hainanese chicken rice – Jellybeans in the City

A sumptuous taste of the East at Wangfu Chinese Cafe

Chinese cuisine is so ingrained in the local food scene that I simply can’t imagine going without it.

As one of the chief culinary influences to the Pinoy cuisine, Chinese food has been a frequent feature of many a Pinoy table from simple family dinners to lavish feasts.

In pre-COVID times, my officemates and I would sometimes go to the Wangfu Chinese Cafe branch near our office for lunch. There, we would feast on tasty yet affordable Chinese dishes that would sate our midday hunger and power us for our tasks for the rest of the workday.

With the community quarantine in effect since last year, going out for Chinese food is not as easy as it once was.

Thankfully, Wangfu has made its dishes available for long distance delivery via GrabFood so I can have my Chinese food cravings satisfied with little effort.

Giving in to my daughter #ExhibitA’s request for Chinese food for lunch at home one day, I ordered some of my old faves from Wangfu, which included:

Hakaw (Php206.84). Both my daughter and I go crazy over this shrimp dumpling. When dipped in toyomansi with a little bit of chili paste, it’s irresistible!

Half Hainanese Chicken (Php614.25). Half of a chicken poached in sub-boiling temperatures along with ginger, garlic and pandan leaves, then sliced upon serving. It’s best eaten with the oily chicken rice accompanied by three dipping sauces – soy sauce, chili sauce and ginger sauce.

Chicken Rice (Php84.48). The stock produced in poaching the chicken is used to boil rice, producing a flavorful oily rice (Yes, it’s oily and I don’t care! It’s yummy!) that goes so well with the chicken.

Salted Egg Squid (Php457.55). Breaded and deep-fried squid rings flavored with mashed salted egg yolks.

All of these flavors mesh well together. Once you’ve gotten a taste of this winning combination, I’m sure you’ll be hooked too!

Thanks to Wangfu, my daughter and I were able to satisfy our cravings for good Chinese food!

This Wangfu Chinese Cafe branch is located at Lower Ground Floor, LeGrand Tower 1, Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 12 midnight. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 73734308 or +63 917 6295466. It also delivers via GrabFood.

Other branches may be found at:

Ground Floor, SM City Marikina, Marcos Highway, Calumpang, Marikina City
Ground Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Ground Floor, Phase 1, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Ground Floor, Il Terrazzo, Tomas Morato Avenue Corner Scout Madrinan Street, South Triangle, Quezon City
Level 1, Ayala Malls Vertis North, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City
Ground Level, Ayala Malls Cloverleaf, A. Bonifacio Avenue, Balintawak, Quezon City
Lower Ground Floor, The Parkway, SM City Fairview, Novaliches, Quezon City

Check out my reviews of other Asian restaurants:

A delish taste of Asia at Wangfu Chinese Cafe, Tomas Morato

Stuck at home but want a break from your usual home-cooked dishes?

Why not go Asian?

If you live near Tomas Morato, don’t worry; there’s no need to go out to buy cookbooks and exotic ingredients (stay at home, people!). You can simply have Chinese and Singaporean dishes delivered right where you are because Wangfu Chinese Cafe in Il Terrazo Mall delivers via GrabFood and FoodPanda!

Based on my previous #HappyLunch experiences with my officemates at this resto, may I recommend some dishes included in its pick-up and delivery menu for your enjoyment?

Hot and Sour Soup (Php288). A spicy and sour soup made that whets the appetite for more.

Spare Ribs (Php98). Steamed pork ribs that you can gnaw on as a starter to your meal.

Pork Siomai (Php128). The traditional Chinese-style dumpling filled with ground pork mixed with vegetables that also serves as a great appetizer for any Asian meal.

Hong Kong Style Pork Chop Rice (Php198). This Singapore-style hawker rice toppings dish features crisp deep-fried chops doused in a cheesy cream sauce over a bowl of steaming-hot rice.

Singapore Bihon (Php138). A hearty noodle dish that combines meat bits and veggies with stir-fried thin noodles made from rice flour.

For me, the real winners among Wangfu’s offerings are the personal meal sets. These already come with rice, soup and salad (refillable if you’re a dine-in customer), giving you a complete meal.

General Tso’s Chicken Set (Php268). Named after the Qing dynasty statesman and military leader, this chicken dish features deep-fried chicken thigh pieces and crisp brocolli doused in a sweet-savory sauce.

Salted Egg Fried Chicken Set (Php268). Crisp fried chicken pieces covered in salted egg yolk.

Wangfu Hainanese Chicken Rice Set (Php298). One of Singapore’s all-time favorite dishes, this dish combines flavorful poached chicken with rice seasoned by the chicken’s fatty poaching stock and served with cucumber garnishing and three sauces: minced ginger in oil, chili paste and dark soy sauce.

I found that the Salted Egg Chicken also goes well with the chicken rice.

I also miss Wangfu’s Nanyang Milk Tea (+ Php48 to any order of Singaporean Hawker Rice Toppings), which is, unfortunately, not among the offerings available in the pick-up/delivery menu. Given that summer is here already, I would love it to be served cold to counter the spiciness in these Asian dishes. I’d definitely get myself another glass on my next visit after the community quarantine.

With such a yummy and hearty repast ready for delivery, staying ar home won’t be so bad now, would it?

Stay safe and I’ll see you on the other side, fellow foodies!

This Wangfu Chinese Cafe branch is located at Ground Floor, Il Terrazzo, Tomas Morato Avenue Corner Scout Madrinan Street, South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 10pm for pick-up (call +63 925 8035810) and delivery via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

Download the Grab App on the App Store or Google Play. Get a discount on your first food order when you use my code: GRABJELLYBEANS.

Use this link to download the FoodPanda app and get Php100 off your first order

Other branches are located at:

Ground Floor, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Ground Floor, Phase 1, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Level 1, Ayala Malls Vertis North, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City
Ground Level, Ayala Malls Cloverleaf, A. Bonifacio Avenue, Balintawak, Quezon City
Lower Ground Floor, The Parkway, SM City Fairview, Novaliches

Check out my reviews of other Asian restaurants:

Affordable taste of Singapore at Hainanese Delights, Robinsons Galleria

A few years ago, back when I was at the early stage of my career, the company I worked for held offices at the basement of Robinsons Galleria Mall in Ortigas Center.

There are many advantages to having one’s office inside a mall, not the least of which is the sheer variety of dining options for me and my officemates come lunchtime; the only limit, apparently, is our budget.

Fortunately, the mall then has a lot to offer when it comes to pocket-friendly eats. One of them is Hainanese Delights.

Aside from its affordable offers, this resto is also memorable for introducing me to Hainanese Chicken Rice.

This dish, though rooted in China’s Wenchang Chicken, has been well and truly adopted by Singapore such that it is considered the country’s national dish. The dish is traditionally prepared by poaching a whole chicken at sub-boiling temperatures, with some of the resulting stock combined with ginger, garlic and other aromatics used to cook the accompanying rice, producing a yellowish, flavorful and oily rice. It is usually served with three dipping sauces: a spicy red chili sauce, a dark soy sauce, and freshly ground ginger.

At just a little over Php100 with unli rice, Hainanese Delights’ Hainanese Chicken Rice was a tasty, filling and affordable lunch treat for me and my officemates back then.

Fast-forward to today: Hainanese Delights’ Robinsons Galleria branch has moved from its previous spot to a more spacious location in the mall’s foodie mecca, Eat Street. Aside from more tables and chairs to cater to its still-growing clientele, the place has more stylish interiors and even a window to the kitchen where guests can take peek into how their favorite dishes are prepared.

Recently, my foodie friends from #WeLoveToEatPH and I visited this reataurant for a taste of old faves and new flavors, which included:

Rice Dishes

Hainanese Delights (Php169). The resto’s best-selling white chicken dish

Hainan Fried Chicken (Php169). Prepared similar to the white chicken but fried to have that flavorful and crispy skin.

Chicken Heaven (Php169). The resto’s version of Barbecue Chicken.

Hot Chick (Php169). Barbecue Chicken made spicy.

Pork Passionate (Php169). Breaded porkchop fried to a crispy golden brown.

Hainan Fish Fillet (Php169). Steamed fillets of cream dory topped with minced garlic.

All rice dishes come with unlimited Hainan rice.

Php99 Meals.

Fish and Eggplant. Rice meal that comes with free soup.

Char Beehoon. Served with Mantao bread.

Entrees.

Surf and Turf Bits (Php169). Steamed shrimp and pork dumplings.

Noodles.

Singapore Staple (Php169). Hearty noodle dish served with broth on the side and Hainanese White Chicken.

Drinks.

Coffee with Mantao Bread (Php45). Add Php20 for unli coffee refill.

Houseblend Drinks (Php65 each). Comes in Peach Tea and Ginger Lemon Tea flavors.

Milo Godzilla (Php90). A chocolatey dessert drink.

It was a fun and filling experience to rediscover one of old favorite haunts in Robinsons Galleria. I’m already looking forward to my next visit!

Thanks to the management and staff of Hainanese Delights for the feast and to Harvard of Always Hungry PH for extending the invitation.

This Hainanese Delights branch is located at Food Court, Level 1 Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas Center, Quezon City, open from Sundays to Thursdays from 10am to 9pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 10am to 10pm.

Other branches are located at:

Ground Floor, Adriatico Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila
Ground Floor, Robinsons Otis, Mercedes Guazon Street, Paco, Manila
Lower Ground Floor, Main Building, SM City Fairview, Novaliches, Quezon City
Lower Ground Floor, Main Building, SM City Fairview, Buayang Bato, Mandaluyong City
Lower Ground Floor, Walter Mart North EDSA, Project 7, Quezon City

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I attended a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. The food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare to facilitate honest reviews and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other restaurants offering Singaporean dishes:

A taste of Singapore’s hawker scene at Roti Shop, Rockwell

A key feature of Singapore’s foodie scene is the proliferous hawker shop. Populated by stalls selling wondrous varieties of inexpensive food, the Singapore’s hawker centers are among the first food stops for many tourists and a go-to place for good yet cheap eats for the locals.

Having already closed her Southeast Asian Restaurant Wild Ginger in the Power Plant Mall, Marla Moran decided to use the space vacated to bring a hawker-style eatery to the mall. And so the Roti Shop came to be.

The resto’s premises are bright and cheery, with a happy jumble of bright colors and kitschy decor, particularly those maneki-nekos, cat figurines with one paw periodically waving, or beckoning to customers. These figurines are said to bring good luck to business establishments.

Roti, obviously, is the key item in most dishes served here. Also known as chapati, it is a round unleavened flatbread rooted in Indian cuisine. Normally eaten by hand, it is served hot from the pan then usually pulled apart and shaped to scoop into savory side dishes. Alternatively, cheese and other ingredients may be folded into the roti dough, resulting to tasty murtabaks.

Together with fellow food bloggers from #WeLoveToEatPH, I was able to sample some of the Roti Shop’s signature offerings, which include:

Cheese Roti Prata (Php160). Cheese slices are inserted in between balls off roti dough then flattened down prior to cooking in a buttered pan, resulting to a crispy and flaky flatbread with melted cheese flavoring each bite. This is among the most basic of roti varieties; I would prefer to dip it into a stronger flavored side dish but it is a safe bet for those new to this kind of cuisine.

Beef Murtabak (Php215). Consider this the Asian Quesadilla: the roti prata is stuffed with marinated minced beef which makes for a filling, savory dish.

Corned Beef and Onion Murtabak (Php225). Imagine your favorite breakfast flavors of corned beef, onions and fried egg packaged roti style! I would prefer the fried egg yolk to be a little more runny, though. (Yeah, I’m looking for #yolkporn, hehehe!)

Veggie Murtabak (Php195). A savory mixture of chickpeas, peas, spinach and carrots replaces meat as the filling in this murtabak, which will surely be much appreciated by those on a vegetarian diet.

Roti Tisu. Its name translates tom “roti tissue paper” because the bread is actually paper thin. In Singapore, however, it is called “roti helicopter” as the cooks usually spin the dough around to stretch and flatten it prior to cooking. It is then twisted into a cone and sprinkled liberally with chocolate sauce and candy sprinkles. Quite a treat for those of us with a sweet tooth!

Non-roti items served include:

Char Kway Teow (Php275). Wok-tossed rice noodles with seafood and chicken.

Hainanese Chicken Rice (Php495). A half-chicken poached in a stock flavored with garlic and ginger. The stock is then used to cook rice, producing a flavorful and oily rice. It is served with a trio of dipping sauces comprised of dark soy sauce, red chili sauce and freshly ground ginger in oil.

Roti Shop Chendol (Php125). An iced dessert made with pandan jelly, red beans, coconut milk and coco palm sugar syrup. Consider this the Singaporean halo-halo!

These Singaporean hawker dishes are an exotic treat for me and my fellow foodies. I plan to come back and get a taste of that Laksa!

Roti Shop is located at the P1 Level of the Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City, open daily from 11am to 9pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 4789450 or +63 917 7114533.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I was invited to attend a foodie meetup held in this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Affordable Asian flavors Hainanese Delights, Eastwood

Hainan cuisine is derived from the cooking styles of the people of the Hainan Province in China which is lighter, less oily and more mildly seasoned than those of mainland China.

Hainanese Chicken Rice, in particular, is based on the well-known Hainan dish Wenchang Chicken, but has been adopted and considered the national dish in Singapore. It is traditionally prepared by poaching a whole chicken at sub-boiling temperatures , with some of the resulting stock combined with ginger, garlic and other aromatics used to cook the accompanying rice, producing a yellowish, flavorful and oily rice. It is usually served with three dipping sauces: a spicy red chili sauce, a dark soy sauce, and freshly ground ginger.

While out shopping with Hubby in Eastwood Citywalk, we decided to have lunch at Hainanese Delights.

We eschewed the more traditional preparation of Hainanese Chicken and instead opted to each get a Hainan Fried Chicken (Php149) since we favor its crisper and more flavorful skin which we think goes better with the refillable Hainanese rice. We also shared an order of Eat the Heat (Php190), the spicy fried squid adding some kick to our meal.

It was pretty much a no-frills and no-fuss meal, with servers just prompt to serve the orders and nothing else. The restaurant itself is quite plain and bare, not a place you would think to linger in after finishing your meal.

Still, if all you’re after is an affordable taste of Asian flavors, then drop by this store and satisfy your craving.

This Hainanese Delights branch is located at the 2nd Floor, Eastwood Citywalk 2, Libis, Quezon City. Other branches may be found at:

Manila: Robinsons Place Manila in Ermita, Robinsons Otis in Paco
Quezon City: Robinsons Magnolia in New Manila, SM City Fairview in Novaliches, Waltermat North EDSA in Project 7, Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas, Robinsons Nova Market in Novaliches
Mandaluyong: Robinsons Forum along Pioneer, Starmall Asia along Shaw Boulevard
Las Pinas: Robinsons Las Pinas in Talon Uno

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