Tuesday, February 17, 2015

FOOD POST: A disappointing Valentine’s Day date at Modern Shanghai


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

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