Chinese Restaurant Archives - Between Bites - Bites of Food, Travel and Lifestyle

Chow Fun, Putting a Spin of Fun and Flavor to Chinese Fares

August 6, 2012 by Janey

When Bubba or I finish late in the office or get to my neighborhood area past dinnertime, we scour immediately the Wilson-Little Baguio-GH area for a good place to dine in. Just last week, I commented how Wilson should have more interesting restaurants like the ones in Greenhills Town Center in Gilmore. In short, we are running out of options.

Chow Fun enters the scene and spruces up my energy to dine again within the area. The well-lighted dining area ushers you to go in. Inside it is quite spacious and has that eclectic vibe from the seemingly barren unpainted walls adorned with pop art frames, rows of modern stylish drop lights, red upholstered couches and the mix and unmatched chairs. Cute, quirky and fun.

The menu is simple. They are on their soft opening so the advise was that the menu can still change.

On the Table

Oriental Duck Rolls Php 165

Duck-filled fried spring rolls served with three kinds of dipping sauce

We ordered two kinds of appetizer. One is their version of fried spring rolls with minced duck meat. Biting into the crispy wrap reveals a tasty filling that has a salty shade. Dip into any of the sauces served on the side to cut through that salty undertone.

Chinese Fun-Due Php 155

Seafood Balls, Fried Squid and Vegetable Cakes with a choice between two different fondue dips: Cheese and Curry and Spiked Sweet Chili

To deviate from the usual appetizers, order the Chinese Fun-Due. It’s a play on traditional Swiss or French fondue, but at Chow Fun, it is oriental styled. There’s a communal pot over a spirit lamp and inside is the dipping sauce where long-stemmed forks are lowered to bathe the bite-size battered squid, fish ball or radish cake.

Foodie Club Series: Shang Palace Dimsum Buffet Promo

September 1, 2010 by Janey

There was rarely any other Saturday that I woke up so excitedly even when I lacked sleep. I didn’t mind being up by 1030 am despite coming home from a High School reunion at 230am. I was eagerly anticipating brunch slash long lunch at Makati Shangrila’s The Shang Palace.

Shang Palace has always been a favorite and I’ve never been back since my grandpa passed on. As I entered the top-rated Chinese restaurant in Manila, I was gulping down tears of memories, remembering my grandpa.

After turning one corner, the hostess directed us to where our favorite foodie friends were occupying a large round table. It was a beautiful Saturday lunch as we all partook in Shang Palace’s Dimsum Buffet, which we first found out from Richard (and Irene) of TalesfromtheTummy.blogspot.com. They have ordered ahead for everyone to share, initially 20 pieces of Hakao (steamed shrimp dumplings) and Pork Siomai.

The Foodie Club that day consisted of Richard, Irene, ZP (Carlos), Carlos’ friend Faith (who joined us for the first time), Grace (who we shared the inaugural lunch of STV’s Hainanese Chicken set at Richard’s place and who’s great in appreciating good food), Peter, Bubba and me.

Irene and Richard

–

ZP and Faith

–

Shang Palace Dimsum Buffet

11:30 AM – 2:30 PM

PHP 995 net (PHP 810 + 10% service charge and applicable government taxes)

Unlimited Dimsum +

Endless servings of soup, appetizer, rice,

noodles, congee, vegetarian dishes, dessert +

a choice of one main course per person (personal size)

Strictly no leftovers! 😉

On the Table

Dimsum

Steamed Giant Shrimp Crystal Skin Dumplings

Steamed Shanghai “Xiao Lung Pao”

Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce

Steamed Pork Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce

Spinach Dumplings Stuffed with Shrimp

Baked Barbecue Pork Pie with Apple

Deep Fried Ham Shui Kok Stuffed with Minced Pork and Chicken

Hong Kong style deep fried shrimp spring rolls

Deep Fried Taro Puffs with Diced Scallop

Appetizer

Honey Glazed Barbecue Pork

Chilled Marinated Beef Kenchi

Jelly Fish with Century Egg

Marinated Soyed Bean Curd

Soup

Shredded Fish Lip Soup

Sichuan Style Hot and Sour Soup

Noodles

Stir fried noodles “Fujian” style

Efu noodles with three kinds of mushrooms

Main Course

(1 main course per person)

Hot Prawn Salad (3)

Deep fried pork spareribs in fragrant garlic and chili spice (1)

Stir Fried beef tenderloin cubes in black pepper sauce (1)

Steamed Lapu Lapu fillet with garlic sauce

Dessert

Chilled Mango Puree with Sago and Diced Mango

Chilled Almond Jelly with Mixed Fruits

Sweetened Almond Cream with Glutinous Pudding

Chilled Grass Jelly with Sago

This is a list of what we all ordered… or at least from what I can remember from the delicious feast that was in front of me. For Dimsum, we tried as many as our famed dimsum favorites. What I love about Shang Palace’s Dimsum Plus is the fact that they cook as you order. The dimsum items come out fresh from the kitchen and not sitting in a waiting area for quite some time then served to you.

Of note also is their steamed giant shrimp dumpling in thin translucent flour skin which gives a perceptively melting effect in the mouth. The shrimp inside is very plump and fresh. The hakao bite just slides down cleanly in your tummy and there’s absolutely no trace of MSG or heaviness –very clean-tasting. I dare say, best Hakao in town.

Their pork siomai comes with a morsel of shrimp surprise and generous amount of roe on top. All the ingredients of this little circular dice of siomai come together beautifully and it’s a wonderful taste in the mouth. No taste of extenders here, just quality ingredients that you know is a cut above the rest.

The Xiao Lung Pao is definitely not their strongest suit because there’s no warm soup broth that bursts as you pop it in your mouth and the wrapper was a bit thicker than expected. If they can make it any closer to Din Tai Fung’s version, I’ll be there every other weekend!!! They serve it with soy-ed vinegar with sliced ginger stalks. At any rate, I think I was still able to finish 6-7 pieces of their Xiao Lung Pao.

The Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce was not that greasy and was full of flavor you’d really leached in. I’m not a big fan of chicken feet (I only eat it once in a long while) and I could only usually finish one. I had two this time and if I weren’t stuffing my mouth with the other dimsums, I would have digested more chicken feet. ZP (he loves chicken feet) would have found a big competition in me.

The Deep Fried Taro Puffs with Diced Scallop and Deep Fried Ham Shui Kok were quite a big hit on the table crowd. Irene, Peter, Bubba and Grace all raved about the Ham Shui Kok which is basically minced pork and chicken wrapped in some crisp glutinous wrapper. When you bite into the Deep Fried Taro Puff, it crumbles beautifully albeit messily and reveals the semi-sticky scallop-taro ensemble inside.

–

To deviate from the clean-tasting dimsum treats, order the Hong Kong style deep fried shrimp spring rolls and crunch into a crisp goodness. Get a bit of sweetness and savory from the baked barbecue pork pie with apple. Grace almost didn’t share her piece.

The Spinach dumplings with shrimp are also another must-try.

The appetizers we ordered were completely wiped out with no complaints and if we had room for it, we could certainly order another round of honey glazed barbecue pork, chilled marinated beef kenchi, and jellyfish with century egg (a favorite appetizer of mine).

–

We each had our own serving of soup. Majority ordered the fish lip soup (another favorite of mine when it comes to Chinese soups –second to Sibot or Duck Soup) while Bubba got his favorite of Sichuan hot and sour soup.

For main course, make sure you order Hot Prawn Salad or Stir Fried Beef Tenderloin in Black Pepper Sauce because it surely satisfied almost everyone in the group.

–

I think you can already figure out dessert for yourself. I have to stop here before I pass out. I’m getting so famished after reliving that Saturday lunch I had with the Foodie Club.

Service is top notch as I’m accustomed to from The Shang Palace excellent wait staff –very knowledgeable of the menu items, friendly and so easy to call with a quick eye contact or wave of hand. Entertainment was as usual provided by Peter (who was in attendance without Rowena of animetric.com) who made us laugh and smile our way through lunch. Stories of food, current events and personal anecdotes were all over the lunch table and it made the experience all the more fun and enjoyable. Fantastic time like this over good food is best shared with foodie friends!

Peter, Grace, Irene, Richard, ZP, Everybody’s Janey, Faith and Bubba 😉

A REPEAT of the Shang Palace Dimsum Buffet, is without a doubt, a must on my Things to Do list. It was one of the most worthwhile things I’ve done on a Saturday.

The Shang Palace

2^nd Floor, Makati Shangrila Hotel

Ayala Avenue, Makati City, Philippines.

(632) 813 8888

Shang Palace Album

Related Entry

Shang Palace

—

2 Comments Filed Under: Inside Dish: A BITE of Food Tagged With: address, best Chinese restaurant in Manila, best duck in Manila, best food blog, best foodie, best lifestyle blog, buffet promo, Chinese, Chinese Restaurant, Dimsum buffet, dish, dishes, duck, Edsa Shang, Filipino, foodie club series, girl appetite, list, location, Makati City, Makati Shangri-la Dimsum Buffet, Makati Shangrila, menu, Metro Manila, nett price, Philippines, pinoy, price, Shang Palace Dimsum Buffet Promo, The Shang Palace, VAT

Hunan Lutong Bahay a.k.a. No Signboard Chinese Restaurant

December 2, 2009 by Janey

After going to the Korean embassy, we decided to have lunch at the “no signboard Chinese restaurant” our good friend Bev was telling us about last month. (Thanks Bev for the heads up! 😉 )

It was not that difficult to find the place from Rockwell. The area guards directed us to where Camia street is located. Upon reaching Camia street, we turned left and figured the gate with the Chinese lanterns is the door to yummy Chinese food. We didn’t nail it but we were close. It was just next-door.

On the Table

Duck Hot Pot PHP 400

This made the whole visit worthwhile. The duck was cooked perfectly –tender meat and delicious skin in a bed of dried red chilies and other herbs. It’s a must-order!!! 🙂

Steamed Dumplings PHP 120

We love steamed dumplings and it makes us think that we’re balancing off all the cholesterol if we order a plate. It doesn’t make sense but yes we do it.

Mapo Tofu PHP 140

I was anticipating a red dish with loads of tofu. Despite the lack of color I was expecting, the dish wasn’t so bad. The sticky translucent brown sauce dish with minced garlic and pork amidst the big tofu cubes was satisfying for its price.

Fried Kang Kong PHP 80

Stir fried kang kong in soy sauce -a plate of veggies can go a long way. This was probably the only dish that wasn’t a tad bit spicy.

Rice (2) PHP 30

They serve the rice by cup but you can get unlimited rice. Just walk over the rice station and scoop yourself another bowl of steaming white rice if a serving is not enough.

Hunan Lutong Bahay is the restaurant’s name as we found out from the server. The owner hails from Hunan, a province in the southern part of China. According to the lady server, the owner really opted not to place any signboard to preserve the mystery.

The dishes were a bit on the spicy side that worked well with a heap of white rice. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Hunan Lutong Bahay

6404 Camia St.

Makati City.

(63) 915 4252972

Hunan Album

—

3 Comments Filed Under: (NEW HERE??) TAKE A BITE OF THE FAVORITES FIRST!!!, Inside Dish: A BITE of Food Tagged With: Bev Tiu, blogger, bottomless, Chinese Restaurant, food blog, how to get there, Hunan Lutong bahay, location, mall, Map, menu, no signboard restaurant, Powerplant, price, rockwell, secret Chinese restaurant in Rockwell, unlimited rice, white rice

A Day with Dads

June 28, 2009 by Janey

I invited my dad for a Sunday lunch treat by the Tres Marias (me and the two rascals otherwise known as my sisters). He said yes but later realized that he had an induction event so he invited us to join him there.

My sisters and I arrived around 12nn at the Annapolis Seafood restaurant in Greenhills. We found him on the second floor bustling around taking care of certain things. He later joins us on our table. Lunch was the usual Chinese fare but what was most important is time with my ol’ man. Both my shobe and I alternately took photos but hers was hazier. Shobe and I were doing the Word Hunt challenge while my baby Chubs was busy eating.

I think they introduced new officers while some sang. We headed home around 3pm.

Evening, we spent Father’s Day with Bubba’s family. We first heard mass. After much deliberation on where to eat, we stopped at Mann Hann’s newest location.

Mann Hann has moved to a new location, farther along Jose Abad Santos coming from Wilson St. It’s quite huge, like a big warehouse-type restaurant with a loft –ultra modern.

On the Table

Fresh Lumpia PHP 70

String Beans with Pork PHP 160

Salted Fish Rice PHP 195

Lechon Macau PHP 250

Seafood Soup PHP

Spicy Spareribs PHP 205

Buko Lychee Sherbet PHP 80

Strawberry Sherbet PHP 80

Sugarcane Juice PHP 80

“Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad.”

Related Post

Dads

Powerplant Celebrates Father’s Day 2009

Dine with PAWS

Father’s Day Album

Leave a Comment Filed Under: A Taste of Manila and Other Things, Inside Dish: A BITE of Food Tagged With: Chinese Restaurant, Father's Day, Filipino, food review, how to go, Jose Abad Santos, Mann Hann, Mannang, Map, Megamall, menu, new location, Photo, price, Restaurants, San Juan, service, Taste Manila, what to order, where to go

Shang Palace

June 11, 2008 by Janey

After two years, I was back in Hong Kong again. It was a long weekend because June 9 was declared a holiday due to the Independence Day of June 12. Eating dimsum in Hong Kong reminded me of Shang Palace. It has that smooth taste. And slides beautifully down your throat (if that made any sense). I like the ambience at Shang Palace as well. And best of all, you don’t taste MSG on their food. You don’t feel like you’re ultra thirsty afterwards.