a bite of brownie

There aren’t a lot of restaurants here serving roast duck (or I just haven’t searched enough). It’s a good thing I don’t have to look far and wide for it, like going to Chinatown maybe? Haha because a new restaurant just opened in Podium! Tai Koo HK Roast. A Filipino-owned restaurant aiming to serve authentic Hong Kong style roast duck here in the Philippines (a little research confirmed my first statement, without the side comment, haha).

It was lunch time and I’ll tell you right now, do NOT come here during lunch time. It had the same setup in the old Podium wing, where they have a counter where they take orders and customers pay, the kitchen is directly behind that, and the tables and chairs are scattered in front of their designated, open area. A long line has formed at their single cashier and I noticed a lot of people were seated without plates in front of them. So long line and wait time, but sure, they’re new, let’s give it a shot. I ordered (Ben (ack! That did not just happen!)) Solo Hong Kong Roast Duck Rice and found a spot. I haven’t settled in yet and one of the crew told me the seat was reserved. I didn’t see any sign on the table, which I pointed out but he insisted. I looked at him and asked if he’s asking me to vacate this table because I don’t see any vacant tables around. After a few minutes he transferred me to a newly tidied one. I had to wait for another 20 minutes for my food after I was reseated and with my 1-hr lunch break, I did not appreciate that. I was starting to get cranky at this time. That same crew member perhaps noticed that and I heard him follow up my order without me asking for it haha! Tiger look ftw! I was offered a glass with ice too, utensils, condiments, the works.

And my plate finally came and well, it didn’t feel like I needed to wait 20mins for it. Jasmine rice was topped with roast duck and a Bok Choy leaf. Digging in, I noticed the skin wasn’t crispy at all. The meat was succulent and tasty, though. It’s best paired with their chilli oil (just make sure to get enough, they might take it away from you after 5mins, like in my case haha). Oh and did I mention the abundance of flies? Yeah… managed to kill a fruit fly LOL

Verdict: 1/5
I feel like I talked more about the dining experience than the food. But I can’t help it. Apart from the things I’ve mentioned above, I witnessed 3 men bringing in 6 large Divisoria style plastic bags filled with what looked like takeaway boxes. So they’re not roasting it in house, sure, but are they buying it from some place else? Is this why it’s cheap? Paid around 260Php for this meal. Anyway, there’s a lot to improve on in this new restaurant. Maybe add more crew? And do something about those flies.

I've always liked the Marine Gateway complex because it has (almost) everything I want in one place. If I can afford the condos here then I would probably move into this neighbourhood haha

I don't remember when I first tried out the Ban Dao restaurant but it was one of those impromptu dates with my cousin who happens to live nearby. I think we were supposed to watch a movie and we went here for an early lunch.

I've tried most of their dimsum and I would definitely recommend the shrimp rice roll and the xo sauce, the rest were ok, but I was missing the xiao long bao which was conspicuously missing from their menu.

Our usual order consists of the shrimp dumplings, pork siomai, avocado roll - yes I know that's not dimsum but this is Vancouver haha most restaurants have a sprinkling of Japanese food on their fare, my cousin likes the chicken feet and the beef tendon while I enjoy the beef ribs and pork spareribs, the taro with scallop dish is also a crowd favourite. Last time we tried the chicken wings but those weren't really worth it I think, I would still go for Phnom Penh's just for that..

We passed by this place once for dinner and quickly realized that they have a different pricier menu so we skipped it haha Maybe I would come back to try their roasted duck 3 ways and the suckling pig but that requires advanced order so yeah.. not anytime soon..

This will definitely be a go to place for quick dimsum bites, the place is huge and the service is prompt.

Some say it's a bit pricier than most places but I really haven't tried a lot of dimsum joints here to begin with and I feel the preparation here is clean and consistent so I keep coming back.

Rating: 3/5

We visited this restaurant after remembering that Grand Convention  Center has once again opened its door to the locals after its very busy renovation that lasted for a few months. The new place had a contemporary new look updated to the times, with several lighting fixtures and a spacious parking lot.



We arrived here just in time before the throng of families arrived to dine at this place. Our timely arrival got us a comfortable couch seat facing most of the tables and a strategic view of the buffet arrangement by the northeast. They had a wide variety of dishes ranging from European, Chinese, and Japanese.



Compelled to sample each dish available at the present, it took me several trips to finally collect a tiny bit of each dish but giving particular attention to the sashimi bar where they serve thick tuna and salmon slices for those who requested.


I could definitely say that i was impressed by their Chinese fare as they had very exquisite tastes that were definitely true to their origins. Their dimsum were top notch, and so were their noodles that used traditional Asian herbs for spice. Alas, delicious their grub maybe, their international food were below the bar as most of them were too dry or over sauced. The desserts were also below average and tasted too sweet and tasted artificial.



Grand Majestic
Grand Convention Center, Archbishop Reyes



Verdict:
A: 3/5

i think the food was half exceptional, as there were several dishes of Chinese origin available for their guests. The price is a little too high for my tastes, and there are other restaurants that are value for money compared to this restaurant. I think the people who eat here are the loyal patrons of old coming from rich Chinese families who transact business at this place.

As we were waiting for Phat Pho to open, We visited Fung's which is technically a store away from the place we wanted to try out. It was a spacious place, with several chairs and tables arranged in a typical Chinese fashion. Interestingly, this noodle house also serves several dim sum and other specialty seafood dishes.

if you are craving for dim sum, this is a good place to go. they have those push-carts carrying a variety of dishes from steamed dumpling, fried food, and desserts. one can also order from their menu. we didn't order much since we were just having a "snack". =) we got steamed shrimp dumplings, scallop dim sum, steamed scallop and shrimp dumplings, steamed chicken feet in black bean sauce and xiao long bao or soup dumplings. i like all of them but liked most the scallop dim sum. it was a satisfying meal and i'd definitely go back here and would recommend this place.

May Flower
222 Great Mall Dr
Milpitas, CA 95035

Verdict: 3.5/5 (servers can be inattentive.)

Located on the second floor of Ayala Terraces and right in the middle of Mooon Cafe and Hukad, Tsim Sha Tsui is a comfy and well lit dimsum place that offer an assortment of several dishes from dimsum to noodles. For this particular visit, we had to try their all you can eat dimsum buffet on the bar station with a miniature conveyor belt.

The upbeat music in the background was definitely uplifting after it rained the whole morning. While I arrived a little bit later than my companions, service was good enough. The dishes up for grabs are limited to 5 or 6 different kinds and 2 versions of the same dessert. The machang served is no good, while the steamed rice is of so-so quality. I do loved their sweet and sour pork though and the siomai was able to redeem most of the lost quality.

I don't think the staff was doing the best that they could this time around. From what I remember from the past, they had more dishes served on the dock with at least three types of siomai, cabbage rolls, steamed dishes...

Maybe they were trying to cut costs?






Verdict:
2/5

Not so satisfied with the place. Add more choices, maybe? Instead of the repetitive fare being served.

Advertised as one of the earliest smokeless grills in town, Yugo is a fairly new restaurant that boast its assortment of dishes from three neighboring cuisines, namely Korean, Japanese and Chinese cuisines. The assortment is astounding, and the choice combinations are almost near infinite..The place is spacious and there seemed to be enough legroom for everybody!
The secret to their process of eliminating smoke from the grill is to have a ready made suction device that absorbs all unpleasant fumes. t'was a very fun evening with my siblings and my sister's workforce..

Yugo
IT Park Lahug


Verdict:: 3/5
With so many grill restaurants soon, you really do have to innovate to survive thje market and the competition. Good work on thinking all three cuisines in one.

Located a few steps away from the main entrance of the JP Morgan building, this casual dining restaurant offers the relaxing ambiance of Filipino dining while maintaining its traditional Chinese feel. We arrived here a few minutes past 5:30 and were seated comfortably to one of the establishment's couches. The restaurant was as empty as it could be, perhaps because of a bad choice of location or simply the budget. But it was one of the things I liked about this place, the absence of chit chattering individuals who can't seem to stop yapping about who did what in their workspace.

I was surprised by the service of this place; within five minutes after finalizing our order and myself coming back from the public washroom, several plates of food were laid out in front of me and my sister for our consumption. We had crispy noodles, macao roast pig, radish cake and kung pao chicken.

The crispy noodles were somewhat of a disappointment, having been immersed in too much sauce for one to enjoy. Although to make up for it, the noodles absorbed as much juice that complements what's left of the crispiness it's supposed to have. The roast pig is good, soft but dry and the sour spicy sauce is very good. The radish cake is an excellent order, if I say so myself. The Kung Pao Chicken is okay, as I don't have a basis to compare it with something else as of now.

Chopsticks
Unit 101, E-bloc Tower 1
Asiatown I.T. Park Lahug

Verdict: Perhaps an update in the menu would be a good thing seeing how there's very little to choose from. Promos to attract customers too would help. The place lacks... a certain appeal that would make their customers regulars.

i filled my first plate with salmon, tuna, white fish sashimi, mix of maki rolls, ebi sushi, and seaweeds wrapped in tamago wrap. my first plate started well.

Big Mao

After deciding between Chinese food and Thai, we finally chose something that we haven't eaten from before. Big Mao has been in Ayala terraces for as long as I remember, though we were practically avoiding it like a plague since there were other Chinese restaurants that appealed to us more. at lunch time, the place was packed and the attendants were busy like ants, zooming here and there to attend to their customer' needs. When we were finally attended to, we asked to have a plate of lemon chicken, an entree of jellyfish with century egg, radish cake, braised bean curd. We also had fried pork served with plum sauce and assorted dim sum.



I like the crispiness of the jellyfish, above anything else. The softness of the tofu is something to be loved too (crispy on the outside and soft on the inside). Shame the sauce that comes with it isn't even on the same page. The radish cake wasn't as spectacular as we thought it would be, too. But the belly slices (we had two orders of belly, to prove it) and the dim sum are more than enough to compensate for it.



So overall, it's a split decision whether or not we'll come back to the place. Select dishes are delicious while some others are just plain weird with mismatched sauces.

--

Big Mao
Ayala Terraces



Verdict:
A: 3/5

Service slow and the food isn't that exceptional.