LKY RESTAURANT

Saw the sign as we were passing thru San Vicente Street corner T. Pin Pin in Binondo Manila. Dad says we should try it sometime (he is a fan of singaporean Hainanese Chicken). So it was a couple of weeks later when we were in the area again.



LAKSA



Noodles are firm, soup is served piping hot. Problem here is its not spicy at all. The only flavor we got was from the curry.


SINGAPOREAN FRIED RICE



Singaporean  food (at least in my personal standards) is a melting pot of the  different flavors of many asian countries. So to call a rice dish singaporean, I would at the very least expect strong flavors ......  sadly there is none whatsoever in this plate of oily colored rice.


HOKKIEN PRAWN NOODLE



For  a noodle dish that names prawns as its main flavor profile ...... I'm  seeing a lot of squid and very little of the so-called prawns.


SAMBAL SQUID



Flavor is there, squid is quite tender to the bite. Whats lacking is a the "Heat" from spices.


SINGAPOREAN CHICKEN RICE



In  other singaporean inspired eateries, their chicken rice is moist and  slightly greasy and really flavorful. This one is dry and tasteless.


SINGAPOREAN HAINANESE CHICKEN



Now who would be crazy enough to eat a chicken dish thats still predominantly raw ???? Eeeew !!!!

On a personal sidenote:

For  a restaurant that advertises Hainanese Chicken as its main specialty  ........ its a total bummer if they can't even get that part right.

FU CHI DUMPLING

 

Been hearing good things about this place from friends and relatives for the longest time. We actually tried before to visit the place either on a Sunday or a holiday and it seems that on both occasions they were closed.

So one early weekday evening, we braved the rush hour traffic and headed over to the area to see that the fuss is all about.


Pork Stuffed Cucumber



Because of the softness of the cucumber, I thought at first that it was pork stuffed eggplant. Overall, it's nothing spectacular as I find the pork a bit under seasoned.


Adobo Tofu with Egg



Eggs were a little overcooked as the yolk already has that dry, flakey texture. Tofu, although a bit mushy was very flavorful as it probably had a lot of time to absorb the flavor from the sauce.

Speaking of sauce, Instead of the usual thicker adobo sauces, this one is more of a soupy broth. While it may look watered down, the flavor is still very much there.


Shrimp Dumpling



Ah the main reason we are here ...... And quite frankly, for a SHRIMP Dumpling, it's quite disappointing that we got very little pieces of shrimp for each Dumpling. All we tasted is pork, pork and more pork.


Clams with Oyster Sauce



Probably a little heavy handed on the oyster sauce or in seasoning as it's a bit salty for me. But I guess it should be just right if taken with some steamed rice.


Beef Noodle Soup



Beef is tender and sliced into smaller pieces so it's easy to pick up withba chopsticks. Broth is not oily but it does have that strong herby aftertaste. Noodles borders between firm and soggy.

Speaking of noodles, I asked if they make their own noodles and their answer is they buy their noodles from a supplier.


Spareribs, Bola Bola, Radish Noodle Soup



The broth tastes like what mom used to make at home, flavor is subtle and quite refreshing (if compared with the intense herby flavor from the beef noodle). Meat from the ribs are very tender, the bola bola is forgettable and noodles (much like the beef noodle) borders between being firm and being soggy.


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With the exception of the noodles and dumplings, much of what we ordered were "Turo- Turo" style which means their availability may depend on the mood of the chef/cook.


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FU CHI DUMPLING is located at 723 A-Banawe St., Brgy. St. Peter, Quezon City.

DIRECTIONS: Its somewhere between Del Monte Ave and Amoranto Ave (formerly retiro)

SENTOSA (Singaporean Chinese Restaurant)

I was reading a popuar forum site and I chanced upon a posting from a fellow member. The topic was about Restaurants in the Timog-Tomas Morato area and he made mention of a resto named SENTOSA..... Curious as to what this new resto has to offer (though in the back of my mind, I had a good idea) I nonetheless inquired about the type of food offerings. Unfortunately, I did not get any reply. Oh well, I guess its sometimes safe to assume that the poster was just there to increase his post count and wasn’t all that serious in sharing his new find.

So it was one sunday morning that me and my parents were to have our weekly eatout that I suggested we try the new resto of which my parents readily agreed...... Getting there is quite simple (if you’re familiar with the timog-tomas morato area). From the Timog-T. Morato Rotunda, go into the direction of E. Rodriguez using Tomas Morato. You will come to an intersection with a stoplight (this is Roces Ave). Just pass the stoplight is a McDonalds burger outlet to your left and you should see the signage for SENTOSA to your right.

While the resto does offer chinese inspired dishes like dimsum, chinese short orders and hainanese chicken. Also included in their menu are a mixture of Malaysian, Thai and Indian dishes. (pretty much like going to singapore). Given that it was just the three of us dining on that particular morning, we could only order a few items on their menu (though the Roti and Chili Crabs were quite tempting)

PORK SHU MAI
 

In my silent quest to find the best pork shu mai this side of town, I ordered this one to see how it fared. I wasn’t really disappointed since it was a good piece of shu mai to beging with ....... there was no taste of extenders, it was served steaming hot, the shu mai itself was scrumptious and the size was just right in that you can easily pop it in your mouth.

This is just my personal opinion, but I kinda disliked the addition of a very small piece of mushroom on top of the shu mai. (for some strange reason, there are certain types of mushrooms that I don’t like) But my parents really enjoyed it.

SINGAPORE LAKSA NOODLE SOUP

A very flavorful soup if I may so (an order could serve 3 to 4 people) ...... nice balance with the sweetness from the coconut milk, the spiciness from the chilis and the saltiness from the assorted seafoods. The noodles were nice and firm too.

I guess my minor issue was that the bowl that we were served with were quite small that they’d be more appropriate used as containers for dipping sauces. I asked the server if they have a bigger bowl and their reply was in the negative. (by da way, your order for plain rice is also served in this small bowl)

FRIED RADISH CAKE in XO SAUCE
 

Normally in other dimsum eateries, the fried radish cake is served in larger (usually rectangular shaped) slices and the dipping sauce is either hoisin sauce or a soy-vinegar mixture. For this particuklar dish, the radish cake is cut into cubes which makes it very easyo pick up with a chopstick or fork and you can just pop it in your mouth.

The XO sauce does taste a bit much like hoisin but it comes with an added smokey flavor. I also like it that they added some toasted garlic bits on top (I like the flavor of garlic). The radish cake itself is slightly crispy on the outside and almost melt-in-your-mouth on the insides.

FRIED RICE with SALTED FISH and CHICKEN
 

Just your usual rice fried alongside some eggs, assorted veggies, chicken and supposedly salted fish. It’s actually not bad for a fried rice dish, though not really spectacular. At least its not overly salty (though I didn’t get much of the salted fish taste) or overly oily.

SAUTEED ASPARAGUS with SCALLOP in THAI CHILI PASTE

 

 The asparagus were nicely cooked, quite easy to chew on yet still retaining a little bit of crunch. The small scallops were delicious especially when you accompany that with their sweet spicy sauce. (oh waiter, plain rice please)

BONELESS HAINANESE CHICKEN 

This one was the order of my dad and it basically looks like steamed chicken.

Accompanied by some soy sauce, minced ginger and chili sauce.
 

Most of the meat were still very pink so I did not even bother to taste the chicken. (eventually mom asked the server to have it cooked/steamed a little more)

MALAY CAKE

Another one of my dad’s order ....... I’m not really very fond of cake, but I nonetheless took a bite. It pretty much tastes like an ordinary icing-less cake. In fairness it wasn’t overly sweet and I think would go great with a hot cup of coffee.

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There are still a lot of other dishes that seemed worth trying. And from the looks of the number of diners that particular morning, I guess its safe to say that for those who do not want to travel all the way to Makati or Malate for a decent Singaporean meal, there is already one in the Quezon City area.