Weekend Food Trip at: Yanzi, the Pot Rice Hub

I was ecstatic to be invited at a restaurant near my "hood".  Not really my hood but close to where we usually "food trip".  Yanzi Pot Rice opened its' doors to the public and my family and I were invited for a gastronomic experience.

I haven't written about my "weekend food trip" in such a LONG time - no thanks to COVID Pandemic, but thankfully, it was after weeks that we dined here and our family is safe and sound.

Now back to the restaurant.  YANZI, the Pot Rice Hub, is a Chinese restaurant founded by the same team of Lido Cocina Tsina.  Their signature dishes includes (their restaurant name) YanZi Pot Rice, a variety of Baked Rice and Oat Congee to name a few.  And guess what?  I was able to taste them all!

Miced Beef Oat Congee

For someone who felt weird eating congee not in breakfast time, this is definitely a nice twist to the usual congee!  It really has the texture of oatmeal with the legit taste of real beef congee.  I honestly love this so much even after reheating (yes we have extra servings to go), it tastes even better even after a day or 2!!!

HK Wanton Noodle Soup

This is a regular HK Wantong Noodle soup you can order in various Chinese restaurants but the Hakaw made this soup top notch!  You get a big serving of shrimps inside each Hakaw.  

Yanzi Rice

For someone who loves the combination of creamy dishes and something with tomato base (I could be wrong but I do taste a bit of that flavor), this is the best rice meal to go for!  The strips of minced pork with a sweet and tangy taste complimented the creamy seafood dish on the other side.  I just can't help but mix them both together and get a nice dynamite of unique flavors. 

 In Tagalog: "Hindi nakakaumay both dishes when you eat them together!"

Sizzling Mongolian Beef

One thing you have to know about this dish is the spiciness.  I used to be a top tier spicy dish "mukbanger" LOL but gone were those days when I had stomach ulcer.  It was a surprise for me that this dish is "Ma-la" spicy.  Mala is a type of spicy dish known in Szechuan restaurants that is why this came in as a surprise. 

Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of this dish because it was really tender and delicious but I wish they have a non-spicy option?  I could ask when I head back.

Chicken and Chorizo Pot Rice

Now here we are, the real reason why this restaurant is unique as compared to others.  The presence of Pot Rice!  Imagine a mini pressure cooker?  Yup, that's the one!  

 
Each pot was made fresh, you can even take a peak by the clear glass window on how they prepare this dish!  The sauce and other condiments are added right at your table.

For some reason, I am not really a fan of Chorizo BUT, the rice, the chicken and sauce just go so well.  The flavors were packed right in every single rice grain, you can taste the fragrance of chicken, chorizo but not separately.  Basta ang bango bango niya but NOT overwhelming.  None of the ingredient overpower each other.

Sweet and Sour Pork

MY FAVORITE SWEET AND SOUR DISH OF THE YEAR!

I am serious!  I have tried so many sweet and sour dishes in all the Chinese restaurants I've been to and this is by far the best!  The breading is not too think and the sauce is not too sour or sweet.  It was just perfect and mind you, the meat is extremely tender I almost thought it was fish!

Macau Baked Rice

Though I love YANZI Fried Rice, my personal choice is this Macau Baked Rice coming from someone who isn't a fan of cheese ON rice!  

What cheese did they use?   It wasn't too salty, it doesn't overpower the rice even though I've got cheese all over my mouth!  ANG SARAP NIYA I was gushing over about this rice to my friends and they ended up ordering this too!

OMG Right?

Heaven!  My experience was so good I am ready to head back taking my parents with me!

A quick video on how I felt while eating each dishes.

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Yanzi, the Pot Rice Hub is open daily from 10:00 AM to 9:30 PM located at 87 Banawe St. corner Samat St., Q.C

Keep smilin'

Stay happy!

 

 

Super Bowl Of China Party Trays

 

I am a COOKING MAMA.

Like the game, I slice everything quick and fast.  

We may be a family of 3 but I cook for family of 5 - I deliver my dishes to my in-laws and prepare more dishes for my husband to bring to work the next day.

So I can imagine you thinking - how do I survive?

IT IS HARD.

And I have No-Cook days!  

My No-cook days are usually on Sundays - and the Party Trays for Super Bowl of China is a nice Gift to me that I welcome mid-week!  I was able to enjoy no-cook day and not rush tutoring my son!  - Seriously, GRADE 4 is NO JOKE!

Back to the restaurant.  I remembered dining at Super Bowl of China either SM MOA or Robinsons Manila.  It is a perfect place to dine with my family as both sides of the family loves Chinese food.  And Super Bowl Of China delivers in terms of taste and quality. 

Because of COVID pandemic, our family gatherings in restaurants stopped because I have Senior Parents and my dad suffered from stroke and is bedridden.  So home delivery is an ans

Lido Cocina Tsina Rebiew

 

Dear AMW Friends!  

I haven’t shared much about my dad’s work.  He has been working in a Chinese restaurant for his whole work life!  He started as a part-timer at 16 or 17 and he retired before he turned 60.  Yes, in that same restaurant with dishes so close to my heart.

We have memories of picking my dad up around 11pm-11:30pm whenever he closes the restaurant and while waiting, the 4 of us siblings were singing Chinese songs in the car and just stare at nearby places, to be exact, I was looking through LIDO restaurant which was just right across the restaurant were my dad works!   Those were the fun days there’s no gadget and we have only each other to “pass time”.

Anyways, that short story seems unrelated to my post but Lido Cocino Tsina (could be the same owner or maybe there are huge changes on their business side) still gave me that loving memory I had when were still young!  I mean, there were only a few good Chinese restaurants back then including LIDO.

So it is obvious when I am craving for childhood dishes, it is also normal to look back and order food from restaurants I was accustomed to!

And because of COVID-19, the restaurant explored online ordering and delivery!  What a relief since I buy everything online nowadays!

Shrimp Balls

My favorite from the restaurant.  A MUST order!

Lumpiang Shanghai

I know most Chinese restaurants do not take Lumpiang Shanghai seriously, they are just rolls of meat that can be made at home but Lido Cocino made theirs differently.  It has a distinct taste that hits home.  Something I cannot replicate in my own kitchen!.  

The NEW Gloria Maris Greenhills

I could never count the number of times I dined at Gloria Maris Seafood Restaurant, it is the "it" place for wedding reception, Birthday parties, random reunion of friends and family and most especially - my dad's association annual get-together.

I love the food, the ambiance, everything felt so familiar!  The 8-10 dishes that arrive, bite after bite, the food seems to be endless.  Then my favorite memory will always be: "I am stuffed!  I don't want to eat anymore!"  Then the almond lychee dessert or Mango Sago would suddenly arrive and I would stuff my face once again.

But after several years, we stopped dining there when more and more restaurants are popping around the Metro.  I would look for newer dishes and newer flavors, Gloria Maris Seafood Restaurant was set aside for quite some time.

Then, I got an invite to visit THE NEW Gloria Maris Restaurant as it is now managed by Choi Garden, I knew I had to be there, I had to reunite with the well-loved restaurant of our household.

Keep in mind that the lunch was a 15-course meal but I was able to eat only less than 10 as I need to pick up my son in school, nevertheless I was stuffed and happy!

Shall we begin

Two Tone Almond Seafood Soup

As for most Chinese restaurant, you'll see either Spinach soup or Sharksfin Soup served as starter.  The starting point of The New Gloria Maris already gave me a lasting impression.  This soup was unique in so many ways!

Firstly, I AM IN LOVE with Pumpkin Soup!  For a Chinese restaurant to serve Pumpkin soup seems a bit out of the ordinary --- what made this dish oriental is the part Almond soup that comes with this.  The waiter showcased his serving talent by serving each bowl with 2 sides of the soup!  Yes, he managed to do it effortlessly which leaves the whole table in awe.  

I love mixing both soup together and you get bits and pieces of seafood.  I love how both flavors blended well without overpowering each other.  It was a combination I never thought would be possible but it worked!

Weekend Food Trip at: Dimsum Place, Fishermall

Whenever I visit my parents in Sta. Mesa, we always find ourselves either in SM Sta. Mesa or Fishermall.  There are only a few choices of restaurants on both malls but we have our favorites.

Fishermall housed a lot of fast food chains but there are a few restaurants I would call "Comfortable" enough for the whole family!  One restaurant we visited twice in a month is called Dimsum Place, I would call this restaurant very similar to Tim Ho Wan (due to the availability of Pork Buns) but has wider range of menu!

Trust me when I say WIDER because they have almost everything you are looking for in a CHINESE restaurant - well, except a Chinese Manager who would get your orders in Chinese *lol*

Baked Barbecue Pork Bun

(Php120.00)

This earns thumbs up from me!  The bread is quite close to the ones we love at Tim Ho Wan but sweeter. 

The pork is very saucy and I like how everything was crumby and soft and melts in your mouth!

For the price, it was worth getting 2 orders or 3!

Weekend Food Trip at: Maki Place

Before I talk about Maki Place, I want to thank The SAEM Philippines for sending me a lovely Chinese New Year gift!  They never fail to give LOVE, Wealth and Happiness to the TIU household!  Than you!

Now back to food, the past few weeks was crazy!  Kyle visited his Pedia twice before Chinese New Years!  I am so happy I've found a doctor that Kyle is very comfortable with, most of all, she can make Toy Balloon animals that's why Kyle calls her the Balloon Doctor!

Best of all, she opens even at night so Keith can accompany us!  Twice that we've seen the doctor, we also had our dinner outside and it was "pampalubag look" to eat yummy food after a stressful day!  One restaurant that we enjoyed going to is Maki Place.

Located at Benavides Street Binondo, it is located at a crowded street so it is advisable to eat during off-peak hours!  They close around 9:00pm by the way!  

Though the dishes didn't come off exactly the same as last time, I wish they could be more consistent, here are some of our favorite orders - of course you have to order MAKI but I didn't get to take a photo of it as Mr. AMW already ate it :P

Pork Spareribs, Goyong, Fried Rice and any Noodle dish!  They are yummy!

Honestbee Chinese New Year for AMW Family!

In a super traditional Chinese household like ours, we celebrate Chinese New Year seriously.  We take "food abundance" seriously.

Every year, I slave the kitchen by cooking various dishes - Noodles of course must be included for Long Life, sticky Tikoy is also a must or in our case, we prefer Oyster Cake which is sticky as well!  Various forms of meat from Fish, Beef, Pork and Chicken must also be on the table to represent a fruitful and healthy year for the family!

As years go by and I'm obviously not getting younger but gets busier, Mr. AMW advised me to go for take away!  We would usually be stuck in traffic or have a hard time looking for parking space especially since most of our favorite Chinese restaurants are located in crowded places! 

Can you just imagine how crowded it is in Chinese restaurants and Chinese supplies stores on CNY eve?

Thankfully, this momma has a solution!  As I was browsing through my favorite online shopping app called HONESTBEE, I recently saw a category I really like --- "We Will We Will WOK YOU!"

Click on it and you'll find list of Chinese restaurants you may order from (location close to the address you input for delivery).  I was so excited I gave it a test run!  

TIP:  Best of all, you can advance order by choosing "Order for Later" option!  

The Best Chinese Restaurant For Me (To Date)

Will be Century Seafood located at Century Hotel.
I used to eat there at least once or twice a month with my father's association group.  There's always Birthdays,  Wedding or even Anniversary Celebration and this is actually one of the most booked Chinese Restaurant for events during my time (naks my time talaga).  

Now that I'm older and wedding celebrations are lesser (hello, most of my friends are married na and have teenagers)  so I'm probably waiting for their kids to get married and dine here again?  #JustJoking

My sister-in-law, before leaving for Europe for the Holidays decided to host a simple family dinner to celebrate Christmas and New Years in advance!  She picked the best restaurant to pig out --- Century Seafood!

After all the years of dining in different Chinese restaurants, this hits the heart - well tummy first!  It brings so much good old memories with authentic Chinese dish using fresh and high quality ingredients!  

Cold Cuts Platter

Weekend Food Trip at: TuanTuan Chinese Brasserie

Every weekend, we make it a point to bond with both sides of the family, you probably knew that by now if you watch my stories.

So this post is no exception, we were off to bond with my mom-in-law at SM Megamall and I originally wanted Ooma because food there is great and my family haven't tried it there yet.  But...because it was weekend, line was too long so we went for the shortest line --- TuanTuan Chinese Brasserie.

TuanTuan Chinese Brasserie is Hong Kong comfort food with French Flair. True enough, you get the HK dishes with French interior. 

Internationally awarded in Vancouver, they are famous for serving comfort food such as congee, Macanese Rice Dishes, Halibut Noodle Soup and of course, Snow Buns!

Crispy Barbequed Pork Snow Bun

3pcs for Php148.00

It is obvious people (like me) would compare this to Tim Ho Wan.  I personally love the bun of Tim Ho Wan but prefers the Pork BBQ filling of TuanTuan more.  Tim Ho Wan's sweeter while this one has a distinct smoked BBQ taste which I find much more authentic (if we talk about Hong Kong Cuisine).  

Weekend Food Trip at: Modern Shanghai, SM MOA

The first I dined at Modern Shanghai Restaurant, I was still pregnant with Kyle!  Imagine that!  That's 5 full years ago!  Then with several Family Occasion, we've visited there around once or twice after.

It has been more than a year since our last return since we seldom have dinner at SM Mall of Asia due to "people traffic".  But thankfully, because of our Staycation at Sofitel Philippine Plaza, we've decided to dine again and see if we missed out anything.

We were so hungry when we arrived and the place wasn't as packed as before.  We immediately ordered the usuals --- Yang Chow Fried Rice, Xiao Long Bao, Garlic Kang Kong, Sweet and Sour Pork and Salt and Pepper Squid.

Everything was great!  They actually maintain the good quality for the past years and I actually liked the dishes more today then ever! 

Chun Yuen Restaurant LCM

So, most weekends, we spend time with both families (My family and Mr. AMW's family) and we always bond over food!  That's how we are!  Because people will always be in a better mood telling good stories while eating!  #ThatsWhyIDontLoseWeight

So one of the newly opened restaurant at Lucky Chinatown Mall that caught my attention was called Chun Yuen Restaurant, because we tried almost ALL the restaurants there, we welcome new restaurants anytime of the day!

Xiao Long Bao

Php188.00

Not bad for the price.  It is "soupy" inside and the Xiao Long Bao skin is just right you don't break it while handling with chopsticks.

Meat Wonton with Special Sauce

Just like regular Wonton bathed in soy sauce and sesame seeds!  Not bad, I actually like it!

Weekend Food Trip at: Tien Ma's

The first time I visited Tien Ma's at Banawe branch was last year when Keith was hospitalized!  I went for takeout and got everything that was recommended by the waitress and everything tastes wonderful! 

After that first time order, we've decided to go back to the said restaurant a couple of times and tried their other dishes!  I'm glad their food choices expanded and they even offer Truffled Xiao Long Bao!

Black Mushroom with Truffle Oil Xiao Long Bao

Php240.00

Not bad price for 8pcs of Xiao Long Bao.  You really get a hint of Truffle upon each bite!  The skin of the Xiao Long Bao is soft and smooth and you get a good amount of "soup" inside.

Deep Fried Stinky Tofu

Php199.00

I've had Stinky Tofu in Shanghai once and I realized it wasn't the authentic one so I wanted to give Stinky Tofu another try here in Manila and the experience was unforgettable!

Taking a bite at Tien Ma's Stinky Tofu takes a lot of strength because you can literally smell it from afar and taking a bite won't change the fact that it is indeed extremely STINKY!  I call this dish "acquired taste".  You either love it so much or hate it a lot!  

You wanted to know how I feel about this dish?  We had a good laugh because a lot of expletives were blurted out while chewing this Stinky Tofu dish!

If you're adventurous, I dare you to give this a try and let me know how you like/hate it.