Tasty Dumplings' Tasty Porkchop

Have you tried this sumptuous, juicy, oily, crunchy Tasty Dumplings breaded pork chop? I've been looking for porkchops similar to this but nothing matches its tastiness and its crunchiness. And for it's price, it really provides good value for your money. For less than P150, you already have a complete meal of Pork Chop, soup (comes for free), and their famous thirst-quencher Winter Melon juice.

My dad got the Hongma Rice, while my brother ordered the Spareribs Rice. All were good pork! :)

I know of two Tasty Dumplings branches, one in Binondo and another near Banawe. If you're looking for an oily afternoon of fun, crunchy pork chop, try Tasty Dumplings' breaded porkchop! For me, this is one of the best pork chops in town. :)

Tao Yuan: Manila's Best Kept Secret

One good food recommendation I got from my officemate Paola was Tao Yuan, a Singaporean-Chinese Restaurant in Malvar St., Malate. I've eaten here three times now: The first time in December, when I asked Bubbles to try this out after a loooong day of overtime from her work. The second was when we KaAkbay Philam volunteers went out for PIACCSI volunteers' despidida of Manila. The third was last Sunday with my parents. :)

The place looked a bit pricey because of its facade, with all the fresh fish in front of the restaurant. Thay have lapu-lapu, shrimps, crabs, stonefish, and even lobsters! My boss once mentioned that if you want to know a Chinese Restaurant's price, look at the facade. If it's full of fresh live fish, it's quite expensive. :)

But to my surprise, Tao Yuan's price is not too expensive. Well, it's not cheap, but priced just right. This is really where we experience true value for money, because of all the times I went there, I was always satisfied. From the food taste, to the customer service, to the comfy toilet, to the ambience.

A lot of freebies await! For starter, they will give you peanuts boiled in soy, I think. Then they serve you Jasmine Tea while you await your main dish. After your sumptuous meal, they will give you complimentary desserts of Almond Jelly or Melon Tapioca. Wow! Service at its best.

I got to meet one of the managers (probably part owner) of the place, Mr. Benny Tan. He was very accommodating and friendly. He even suggests some dishes to try out and all his suggestions were fantastic!

One of my favorites there was their Singaporean Spareribs and their version of the Char Kuey Tiao, the famous Singaporean noodles. They also serve dimsum. Just ask for the dimsum menu.

Free Appetizer: Peanuts!

Char Kuey Tiao - My personal favorite

Mango Fish Fillet

Tao Yuan Seafood Fried Rice

Singaporead Spareribs

Hainanese Chicken - Best Seller

Others in the menu are Singaporean favorites like Curry dishes, Sambal Prawns, Bahkuteh, and Sambal Crabs. I was also able to try their Steamed Fish Fillet with Garlic, Sichuan Style Beef, and their dimsum Siomai, Squid and Shrimp Dumpling, and Ham Soy Kok.

Of course we needed to complete the package with an authentically Chinese alcoholic beverage, Tsing Tao Beer!

Tsing Tao!

The very satisfied Philam KaAkbay Volunteers: (L-R) Benay, Jason, Jaja, Elaine, Me, Joanne, Paola

I'm sure I'll come back to try the other dishes!

Tao Yuan Restaurant

Malvar St., Malate, Manila

Makansutra, Manila Ocean Park

Bubbles and I enjoyed our Christmas dinner in the newly-opened Makansutra Asian Food Village in Manila Ocean Park. The place was relatively spacious and according to people who've been to Singapore, the place gives you a good feel of the hawkers' store.

The Asian Food Village boasts delicacies from Thailand, Singapore, Hongkong and the Philippines. It even has a few western food, but of course we didn't bother checking it out because we were there for the Asian Food.

Makansutra was recommended by my boss, Leo, who immediately tried it out upon hearing of the place. He immediately treated us to lunch in this place after telling the story, We should try it ourselves, according to him. This served as my occular inspection for my Christmas lunch with Bubbles. :)

So after trying out a few dishes courtesy of Leo, I thought this would be very much enjoyed by Bubbles. Our first try was a failure. Sometime mid-December, we went there at around 9:30, thinking that it is still open. Unfortunately, the place was open until 9pm only. So on December 22 during lunch time to be sure. :)

The place was okay. Spacious as mentioned above. The only complaint I have in my three tries is that air conditioning is not very good. Perhaps it's because of the cooking, but something should be done with the ventilation. If the place was packed, temperature would definitely worsen.

Apart from that, the food was good. Of course I haven't tried authentic Thai and Singaporean food, but I would say I enjoyed the food.

Merry Christmas, Makansutra!

Oyster Cake

Char Kuey Tiao

Pork/Chicken Sate

Bagoong Rice

This place is a must-try. Another addition to Manila's fine food selection.

Manila by Sunset

Nothing beats the sight of the sunset in Manila Bay. It is breathtaking to witness how the sun changes color from bright yellow to orange as it fades towards the water, and how its colorblends with the color of the sky.

Luckily, I was able to capture the breathtaking sight. :)

It is amazing to see how the sun majestically graces the end of our every day.

Thank God for the traffic in Roxas Boulevard, I decided to take a few shots. :)

Kaiser Beer

This was the imported beer available at Munchen when I gave our new MA's a short Manila Tour. :) Good substitute for the regularly served Oettinger. Equally cloudy, equally smooth.

Cheers!

"Being serious does not mean being stoic." -- PMS Summer Interns, '04

Oarhouse, Malate: Good beer, Great food!

If anyone's working in the Manila or Pasay area (or anywhere else!), I'd definitely recommend this quaint, cozy pub just along the streets of Malate. To me, Oarhouse was really a good find: a place to have a short 5-thirsty chat with friends, or simply for chilling out and grabbing a beer or two. My lady and I have been a mainstay of this place, especially when we needed time to unwind after a hard day's work. Fortunately, I work in Ermita area, while she works in Pasay, and Oarhouse is midpoint from both our offices. We stay there for a couple of hours at most and just let a few fun topics, an ice-cold beer and a choice of pulutan chase our work stress away.

I discovered Oarhouse when it was featured in one Sunday Inquirer Magazine special about Manila's best kept secrets. I got particularly interested in some of the pubs described there, and one of which was Oarhouse. So one day, as I was waiting for my lady to get off from work, I walked the Mabini area and tried to find its exact location. I walked all the way from United Nations until I reached Oarhouse, which is almost near the Malate Church. I did not try it on that day, though. After having found its exact location, my lady and I decided to try it out the following week. And after that, we just kept coming back to enjoy the ambience, the beer, and the food.

Aside from the great old-timer pub feel, the food is also a thing to look forward to at Oarhouse. They brag about their famous Balbacua, which we haven't tried yet. =) My personal favorite would be their own version of the German classic Schnitzel. They serve four pieces of breaded pork with potatoes, bacon and onions as sidings, at a very affordable price! My lady loves their pasta, particularly the Pasta with Aligue. Wish I could have taken some pictures. =)

The place is also a a hang-out of renowned Filipino artists. That is why, as an added feature, Oarhouse is also an art gallery of sorts. Artists display photographs, paintings, and other artwork on its walls, and it is for sale to the public.

Artworks on the walls

So if anyone passes by Malate and is looking for a good chat, cold beer, and great food, I personally recommend that you try Oarhouse.

For more details, visit http://www.oarhouse.blogspot.com/.

Munchen

Just tried this in one German restaurant along Mabini St., Ermita (yes, Ermita indeed.), Manila. For those who love trying out holes in walls, maybe you would want to try this restaurant. They sell great German food (for Filipino food lovers, they also sell Pinoy food), with ice cold German Wheat Beer. My officemates checked it out one lunch break (since it's just a few blocks away from UN Ave.), and my lady and I tried it out last Saturday. We tried the sausage platter. Ayos...


Sarap ng Beer... Php110 lang, 500ml.

Lights Out

This place used to be one of the liveliest places in the Metro. People come here not just enjoy the Manila Bay breeze, but also to dine, unwind, booze out, cuddle, jog, and to sum it all up, enjoy. Now, all that's left are the overpriced colorful lampposts and the lovers who could not afford a more "private" place.