Eating around in Manila

There are several locations of Dads; the one that I went to recently that was located in the Ayala Center.

Dads is split up into 3 sections: American, Japanese & Filipino food. I heard you're supposed to use the correct colored plates for the appropriate cuisine (yellow: Filipino, blue: American, green: Japanese). The food was decent, but nothing to be wowed by. I think the highlight for most people is the dessert - where you can make your own halo-halo.

Tasty Dumplings is located in Binondo on Ongpin Street, very close to the Binondo Church.

It's easy to pass this location. It's marked by a small yellow sign - and from their window, you can see it's sparsely decorated.

Your food comes with either rice or some noodle soup. You can also order without the starch. My cousin highly recommended the deep fried pork chop, and we also ordered hong ma (red roasted pork) as well as some boiled dumplings. Prices are very affordable.

The food arrived only a few minutes after ordering. The dumplings weren't anything special; the hong ma was super salty. The pork chop was great: tasty, light and crispy. The name of the restaurant should really be "Tasty Pork Chop" instead.

Classic Savory has been around since the end of WWII. Founded by four Chinese brothers, it was originally a panciteria (a noodle house), serving mainly lomi. They expanded their menu to feature a "fried" chicken dish which became popular with the both Chinese & Filipino communities. I learned of this history from the placemat that was placed on the table.

The location of Classic Savory I visited was in the Cash & Carry Plaza, near Roxas Blvd. The sign by entrance claims Classic Savory is the original fried chicken, but the chicken is roasted, not fried. It is tender and moist. Unlike American rotisserie chicken, Classic Savory chicken is quite sweet and possibly has a hint of five-spice powder.

Classic Savory also offers other dishes, primarily Chinese-Filipino foods: various noodle dishes, fried rice, etc. We also ordered other dishes, which included lechon served with kropek (shrimp chips) and a spinach egg drop soup (which was a vibrant green). All dishes were very tasty.

Chowking is quite unlike most Chinese restaurants:
- it offers individual meals, instead of dishes served family style
- service is like many other Philippine fast food restaurants: you place your order at the register and your order is brought to you at your table

There are multiple locations of Chowking throughout Manila & the Philippines. The ones I had visited were at the mall connected to Manila Ocean Park (MOP) as well as one near the casinos by United Nations Avenue. Since both were located in touristy locales, we were lucky to have nice views of each area.

Menu items are typical Chinese-Filipino fare, i.e.: pancit (fried noodles), noodle soup, siopao (pork bun), etc.. Items that we ordered included fried chicken, breaded pork, fish & tofu in tausi (aka black bean sauce). Some dishes were served with rice only; others were served with rice and noodles. We also ordered a side of kangkong vegetables with bagoong (shrimp paste, which has a very strong aroma) as well as lumpia shanghai (spring rolls). Food was served quickly, but there's nothing to savor about the food. The pancit was flavorless as was the lumpia shanghai. The pork was a bit thick on breading. I did like the fish & tofu dish although it could benefit from less cornstarch.

On the other hand, the same cannot be said for the dessert. Halo halo was presented nicely and was not overly sweet. You can choose your choice of ice cream, in which we opted for ube (purple yam). Also, we ordered a small glass of nai cha with sago, which is milk tea with tapioca like pearls. The flavor was definitely different from Hong Kong style milk tea; instead of regular milk, it tasted like coconut milk was used.

I recommend going to Chowking for a quick snack or one of their specialty beverages.

If you're new to the Philippines, don't bother heading to the local McDonald's. Do what the locals do: most Filipinos are heading to Jollibee - with a multitude of locations, you seriously can't miss it. Its mascot, a bee donning a chef's hat and a red jacket, usually stands near the entrance of the restaurant.

My first introduction to Jollibee was when I was eight. I was awestruck that a fast food place served fried chicken with rice (aka Chickenjoy)! I only ate that at home (in the US). Their fried chicken is quite unlike American fried chicken. The skin is lightly battered and crispy but it has a more peppery zest. Chickenjoy is always served with some gravy. The gravy tastes quite like standard fast food gravy. I think dark meat is only served.

Jollibee offers other dishes: hamburgers, spaghetti, palabok, etc..but each time I go to Jollibee, I only go for the Chickenjoy.