Valentine’s Day – a simulated celebration, not really
considered a legal holiday but one of the most celebrated time of the year.
Le boyfriend and I decided to have dinner in Modern Shanghai
in Mall of Asia. It was packed since there was also an ongoing Pyro-Olympics
happening in the area.
Let me walk you through the items we ordered.
PAN FRIED SHANGHAI
PORK BUNS (138pesos/3 pieces)
This is supposed to be a good way to start the meal. Fluffy,
soft bun and slightly crispy bottom with sesame seeds. The filling to dough
ratio is perfect. This was my favorite dish that evening.
Unfortunately, it came mid meal after the dessert and the
noodles were served (NAPAKA disorganized), and oh, I believe there should be 4
pieces but we only got 3.
NOODLES WITH SPICY
SOUR SOUP (188 pesos)
These are hand pulled noodles in a spicy sour soup with
tofu, mushrooms and leeks.
They served it cold though and the noodles were already soggy.
The soup was also bland.
DEEP FRIED CRISPY
CHICKEN WITH CRISPY GARLIC (588 pesos / half chicken)
Forgettable! Chicken was well seasoned but dry. They served
this last after we ate all our food. (HAYS)
SHANGHAI VEGATABLE
RICE (110 pesos/cup for 1 person)
The rice was sticky, wet and not flavorful at all. We were
also not informed that this is just 1 cup. The server told us it will be good
for 2 and got surprised when it came.
FRESH MANGO PUDDING
(108pesos)
This is ok but nothing spectacular that will make you cry for
joy.
ICE TEA (108 pesos)
It’s not even a home brewed kind of ice tea; rather, it was
the powdered one.
NOTE: I don’t have pictures of the rice and less of the
chicken, because those came after more than 2 hours. I was very annoyed and
starving so I didn’t bother taking pictures anhymore.
 |
| I got this photo from Google just to show you how the chicken and rice looks like |
TOTAL BILL: 1,483 pesos (including the service charge)
WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS??? AND could this be the most terrible
dining experience I had?
Actually, we started out extremely thrilled to dine here.
Very excited!!! But we got our first let down right away. The first was when we
were just ordering. Most of the items on their menu are not available anymore.
(Xiao long bao, other dimsums etc), that’s why we ended up ordering the not so
good items.
Second, the server was very unprofessional. How? He yawned
and stretched while he was taking our order. He also seemed to not know their
menu which is a point less for me. I believe that it is a necessity for staffs
to know what food they are serving, otherwise, they shouldn’t be out taking
orders.
Third is the wait time. We waited for almost 2 hours for our
food, and guess what? The first thing they served was the dessert. The noodle
soup was served cold. The chicken was served like it came from a carinderia
(ang baboy ng pagkalagay).
Fourth, I followed up our order and suddenly the waitress
asked me “Mam, what did you order?” I was like, it’s been 2 hours and you’ll
ask me what my order is? C’mon! She left and didn’t return and I have to call
another waitress. (By this time, ready na akong manigaw)
Fifth, I asked for a manager but he kept on ignoring every
single person who was already complaining. It got chaotic inside the
restaurant. Customers were complaining,
some others were shouting and no one seemed to care or even pay attention, so
it’s not only me but other customers as well that were already pissed off.
Lastly, the food that was served to us was mediocre and
again, most of the items are not available – I would say around 60 percent. It
is a total waste considering that they only have a small menu that’s why we
didn’t get the chance to try out their famous Xiao Long Bao as it is not
offered that time. (Yun lang ang
ipununta namin dito)
Is this a review or just plain rant? HAHA! Sorry but I’m still
very frustrated. They ruined my date that night. It was supposed to be happy
and sweet but it came out to be irritating and sour. The ambiance is nice BUT the service was hell
and the food was ordinary. For the price (+ 10% service charge),
I’m expecting more from this place.
I know that there are a lot of people during that time, but
aren’t they supposed to be ready for that kind of occasion? Is this the kind of
service you will get every time there’s a surge of customers? Aren’t they
supposed to pacify the angry diners rather than firing it up by showing no scale
of professionalism at all?
And yes, this was the most awful dining experience in my 27 years
of existence and even if they’re going to offer me a complimentary meal for the
rest of my life, I wouldn’t accept it. That’s how bad it is, at least for me.
Mall of Asia Complex (MOA)
Second Floor, Entertainment Mall
Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City
