Sometimes the best meal is the simplest one

Lunch is an enjoyable Fish Fillet and Century Egg with Rice in Soup at Tuantuan. This is a variation of Chiuchow region's rice porridge, instead of making it thick like congee, whole cooked rice is added in giving you the consistency of rice swimming in hot soup. I ate like this when I was a child, so this brings a lot of memories. Paired with their trademark Pork Buns since Fish Skin is out of stock. 

Beni's Falafel now open at Mall of Asia

I was surprised when I passed by Mall of Asia and found the new branch of Beni's Falafel now open.

 If you haven't tried a falafel sandwich, it's about time you had one. Its pita bread with "meatballs", these Israeli delights aren't really made of meat its ground chickpeas that are rolled into a ball then fried. Really good! Please visit them at the Ground Floor SM Moa South Wing near the SM Store entrance.

4 Seasons Hotpot City MOA *****

From the same people who brought you Vikings and Vikings Niu comes 4 Seasons Hotpot.
A hotpot buffet featuring your favorite shabu-shabu plus a lot of cooked food and juices.

Located behind the SM Mall of Asia area and near Vikings, this is as good as it gets when it comes to hotpot and shabu shabu, all the ingredients are fresh, the soup stocks diverse (vegetable, chicken, pork, sinigang), and there's even a cooked food section for those who are impatient with their food. The seafood is fresh with a wide array of fish, shellfish, fresh shrimp to choose from. there's even sea mantis!

check out their "balls"/ dumplings section from different parts of China, the only thing missing is the famous cheese-stuffed balls. Meat cuts are ordered by plate, to prevent chaos :) They are generous even with their juices with a wide selection of freshly prepared juices, shakes even milk tea. Their Big Scoop ice cream even comes in flavors not just the standard chocolate, vanilla and ube, there's green tea, bubble gum, langka and a lot more!

Enjoyable and pleasant, I will definitely return to Four Seasons Hotpot!

Rates: 
 Adult Weekday Lunch 588
 Adult Weekday Dinner 788
 Holidays Lunch and Dinner 788

Kids 4 ft  Lunch 188
               Dinner 288
Below 3 ft Free

Exotic stuff like Sea Cucumber

Dessert Station

Wide Variety of Balls

4 Seasons Hotpot City
Bldg E., By the Bay, MOA Complex, Seaside Blvd, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines

Phone:+63 2 831 7777

Open everyday · 12:00 am – 2:30 pm, 5:30 – 10:00 pm, 11:00 pm – 12:00 am

Promo alert: Vikings and 4 Seasons Hotpot at 25% off with Citibank

Check out Citibank's promo at Vikings and 4 Seasons Hotpot. Enjoy up to 25% off when you use your Citibank Credit Card at Viking Jazz Mall, Vikings SM BF, Vikings Davao and Four Seasons Hotpot.

Offer is valid from July 1 to Sept 30, 2015.

                         Regular Rate   Citi Rate

Weekday lunch    Php 688      Php 516

Weekday dinner   Php 888      Php 666

Weekend lunch    Php 888      Php 666

And dinner

(Photo grabbed from Citibank's email blast) 

Discount is applicable to a minimum of 5 adults dining. Discount does not apply to senior and kids rates.

Crystal Jade Dining in at the Fort ****

We were almost letdown when we attempted to get a last-minute reservation at Crystal Jade on Father's Day and we were turned down on the phone. Fortunately we tried to risked it and tried to walk (sneak) in and got a table by 6pm. We were with two hungry kids who wanted a mean bowl of corn soup. Thinking this was like the branch in Greenhills, we were also almost disappointed when we didn't see their famous xiaolong pao or the soup dumplings that the kids wanted on the menu. But here's a tip: inform the server in advance and they will check the kitchen if it's available.

Seeing the menu and interiors, We felt a bit underdressed in shorts and sneakers after an hour at nearby Active Fun. Far from the casual vibe of Greenhills, This Crystal Jade was a fine dining Cantonese place . But with two hungry kids, we chose the simplest stuff on the menu. 

We had of course, the corn soup, two orders of Xiaolungpao, the unbeatable sweet and sour pork, some fried rice and ordered their braised chicken and egggplant with salted fish on pot(that was for us)

Interiors were elegant, service was great, the kids were happy, check out our orders. 

Ratings:

Interiors: elegant and spacious

Food: delicious and spot on. The fried rice is hearty and they don't scrimp on ingredients like shrimp. Xiaolungpao is as good as the ones served in SG. The corn soup and sweet abd sour pork is kid-friendly and forgettable, but it does wonders on picky appetites. The revelation is the Braised Chicken and Eggplant, you'll want to enjoy this with a bowl of white rice.

Pricing: a bit premium, basic dishes loke sweet and sour pork and fried rice go for 400 up, a bowl of soup is 180 per bowl  expect 500 up per head

Total experience: very pleasant and waiters were very attentive, great service

I'd return again for other stuff on the menu. 

Crystal Jade Dining In

30th St cor 7th Ave BGC

Landline 8085233 5198191

Seafood in a bucket *

Speaking if weird ways to serve food, we tried the Seafood in a Bucket at BF Homes. We were curious on how the food was served like the Seafood Shacks in Sanfo. Sadly it wasn't what we expected. 

At Seafood in A Bucket, you literally order

A bunch of seafood (250 g of prawns, clams and crabs, potatoes, and carrots) that they serve in a garbage bin-looking bucket. Just choose your sauce - seafood in a bucket, gatlic butter, etc. for 625. The price is not bad and comes with a plate of rice which you can upgrade to garlic rice by adding 35. 

The food arrived fast and they were generous with the seafood, the garlic butter sauce was a bit weak as the flavors didn't seep through the mussels.

Their juices (89) came in really big jars good enough for 3. Big but lacking in flavor. 

We also ordered their grilled liempo or pork belly. This was highly recommended by their server but came in really thick cuts tough enough to eat. A big fail. 

We were pondering if we're going for a second time since the place looked promising despite looking like a beer joint. Most likely we won't.

Seafood in a bucket

El grande

Bf homes paranaque

About 300 per head

Sbarro's promo: a whole Cheese Pizza for 289

Not ready to be outdone by bigger chains, Italian fastfood chain Sbarro has launched its low priced pizza promo- one whole latge cheese pizza for P 289. No conditions. No cards. And all in. The pizza is large enough for 6 to share. Valid for dine in and take away but there's a 15 - 25 minute wait time. The y're also selling it by the slice for  Php 49.Order now!

Update: Their promo is now over, but a whole cheese pizza now cost Php 350,
while a slice costs 55.
Update:  the 289* is back

Revisiting Tao Yuan *****

We were back at one of Manila's finest Singaporean/Chinese restaurants after my niece's recital at Resorts world's Performing Arts Theatre. Clearly we were back for their favorites - Hainanese  Chicken and the Cereal Prawns.

We had a few new dishes and left with full tummies. This place is clearly one of the best and it won't disappoint.

Cereal Prawns

One whole Hainanese Chicken

Barbecued Pork

Laksa

Sliced Pork with Diced Fish and Shallots

Tao Yuan

Newport Mall

Resorts World Manila

Tsui Wah, International Comfort Food in HK ***

If there's anything more defining of HK local cuisine, it's the cha tsaan ting or teahouses that has breathes life to the HK dining scene. The cha tsaan ting has braved the sign of times in bringing you food closer to the culture of this great city, with myriad of choices and all day breakfast entrees and tourist-friendly comfort food served day in and out.

Among the cha tsan tings, Tsui Wah has managed to stand out and carve a name for itself in a very cutthroat business where everyone served the same thing. It has managed to come out with a local and foreigner friendly menu  ( think sandwiches, pasta, noodles, etc) that can be enjoyed by all anytime. 

Milk tea and toast with condensed milk are must-orders here. In fact their milk tea is one of HK's best, but if you need pointers on what to order their top 10 is a great cheat sheet of their bestsellers. 

Swiss Sauce Chicken Wings

Nothing European about this dish, it's chicken wings basked in light soy sauce and sugar. Think of it as a lighter version of the buffalo wing, except that is not crispy. delectable appetizer.

Toast with condensed milk

This is excellently done, the toast crunchy but not hard, the condensed milk sweet but not overpowering. We tried the toast at other places, Tsui Wah has the best

Fish Ball and Fish Cake Noodle Soup

The soup is a creamy fish based broth reminiscent of the Halibut noodles at Tuan Tuan (though the base is not that decadent) but the noodles does the job and the fishballs have excellent texture.

Hainanese Chicken Rice Set HK $80

If you love this Singapore classic, Tsui Wah's version doesnot disappoint. The rice is fragrant and flavorful, the chicken is tender and juicy. If only it came with sambal this would be perfect.

Among the ctt's they have a ready English menu. A lot of branches scattered all over HK there's even one at the airport. Tsui Wah is more expensive compared to other cha tsaan tings, but the quality speaks for itself.

Drop by Tsui Wah if your in HK.

Is Mak's Noodles the best noodles in HK ****

Noodle places are a dime a dozen in HK. Inexpensive, warm and filling, it is indeed the ultimate comfort food. One of the must visit places in HK is Mak's. Thanks to food celebrity Anthony Bourdain's recommendation, people all over the world has come to visit this humble noodle place. We visited the branch in Lock Road at the back of ISquare Mall along Nathan Road.

Their specialty is the Wanton Noodle (HK$39) the noodles are slimmer than your usual mami noodles and fragrant, the soup is light and the wantons in light paper thin wrappers with bits of shrimp inside. It is as delicious as advertised but it comes in very small bowls. A must try. 

We also ordered dumplings which was served with soup. Loaded with bits of mushroom and pork, these were ok with the wanton tasted superior.

Being a group of 4, we also ordered the beef and wanton noodle, the beef was tender and the noodles were as good. The bowls were also small.

Since we were still hungry, we splurged a bit (ok we overspent) and ordered the Tossed Noodles with Prawns and Shrimp Roe. (Hk$90) these came with a separate bowl you can use to dip the noodles. Our server suggested soy sauce should be added a bit to the noodles for more flavor  which we followed. Just look at the those big shrimps.

Our total bill was more than HK $300. This was a bit expensive because you can order so much food for tgat amount. But the experience is worth it. Skip the expensive Tossed Noodles and you're good.

Staff were friendly and they have an English menu. (Say this if you want an english menu: ing wen choi tan)

Till then, enjoy.

Summary:

Spend about $39 - $ 50 

For a good bowl of noodles

Location:  

Lock Road near Nathan Road