet but added a depth of almost bitter dark caramel flavor to the cheesecake. One of the better cheesecakes I’ve tasted in a restaurant.

Brooklyn cheesecake P220

Borough
GF, Unit 107A, The Podium Mall,
12 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong
telephone: 570-8906

Georgetown Cupcakes

I’m not a big fan of cupcakes. I don’t remember the last time I ate one. I didn’t even join the cupcake craze that hit Manila a couple of years ago.

I did hear a lot about Georgetown Cupcakes from my cousins who raved about it. Sharon promised to let me try them so I will know what all the fuss is about.

My cousin Sharon who works in DC is the expert on Georgetown Cupcakes. I think she has their phone number on speed dial. She regularly orders a box or two and has it delivered to her office.

One day she finally brought a box of assorted cupcakes to La’s house and I finally got my first taste of the famous cupcakes.

The hardest part was choosing what to try first. I did what I had to do to try them all. I cut each cupcake into quarters so I can try each flavor. Wow! These cupcakes were incredibly moist and the frosting was delicious yet not too sweet. Now I understand why Georgetown Cupcakes are so popular that they even have their own tv show on TLC.

My favorite in this batch was the chocolate peanut butter chip made with Valrhona chocolate cake base, peanut butter chips and yummy peanut butter frosting.

One Sunday I finally got to see the actual store. I had this silly idea that I could just walk in and buy a cupcake. I was shocked to see a long line snaking up the block.

It wasn’t even 11:00 am and the store wasn’t due to open for another hour and the line was that long!

Someone in line told me they heard the store was opening an hour early. I didn’t wait to find out.

Two days later I returned to the store. This time I was prepared. Sharon already called in our order hours earlier. I was there simply to pick it up so I was able to bypass the line and go straight to the pick up counter.

daily menu

While waiting for my order I took the opportunity to take pictures of the store and the goodies.

These were the cupcake flavors for the day. They change flavors daily and have special monthly flavors.

This was our stash. My favorites here were the salted caramel cupcake, made with caramel cake base and salted caramel buttercream icing, and the ginger peach cupcake made with fresh peaches tasted like summer’s freshest harvest. The coconut cupcake was pretty good too. Aaarrgghhh they’re all good!

Here’s our order print out that I brought with me to claim my box of cupcakes.

Am I a cupcake convert? Not really. I’d still choose a big, fat cookie over a cupcake any day. But I really enjoyed these cupcakes and don’t mind having them for dessert occasionally. Thanks Sha for all the cupcake love you gave us.

ps. I’ve tried Sprinkles cupcakes they were blech and way too sweet. Magnolia Bakery’s cupcakes were so, so dry. Nothing came close to Georgetown Cupcakes.

Georgetown Cupcakes
3301 M Street NW (corner of 33rd & M)
Washington, DC 20007 map

Monday – Saturday: 10am – 9pm
Sunday: 11am – 7pm