FOOD POST: Snacking at Tim Ho Wan

After 7 months, I’m finally joining the bandwagon!

As we all know, Tim Ho Wan originated from Hong Kong and is the cheapest Michelin 1 Star restaurant. Their most famous dish is the Pork Bun. Its demand is pretty high that's why you are only allowed to eat a limited order.

So, let’s start. Even after 7 months since it opened and going on a “patay na oras at 4pm”, there was still quite a queue – but we didn’t wait for so long, I would say 30 minutes.

The ambiance is simple but elegant. The motif of the place is wood and you can see it on the tables up to the wooden lamps.

As soon as we were seated, the server gave us a list of their menu that you need to fill up depending on your order, which is very Hong Kong-y (ganito din ang mga dimsum places sa Hong Kong – check mo lang ang order mo)

And these are our food!!

Baked Bun with BBQ Pork (3pcs/145 pesos)

OMG! Mapapamura ka sa sarap!

The texture of the bun is light, flaky, soft, crumbly, very delicate and not dense at all. The char siew filling is sweet, meaty, savory and has the right consistency – not liquid-y and not too thick.

It tasted like nothing I have eaten before. The texture and flavor is just so out of this world, you would want to eat this non-stop to figure out the magic this dish has.

Dumpling Teochew Style (3pcs/120 pesos)

This is something I just randomly chose on the menu and it didn’t disappoint. This dumpling has some hint of peanuts, filled with vegetables and very different from the typical meat type of dumplings we all know. I haven’t really tasted any other Teochew style dumplings so I won’t be able to compare.

Spinach Dumpling with Shrimp (3pcs/120 pesos)

This is also very delish! I love how the spinach peeks through the skin of the dumpling - it looks heavenly and healthy! The shrimp is plump and juicy, and the overall taste is just amazing!

Spring Roll with Egg White (3pcs/120 pesos)

This is also very interesting because of the contrast in texture – crispy outside wrapper and soft egg white and shrimp filling. But don’t be fooled – this dish might look very plain but it is actually bursting with flavors – I’m really surprised!

Bean Curd Skin Roll with Pork and Shrimp (3pcs/120pesos)

I love bean curd skin so this is definitely one of my favorite. The bean curd skin to pork-shrimp filling ratio is just adequate. I love the firmness of the bean curd. The sauce is also very delightful and didn’t defeat the flavor of the roll but rather, complimented it.

Cold Barley Water (50 pesos) & Jasmine Tea (60 pesos/pot)

For drinks, we ordered barley water and jasmine tea which are both refreshing.

Total Bill (+10% Service Charge) = 800.63 PESOS

Now I understand the hype! Tim Ho Wan’s food is the perfect example of “awakening all the senses”. Their food does not only appear visually enticing, but very enjoyable to the palate as well. The detail in food texture is also what sets them apart from other dimsum places. Aside from the food, their staffs are all attentive, fast and accommodating.

I know that for a snack, 800 pesos seems to be a lot – but Hey! The quality and consistency of the food is worth every peso. You also need to consider that this is a Michelin Star restaurant and if you’ll compare their prices, theirs is already reasonable.

I’m a very satisfied customer and I won’t get tired promoting and writing how lovely this place is! #LOVE

FOOD POST: A lovely casual dinner at Mad Mark’s Creamery & Good Eats

Last December, my friend and I decided to meet to do some catching up as well as to de-stress. 

After some serious shopping, we headed to Mad Mark’s for dinner. I seriously haven’t heard of this place before until that day.

We arrived and it was packed, so we waited for around 30 minutes to be seated which is just OK. The place is small but not ugly - crammed small.  It is cozy and has this much laid back feel. I like it!

We already checked this place in Zomato, so we already knew that the most famous items here are their steaks and ice cream.

For appetizer/salad, we got Grilled Chicken Cob with Aged Cheddar (205 pesos)

The salad is made up of crisp and fresh greens with grilled chicken, shredded corn, sharp cheddar and homemade dressing.

I love this! It has this lemony element that is perfect because it slightly cuts the richness of the dressing and the cheese.

For our main, of course we got their Signature Steak (285 pesos/200 grams with 2 sides)

I like the idea that you can customize how you want to eat your steak. First you choose the size - they have Healthy (150g), Regular (200g) and Feast (300g). Then you choose your preferred doneness – Medium Rare, Medium, Medium Well and Well Done. Pick from one of their sauces – Bootstrap, Cream Mushroom, Rajin Cajun, Roasted Nut and Johnny Double Black. Lastly, finish it with some side dishes – they have Hot sides and Cold Sides.

So let’s take a look at my steak. I chose Regular, Medium Rare with Cream Mushroom Sauce along with Shredded Corn Cob and Bacon Potato Salad. YUM right?

Everything was well seasoned – the sides, the steak and the sauce. The steak is juicy, though not cooked Medium Rare but rather Medium, it still tasted amazing and I LOOOOVE IT!

Look at my steak! Still very pink/reddish inside. Slightly rare.

My friend got the same thing, but the sauce she chose was Bootstrap with side dish of Rice and also Bacon Potato Salad. She loved it as well.

I also ordered their Home Blend Ice Tea (50 pesos)

Oh how I wish that all food establishments would serve this kind of ice tea. You know immediately that it’s not the powdered one. It is real tea with ice and lemon. So refreshing!

By the time we finished our meal, most of their famous ice cream flavors like Half Baked Madagascar are already sold out but we were still able to taste the Javan Hot Chocolate (85 pesos/scoop).

Sorry but I forgot to take a snap of it because I was so excited. The taste? It’s rich, creamy and not overly sweet - just perfect to end the meal.

We were very satisfied with our visit here at Mad Mark’s. The place is homey, the staffs were prompt and friendly & the food? Amazing and flawlessly executed! I wish all restaurants are like this, reasonable price but very good food and service.

We definitely ended our night on a high note. 

Glorietta Complex 

Second Floor, Glorietta 5, 

Ayala Center, Makati City

Website: www.mad-marks.com/

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