I was so tempted to get myself one of those big woks so I can take a stab at cooking one of (the very very few) my husband’s favorite Asian dishes that he was able to taste at Zong located at the Fort Strip. The Sun Dried Malaysian Style String Beans has completely wowed my hubby that he keeps coming back to Zong just to get to eat it again. He even set dinner plans with his colleagues (and myself) so he could have me try it.

To tell you honestly, I wasn’t that thrilled to eat vegetables when we could have my favorite Spicy Singapore Style Fish Fillet or even some General Tso’s Chicken. But I was in for a surprise.

I could smell deliciousness even before the server laid down the steaming plate of fried string beans. I guessed the aroma to be oyster sauce and tons of garlic. Every string bean was crunchy but cooked so well that it absorbed maximum flavor. I then realized that my husband was not kidding. It was really good.

Now I have dreams of being able to mimic even a fraction of the taste that I experienced in Zong. It will take a while and a bit more money but I will make sure to tell you about it if and when I am successful.

Cheers!

An invite to Shanghai Bistro at Paseo Center made me crinkle my nose. I heard that the place served food that cost and arm and a leg and I was not about to throw away money on food that I know I would not like. But THE BOSS is paying so I was not one to argue.

The place was at the 3rd level of the Paseo Center along Sedeno in Makati. Shanghai Bistro looked snobbish from afar. Super glossy dark wood tables, high backed chairs… I was half expecting everything to be gilded with gold. The wait staff was attentive though and we were quickly seated dispelling my discomfort at such formal surroundings.

Acting on prior instructions, we ordered seafood bean curd soup, honey pork combination with roasted duck, crispy shrimp in mayonnaise, deep-fried boneless chicken in lemon sauce, fried squid in salt and pepper, and some yang chow fried rice. In addition, I got myself some dimsum – steamed pork and shrimp “siomei”.

The soup was hot and good for our empty stomachs. I don’t think it was oooh! ahhh! as I cannot even think of a nice word to describe its flavor. The other dishes were similarly forgettable except for the siomai. I must have been so used to the all-wanton-wrapper siomai sold in most restaurants that truly satisfying dimsum amazes me. Just look at the picture of those siomai wrappers filled to the brim with the pork and shrimp mixture. With these, you taste more of the meat and shrimp and less of the wrapper.

Another thing I wanted to say was that despite some people tendency towards mayonnaise (imagine Megastar Sharon and a spoon of pure mayo) – crispy shrimp drizzled with sticky mayo (not even creamy mayo) is definitely in my gross list. And this is my own taste buds talking so readers please feel free to try it.

Lastly, I think the one consistent feedback I have read and heard is how service stinks. We were there for a late lunch which means there were very few customers to cater to. The place had tons of waiters ready to accommodate your requests… but for some reason, our orders, request for water or more tea, or kubiertos – were either ignored or forgotten. THE BOSS asked for a glass of water and he nearly choked on the lemon chicken and still the water did not come. Tsk tsk.

I must say, no matter how fine the place is or how lovely the food tastes, if the service is not very good, then the restaurant is clearly not very good too. I really hope the staff gets better at it soon.

Shanghai Bistro
3rd Floor Paseo Center, 8757 Paseo de Roxas cor. Sedeno St.
Makati City, Metro Manila
Tel. No: 892-8872

It was refreshing when I discovered Super Bowl, North Park and Big Buddha. They offered the same Chinese dishes that I have grown to avoid but served them differently. It may be more colorful or tastier or maybe it was all that free kropek (fish crackers) that changed my mind. But now, I am no longer afraid to eat Chinese for fear of torturing my tongue.

My favorite of all these is Zong. This place has managed to stay alive at the Fort through the years, even before Bonifacio High Street, Serendra, or even Market Market sprung up. Unfortunately, it is still out of my way so I was only able to go back a couple of months ago.

The place has retained its ambience (if I could call it that), its friendly servers and I must say my old favorites are still as delicious as ever. I can talk about the crispy noodles with seafood and General Tso’s Chicken. I can tell you all about the Deep Fried Pork ribs with spicy salt. But I will choose to share my delight at their specialty – the Spicy Singapore Style fish fillet.

The soft fish fillet is cooked with spicy sauce and topped with meat floss. Because bread talk came later than Zong, I was intrigued by this light and fluffy brown strips that topped the dish. I racked my head trying to find out what it was made of. Since that was the one that made the dish stand out, I had to ask the waiter what it was.

If I would only admit it, I must say that I can finish one order of this dish with a hearty serving of yang chow fried rice… but I won’t. But at least it gives you an idea how yummy it is.

Zong
The Fort Strip, Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City, Metro Manila
Tel. No: 889-0472

The rare times that we do have the urge to eat Chinese, we always look for a place that serve dishes that would excite our palates and not dampen it. This is the reason we choose places like Big Buddha, Super Bowl of China, Zong at the Fort or North Park. These places also encourage more of the younger generation to appreciate Chinese dishes. Because of the popularity of yang chow fried rice, lemon chicken, deep fried cuttlefish in spicy salt, manchurian calamares, and string beans with minced pork, these places have flourished over the years.

That is why it is really disappointing for me to have such an unpleasant experience at Superbowl of China at the SM Megamall megastrip branch. The place itself looked unkempt and felt dirty. The air was filled with the smell of smoke coming from the kitchen which made me think that the place had inadequate ventilation. The set plates, flatware, and glasses appeared grimy. I kept wiping everything with tissue until I felt comfortable enough to use them.

But despite the grime and smell and the scowl of my husband, we stayed. We stayed because I was really craving for some yang chow.

We sat down and guess who our seatmates were? Flies! Two black flies were having the time of their lives jumping from one plate to the other, one spoon to the other, enjoying their space. I shuddered. It was 7pm at night after all and I can’t imagine flies in the evening inside a closed airconditioned restaurant.

I looked around and on the wall was a framed newspaper article that headlined Superbowl as the Best Resto of the Year. I couldn’t see what year the article was but I doubt it was awarded this year. Although., it isn’t hard to imagine Superbowl being the best once upon a time.

So does being recognized as the best give you the luxury of neglect right after the award has been given? Does the service end once you have reached the top? Looks like this restaurant felt it did judging by the flies on the table and the dirty floors.

I don’t think my husband and I will ever go back to this place again. Although, I may visit their branch in Glorietta or some other place if I get another yang chow craving.

Tsk tsk. Too bad.

Superbowl of China
SM MegaMall Ground Level, Bldg. B, Megastrip 5
Mandaluyong City
Tel. 634-7831

It was a restaurant that served Chinese food so I wasnt really expecting much. Its not that I dont like Chinese food. Its just that my father loves it so most of our family lunches and dinners more or less involved something chinese… chopsuey with seacucumber, noodles galore, beef with broccoli and a lot more. Not to mention our trips to chinatown in manila that led us to authentic chinese restaurants. With all that history on my palate, I normally do not prefer eating Chinese when the opportunity to eat somewhere else is present.

I was in for a surprise.

We ordered family style and the menu was composed of the choices that I had already figured out in my mind on the way to the restaurant. We ordered one of every food type. Beef with mushroom. Chicken chowmein. Crispy catfish in salt and pepper. Prawns and mushrooms. Pork Siomai. Spareribs in Mandarin Orange Sauce. And of course the ever present fried rice – which came in the form of – Good Earth fried rice.

Beef with mushroom. Very traditional. Very good. Served hot. That in itself deserves an A+ as not a lot of establishments serve food hot nowadays. The beef was very tender. The taste was far from my recollection of Chinese food which is for me in one word -bland. It was very tasty and I loved the mushrooms.

Chicken chowmein. I must say, from all the dishes served that day – this is the one I will come back for. The chicken chowmein was incredibly delicious. It was salty and sweet at the same time with just enough gooey sauce to complement the dish. The noodles and sauce alone is enough of heaven to me. Imagine eating it with the veggies. Yummy!

The two other dishes I loved but do not have a picture of are the spareribs in Mandarin Orange Sauce and the fried rice. Too bad I do not have pictures to show you. I did not bother with the rice because I assumed it would taste like fried rice. I did not expect it to taste sooo good. By the time, I realized it – the rice was almost gone. As for the spareribs, they were almost gone too before I had a chance to flash my cam at them. But dont take my word for it… try it out.

The Good Earth restaurant has turned Chinese food for me from common into something exceptional. I can now again enjoy truly good chinese dishes without having to deal with the same tastes.