Full and happy at Binondo's Chuan Kee

I love eating where food is good and filling and paying for it won't burn a hole in the pocket. And what do you know, I recently discovered an eatery that has become my favorite for these very reasons. It's Chuan Kee, a Chinese-style "turo-turo" in Manila's Chinatown, Ongpin St., just a stone-throw away from Binondo Church. 
That Saturday three weeks ago, I failed to have my camera repaired in that area because the service center turned out to have transferred someplace. Fortunately, we (my daughter and I) discovered this Chinese fast food restaurant where food is sooo good, making our Binondo trip still "fruitful" and worthwhile. Not content, we were back there the very next weekend. Haha! There's still a lot to try at Chuan Kee, I want to return soon. But so far, we've enjoyed:

Beef wanton mami, P125.
The bowl is huge so my daughter and I just shared one order of this. It's the best mami I've ever had! There's a lot in this bowl - tender chunks of beef, dumplings and strips of Baguio pechay.
The soup is packed with flavor. Delish!

Pancit Cha-mi, P110. 
This one's yummy, with lots of meat, kikiam and veggies, just the right saltiness and 
a tinge of sweetness.

Bola-Bola Siopao, P50.
Isn't it pretty? A purple siopao. :) 

Lots of filling, as you can see. There's chorizo and salted egg, aside from ground pork.  Delicious!

Siopao Asado, P50.
 This one's good, too, but I'm not raving about it because Bola-Bola is my favorite.

Siomai, P45.
Siomai is my comfort food. I loved this one from Chuan Kee.

Halo-Halo,P90.
Ahh, the staple of summer! At Chuan Kee, it's packed with "halo"; it won't leave you wanting but fully satisfied. By the way, Chuan Kee is owned by the same people who own 
Eng Bee Tin Chinese Deli, that's why you see the logo in the halo-halo cup.

Mango Shake, P55. and Lychee Shake, P55.
For cooling down some more. Yummy and oh-so-refreshing!

The other night, I watched a segment of the popular TV show "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" featuring Chuan Kee and there I learned that this fast food restaurant is now 75 years old! Wow, it is that old! It was also showed that among the popular dishes there are Kiampong and Gokong. Truth is, I shied away from those authentic Chinese dishes because I didn't know what they were but now that I do, I promise to order them next time. The show's host, Jessica, said gokong could be compared to the Ilonggo dish Batchoy, while Kiampong is a Chinese-style fried rice mixed with bits of meat. Mmm..can't wait to try these. :-) 

At Chuan Kee, you're gonna be full and happy over good food at pocket-friendly prices. Aye! Aye!

Inside Chuan Kee

That's my daughter in the mirror. Hehe..

Chuan Kee is the one here on the ground level. Upstairs is Cafe Mezzanine, a fireman-themed restaurant, which, my friend Pammy said, serves food coming from Chuan Kee below. Same food but higher prices 'coz some of the proceeds go to volunteer firemen. 

It's 'halo-halo' season!

Just a few days ago, the onset of summer 2014 was officially declared by the government weather bureau. But even if you hadn't heard it in the news, you knew it by the feel of the scorching heat at daytime. Indeed, it's that time of the year when Pinoys crave for the ultimate summer treat - "halo-halo". This cool dessert/snack is a medley of various sweetened ingredients, usually "saba" (cardava banana), chunks of sweet potato, beans and gelatin. A teaspoon or two of  sugar is added, and then shaved ice, and topped with sweetened langka (jackfruit) and a slice of leche flan. A generous amount of evaporated milk is then poured over everything. In many restaurants, a scoop of ice cream will crown your halo-halo, oftentimes in ube (purple yam) flavor. 
At summertime, stalls selling halo-halo are a familiar sight on the streets, both in  cities and in the countryside. They proliferate, seen in almost every corner.

Halo-halo is also part of many restaurants' menu. But perhaps, the greater testimony to the deliciousness of this uniquely Filipino dessert is having been praised by CNN travel host Anthony Bourdain. In the second episode of his show last year, he got to eat halo-halo from a Jollibee store in Los Angeles, California (makes me wonder why Jollibee doesn't serve halo-halo here in the Philippines) and described it as "oddly beautiful".

Anyway, as summer's here, I thought about compiling pictures of halo-halo that I've had in different restaurants, from way back before I started blogging up to last weekend, to share 
with you. And here they are:

Chuan Kee (Ongpin, Binondo))

Cafe Via Mare (Landmark, Trinoma)

Max's Restaurant (Scout Tuazon, Quezon City)

The Mochi Halo-Halo at Karate Kid is one of those unique kinds that I know of. Because it has mochi, you know at once that this is Japanese inspired. You gotta try it. Delish!

Mochi Halo-Halo at Karate Kid (SM San Lazaro)

Panciteria Lido (UN Ave., Manila)

The Halo-Halo Ice Cream at Aling Banang (a carinderia that has about a dozen branches around the metro)  is one of a kind too because it has no shaved ice, only ice cream on top of the usual halo-halo ingredients.

Aling Banang's Halo-Halo Ice Cream (Visayas Ave., Quezon City)

Manong's Bagnet Station (Tomas Morato, QC)

Mang Inasal (Tandang Sora, QC)

Halo-halo in my hometown in Quezon Province

Whew! Lots of sweet icy goodness there! Too bad I wasn't able to take a picture of the one I had from Little Quiapo (an iconic restaurant, being one of the Top 10 oldest in the country). Anyway, I've decided on the best halo-halo I've ever had. We'll, it's a no-brainer: Razon's! Never mind that it only has three 'halo' or ingredients - macapuno, sweetened saba and leche flan. Its flavor just outshines the others because of its uber creaminess. It has finely shaved ice, thus it's very smooth, almost like ice cream! Very yummy!

Razon's (Robinson's Magnolia, QC)

So, why don't you cool down with a nice and lovely glass of halo-halo today? Enjoy summer!

Drool-worthy halo-halo and more at Razon's of Guagua

I know, I know.. Manila just chills these days, at times even on a sunny afternoon. Even then, it's no reason not to have halo-halo, specially if it's from Razon's of Guagua. Oh my, my heart melts just thinking of this heavenly cool dessert, which might as well be THE best halo-halo I could ever have in my lifetime. I know that sounds uber cheesy but really, that's how much I love Razon's halo-halo. Never mind that it has only three "halo" (ingredients) - macapuno, sweetened cardava banana (saba) and leche flan. It's the very finely shaved ice and lots (really lots) of milk that make all the difference.  It's smooth and very creamy, almost like ice cream! If you haven't tasted Razon's halo-halo, better do and prove me right in saying that it's heavenly and unforgettable.

Anyway, it's not only halo-halo that you can enjoy at this Pampanga-originated restaurant. There's of course the Kapampangan specialty pork sisig and all-day breakfast fares "tapsilog" ang "tocilog", plus the well-loved pancit luglug that's perfect for merienda cena. At least these are what I've tried at Razon's together with different companions on two occasions recently - one time at Robinson's Magnolia and another at SM San Lazaro. 

These were what we had: 

Halo-Halo, P100.

Pancit Luglug, P95.

Tapsilog, P148.

Sisig with rice, P165.

Tocilog, P140.

Razon's of Guagua at Robinson's Magnolia

I love Razon's and have added it to my list list of go-to places for Pinoy comfort food and of course, halo-halo. Truth be told, I'm not fond of eating this iced dessert and in fact, I rarely eat it and never get to finish a glass (I don't remember, the least to say). But halo-halo at Razon's is irresistible to me and the only one I would crave for. Even if you compare it with the versions of other restaurants that boast of a dozen "halo", Razon's is still the standout for me. My two sisters who went vacationing here in the Philippines from the US and Canada three years ago also went agog over this halo-halo. Well, can't blame 'em!

More reasons to love Lido

 Lido Cocina Tsina is one of those restaurants I love going back to because of their yummy dishes and really good coffee (This is my third blog about Lido, by the way). You see, I'm a true blue coffee lover and I order a cup everywhere I eat that it's on the menu. Of all the restaurants I've visited since I started blogging last year, there are only two foodie places where I had brewed coffee so good it had gotten etched on my mind: French Baker and Lido. Last July 7, however, I was at Lido for the third time with a bunch of kids (my four children and the eldest's beau) and I ordered iced coffee instead of hot and I loved it as well. Hmm..another reason for loving this Chinese foodie place. 

Anyway, it was the UN Ave. branch that we went to for lunch right after church service at the Cathedral of Praise that Sunday. These were our orders:  

Pugon-Roasted Asado, P270. This is what Lido is known for. Really delicious!

Drunken Lechon Macau, P267.

Shrimp Balls, Mucho size, P280.

Buttered chicken Mucho size, P255.

Yangchow Fried Rice, Familia size, P380.

Hototay Soup, Mucho, P205.

Mango Jello Cooler, P65.

Halo-halo, Regular, P95.

Our varying drinks - iced tea (P35), iced coffee (P95) and mango juice (P65).

My iced coffee

Interiors

The menu

Lido on UN Avenue, Ermita, Manila

We liked everything we ordered but the stand-out dishes were the Pugon-Roasted Pork Asado (the default!), Shrimp Balls and Yangchow Fried Rice. If you've never been to Lido and want to try their specialties, you'll never go wrong with the Pugon-Roasted Asado. After all, it's a recipe that has withstood over 70 years! Anyway, the Hototay Soup was kinda weird to me because it had ginger. Sorry but we do not put ginger when we make hototay at home, that's why. But we do put in a lot of veggies - carrots and Baguio petchay - and these were scarce in Lido's version. It tasted good, however, so we still liked it. As for the others (Drunken Lechon Macau and Buttered Chicken) they were not unforgettable but okay nonetheless. 
Service was friendly, too and the ambiance was relaxing with the clean surroundings and simple interiors. All in all, it was an enjoyable lunch we had at Lido. Lido Cocina Tsina has branches at Shaw Blvd in Mandaluyong City, UN Ave. corner Jorge Bocobo St. in Manila, Commonwealth Ave., Visayas Ave. and E. Rodriguez in Quezon City, Ortigas Ext. in Cainta, BF Homes in Paranaque, and South Park High in Las Pinas, and Pasong Tamo in Makati City.
By the way, Lido Cocina Tsina is owned by the same people who own Panciteria Lido, in case you're confused as I was. Hehe.