Danne: Komrad: Mao's Hunan & Sichuan Kitchen

I think there's a reason why Chinese food is popular and a hit with many tummies. It really amazes me how Chinese cuisine have a very far and rich history in itself, and how many ways of traditional cooking there are.

I've grown up eating Chinese food, which makes me a little more knowledgeable of it more than any other existing cuisine. For me though, sometimes some dishes could become really generic especially with the many many Chinese food chains and restaurants around.

I'm glad to have tried Komrad: Mao's Hunan & Sichuan Kitchen which offers a different kind of Chinese food, with their Hunan & Sichuan style of cooking. Komrad is located at the Eastwood Mall in Libis, QC.

The price of the dishes are a little more expensive than those of the usual Chinese restaurants but I think the presentation, taste and ambience are worth the try.

The resto's 'theme' revolves around Mao Ze Dong and his other communist friends.

The first that arrived on the table are these huge dumplings. I believe they are called Steamed Hunan Cumin Dumplings (PhP 165). What I really liked about these is that they are really packed with meat.

I really love Sweet and Sour Pork, it reminds me so much of my childhood. Below is Chef Chen's Crispy Sweet & Sour Pork (PhP 288).

Another dish I've tried is the Steamed Fish Fillet with Blackbean Tapenade (PhP 288). The fillets are soft and tasty.

And their Spinach and Century Eggs (PhP 198) was something unique. It had this gelatinous texture.

Komrad also give a modern take to the dining experience, especially when it comes to ambience and interiors.

Personally, I think you can eat here on a Saturday night (with friends) or on Sunday lunch (with family), or on weekdays (with office mates).

好吃!

Danne

Komrad: Mao's Hunan & Sichuan Kitchen

Address: Eastwood Mall 2nd Level, Veranda, Eastwood Mall, Orchard Road, Bagumbayan, Libis, Quezon City, Metro Manila, PH

Telephone: (63 2) 994-8123, (63 2) 921-3440

Whistlestop 24/7 Redux

Whistlestop, a 24/7 restaurant which started back in 1977, is back after closing last 2005! "We're the only 24 hour restaurant, which offers a wide range of cuisines, and serves nothing but your good old comfort food," Lex Ledesma, the new owner said.


Anton in his blog says, "The memory of Whistlestop is like the memory of Ninoy Aquino -- only those who are 25 years old and above can remember them." That's why I don't really have distinct memories of this restaurant from back when Tina Serna was still the owner. I guess the only thing I can remember is that I have eaten at Whistlestop, maybe back when I was in grade school or high school.



For starters, I would really recommend that you try their Boneless Buffalo Wings (Php. 220). This treat instantly became my favorite because of its kick and taste. The blue cheese dip complemented the dish. But, if you're not into the spicy and saucy chicken, you might want to dig in their Spanakopitas (Php. 180), fried wrap with 3 kinds of cheese. Heaven.



For the main course, I would turn you to their bestseller and the owner's pride, Hainanese Chicken Rice (Php. 195). The chicken meat was tender and juicy. It's really something to be thrilled with.



Another dish that I enjoyed (I enjoyed everything I ate!) is their Arroz Caldo (Php.110). My dad says they used to eat this in the wee hours back in the days. Now that Christmas is fast approaching and the cold nights setting in, I would definitely order this once again.

Make room for dessert! You might want to indulge yourself with their home-made Banoffee Pie (Php. 150) or the Mango Pannacotta (Php. 95), both really yummy and not that sweet (yey!).

What's striking besides their simple yet stellar food offerings is their interior. They've painted the restaurant to depict a train station feel, which, in my opinion, is chic and cozy.

Whistlestop 24/7
28 Jupiter St., Makati City (Between Fiamma and Starbucks)
Telephone number: 8961989.
P.S. They also deliver :)

Review and Photo by Bong
Photo taken using Sony Ericsson W760i

Restaurant Review | Wong Nai-Nai

Wong Nai-Nai
6 Christian Street, Grace Village, Quezon City
Type of Cuisine: Chinese
Average cost per person: Php 50 to Php 65 (US$1.11 to US$1.45)
Overall Rating:

It isn't often that we venture into this particular area of Quezon City. Since we were going to be in the area for an org affair that day, our friend, Francene, insisted that we have lunch in a place she called Wong Nai-Nai.

Situated within walking distance of Grace Christian High School, Wong Nai-Nai is a small, unassuming hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant. It was pretty empty when we arrived (around 1.30pm), but we were told that during lunch time and after classes the place was always packed. Upon perusing the menu, we could already understand why.

Their prices are really cheap! We thought that it would mean that the servings would be small, so we were very pleasantly surprised when we discovered that their servings were very generous as well. And, even better, the food was good! We realized then why Francene was so fond of the place,and why it was so popular in that area.

Wong Nai-Nai is definitely worth a visit, if you're near the Grace Village area! Delicious food in generous servings and surprisingly low prices -- three things that instantly won our favour.

Steamed Sharksfin (Php 25, US$0.56)
We ordered this under Wendy's recommendation (a friend of ours who was the only customer there when we arrived). Of course, it's not actually made from a shark's fin. We suspect its prolly pork prepared so that it would taste like sharksfin ought to. Whatever it is though, it's very cheap and yummy.

Kiam Pung & Adobo Egg (Php 30, US$0.67, & Php 10, US$0.22, respectively)
This is what Francene calls the Filipino-Chinese sort of comfort food (her exact words were: "If Pinoys' comfort foods are bulalo, isaw, etc., these are the Chinese's counterpart for that."). Tasty and savoury and incredibly cheap.

Chicken Teriyaki (Php 65, US$1.45)
Wendy swears by Wong Nai-Nai's chicken teriyaki: "Super yummy!" There's a delicate balance of sweetness and spiciness. The chicken is not too tough and not too soft either. They don't try and make the dish look bulkier by putting too many vegetables and too little meat -- really great value for your money.

Wanton Noodle (Php 65, US$1.45)
It was surprising to see how generous they were with the serving. We don't think we've ever had a bowl of noodles with so many wantons till Wong Nai-Nai -- Francene wasn't kidding when she said to Joey, "That's a lot! Sobrang nakakabusog yung mga noodles nila!"


Chicken Steak Noodle (Php 65, US$1.45)
The chicken steaks themselves were a bit tough, although plentiful. The noodles were great, and made Harrell rather wish that he'd ordered the Wanton Noodle like Joey did.

Reviewed by Harrell and Joey.
Special thanks to our guest reviewers, Francene and Wendy.
Photography by Joey.
See more photos on Joey's flickr.

Restaurant Review | Mr. Choi Kitchen

Mr. Choi Kitchen
Robinson's Galleria, Mandaluyong City
Type of Cuisine: Chinese
Average cost per person: 200-300 (US$5-8)
Overall Rating:

Finding authentic Chinese cuisine in Manila is not necessarily a difficult task. With the fairly large population of Chinese Filipinos in the country, there are many places to go for food that is comfortably familiar. Looking for a quick bite to eat, we decided to try this updated looking Chinese restaurant. The clean lines, paneled walls, and warm yellow lighting set the ambiance. The cliched restaurant name aside, this is a good place to go to for a casual dinner, but not somewhere to go to be surprised.

Hakaw (Php 105, US$2.50)
Somehow, whether it be in a hole in the wall dimsum shop or at a high end Chinese restaurant, you can never go wrong with ordering Hakaw. This version understandably has less shrimp and more bamboo shoots, but nevertheless these slightly pink translucent dumplings are a great start to dinner.

Hot Prawn Salad (Php 260, US$6.50)
Still steaming, the battered prawns dredged in mayonnaise and fruits that comprise this dish could very well be stomach churning for some, especially if it isn't done well. What was different with this salad was the addition of vegetables, when it is usually made with fruits and shrimp. We would prefer it if they left out the fruits and just left the vegetables as fruit with mayonnaise isn't really our thing.

Seafood Fried Rice (Php 160, US$4.00)
Yang Chow Fried Rice is a staple in every Chinese restaurant, and the Seafood Fried Rice is not very much different from it. In fact, the only difference seems to be the addition of slightly more seafood, but not enough to change the dish drastically. This is one of those dishes, along with Hakaw, that seems to taste the same everywhere you go.

Beef with Broccoli (Php 195, US$5.00)
Unusually, the star of this dish was the broccoli, which came in generous servings. The beef itself was slightly rubbery, and did not lend itself well in the dish. But for the price it was more than enough to satisfy us.

Reviewed by Bong, Hannah and Mark.
Photography by Mark.
See more photos on Mark's Flickr.

Jetsetting Foodistas | Shanghai: China's Modern Side

Mark at Shanghai
Jetsetting Foodistas: A Travelogue by Mark

Shanghai is China’s largest city, and very much a contrast to Beijing. You would go to Beijing to see China’s ancient history, but you go to Shanghai to see China’s modern face. As much as I would like to delight you with stories of the fantastic food you can find in Shanghai, unfortunately we didn’t have much free time and I found the food to be a little nondescript. It can’t be said that there’s nothing interesting to eat there though, so if you have an open mind, you should do just fine.

There are certainly lots of different things to eat in Shanghai. Shanghai literally means “above the sea”. So seafood is definitely a cuisine that can be had there, but sometimes in forms you would not recognize. Oh sure they have the regular things:

Clams & Scallops

And little soft-shelled crabs

But they also have such delicacies as:

Alligator (338 yuan($48.75)/500 grams!)

Geoducks & Turtles

These critters, I have no idea what they even are, but apparently you eat them like shrimp.

And these things, I also don’t know what they are but I would not even want to touch those, much less eat them.

One of the interesting places to go in Shanghai is Nanjing Road, one of the world’s busiest shopping streets and the longest as well at 6 km long. There, as well as in the surrounding areas, are various shops and eateries for you to try to your heart’s content.

They range from the familiar

To the not so familiar

There are various places there where you can get freshly squeezed juice

As well as this place called Costa Coffee, where we saw the very very large cups of coffee.

As western as Shanghai might seem, the Chinese part is still there. You cannot under any circumstance go to Shanghai and not try xiao long bao, steamed buns filled with meat and soup. If you happen to go to the province of Hangzhou as part of your trip, try their Beggar’s chicken, which is a chicken which is wrapped in lotus leaves and then covered with mud and cooked. The covering of mud is supposed to keep all the flavor inside and results in a tender, flavorful chicken.

However you see China, there is no doubt that it is a fascinating mix of East and West, capable of catering to the needs and wants of every kind of person.

This has been Mark Wu.

I’m out like strange worm things…

More pictures at my Multiply.