hakaw – Jellybeans in the City

From Hong Kong to SM Megamall: Tim Ho Wan’s Delicious Dim Sum Experience

Tim Ho Wan is a renowned dim sum restaurant that originated in Hong Kong and has since expanded to several countries, including the Philippines. The restuarant’s humble beginnings can be traced all the way back to a small, nondescript restaurant in Hong Kong.

In 2009, Chef Mak Kwai Pui, who had previously worked at the Michelin-starred Lung King Heen, opened a small dim sum restaurant in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. The restaurant was named Tim Ho Wan, which means “add good luck” in Cantonese. The small eatery quickly gained a reputation for its high-quality food, with many customers willing to wait in long lines just to taste its delicious dim sum. (I’ve seen this for myself when the family failed our attempt to dine at this restaurant during our Hong Kong trip a few years ago due to the long line.)

In 2010, Tim Ho Wan was awarded a coveted Michelin star, becoming the cheapest restaurant in the world to receive the prestigious honor which soon catapulted Tim Ho Wan to fame, and the restaurant soon expanded to other locations in Hong Kong and other countries.

In 2014, it opened its first Philippine branch in SM Megamall, one of the largest shopping centers in the country, which proved to be quite a hit, generating the same long waiting lines as its Hong Kong counterpart during its early days.

Now, a few years down the line, my family was lucky enough to skip the wait when we dropped by SM Megamall and decided to have our late lunch at Tim Ho Wan.

The restaurant’s interior is elegantly designed with a modern touch, offering a cozy and comfortable dining experience. The staff are friendly and accommodating, making you feel welcome and at home. You are promptly given the menu and an order slip where your will make your selections.

As for the food, Tim Ho Wan is famous for its dim sum, which are small steamed or fried dishes that are perfect for sharing. The restaurant offers a wide variety of dim sum dishes, including siomai, barbecue pork buns, shrimp dumplings, and many more. Each dish is carefully crafted with fresh ingredients and perfectly cooked to retain their flavors and textures.

One of the most popular dishes at Tim Ho Wan is the baked barbecue pork buns (₱170/30pcs), which are definitely a must-try. The buns are soft and fluffy, with a savory and slightly sweet filling of tender pork that melts in your mouth; this dish more than lives up to being the signature offering of Tim Ho Wan.

Another favorite is the steamed prawn dumplings (₱190/4pcs), which are delicately steamed to perfection, with plump and juicy prawns and aromatics enveloped in a thin layer of translucent skin.

Of course, we can’t leave out the perennial favorite, the steamed pork and shrimp dumpling (₱170/4pcs). These plump bites of ground pork and shrimp bits encased in wonton wrappers are always a welcome addition to any dimsum meal.

Aside from the dim sum, Tim Ho Wan also serves other classic Chinese dishes like noodles, rice, and vegetable dishes.

Its jade wanton soup (₱195) is a standout, a comforting combination of pork and shrimp dumplings in a clear yet richly savory broth.

The beef brisket tendon noodle soup (₱298), on the other hand, consists of tender beef brisket and melt-in-your-mouth tendon, slow-cooked to perfection, then served together with chewy egg noodles in a rich and flavorful broth that has been simmered for hours with a variety of spices and aromatics.

Those who need to have rice with every meal shouldn’t fear because Tim Ho Wan’s spareribs rice (₱188) has them covered. This classic Cantonese dish features tender and juicy pork spareribs that are marinated in a savory sauce served on a bed of steamed white rice and garnished with a variety of fresh herbs and spices.

Prices at Tim Ho Wan are reasonable, making it an affordable dining option for groups or families. The servings are also quite generous, so you definitely get your money’s worth.

Dining at Tim Ho Wan in SM Megamall is a great experience for those looking for quality dim sum and Chinese dishes. The cozy ambiance, friendly staff, and delicious food make it a perfect place to enjoy a meal with your loved ones. So, the next time you’re in the area, be sure to stop by and give it a try.

This Tim Ho Wan branch is located at Ground Floor, Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City, open daily from 10am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 84708836 or +63 956 3442605.

Other branches are located at:

Level 1, Midtown Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Pedro Gil, Manila (Tel: +63 2 83543562 | +63 916 6689080)
Ground Floor, Glorietta 3, Parkway Drive, Ayala Center, Makati City (Tel: +63 2 77299367 | +63 917 8492111)
Upper Ground Level, City Center, SM North EDSA, Quezon City (Tel: +63 2 8 3742966 | +63 917 8492200)
Upper Ground Floor, Uptown Mall, 36th St. cor 9th Ave., BGC, Taguig City (Tel: +63 2 7764549 | +63 945 3303446)
Ground Level, North Wing, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City (Tel: +63 2 88076021 | +63 915 8226560)
Upper Ground Level, Expansion, Alabang Town Center Ayala, Alabang, Muntinlupa (Tel: +63 2 88017261 | +63 917 1087461)
Upper Ground Level, SM Seaside Cebu, South Road Properties, Antuwanga, Cebu City (Tel: +63 32 3415770 | +63 917 1186453)

Stay updated on Tim Ho Wan’s promos and offers by following it on Facebook and Instagram.

Chinese family meal at Luk Yuen, SM Megamall

For many of us Filipinos, Chinese food has become one of our go-to cuisines when dining out.

Not only has Chinese culinary influences permeated our own cuisine, its sheer variety and rich traditions have made fans of all sorts of food lovers.

The same is true with my family. Most of the time, when craving for a break from our usual lutong-bahay, we would hie ourselves to our local Chinese restaurant.

Since my childhood, Luk Yuen has been a family favorite. After attending Mass at SM Megamall, my parents usually took my brothers and me to dinner at the Luk Yuen outlet at the basement.

Now that I have a family of my own, with each of us having our own individual preferences when it comes to food. I’m happy to rediscover my faves at the same Luk Yuen outlet that my parents used to take me to, and that, despite our widely disparate gastronomic preferences, my husbands, kids and I can all happily enjoy a meal at this restaurant.

We started our meal with complimentary Hot Chinese Tea, traditionally used by Chinese diners to help ease digestion, boost metabolism and prevent overeating, among other health benefits.

We can’t have a meal at a Chinese restaurant without ordering a platter of Yang Chow Fried Rice (Php265). This dish consists of cooked rice sauteed in a wok together with bits or char siu pork, cooked shrimp, scrambled egg yolks, along with chopped scallions, carrots and peas. While flavorful as it is, it goes so well with other Chinese dishes.

Another staple of Chinese cuisine is dim sum, and my family members are all fans of the Steamed Shrimp Dumpling (Php210). Also known as hakaw, it is made of plump shrimp and cooked pork wrapped together with aromatics in a transparent wrapper with its signature pleats. Its Cantonese name

Deep-fried Bean Curd (Php175). A tasty appetizer also known as Crispy Tofu, it is made with cubes of soybean curd, deep fried and tossed in salt, pepper and chilis.

Birthday Noodles (Php465). Also known as Long-Life Noodles, this dish is the forebear of our own pancit and is traditionally served during one’s birthday with noodles consumed without breaking to signify a wish for a long life.

Boneless Chicken in Lemon Sauce (Php345). Marinated chicken thigh fillets, breaded and deep-fried, then drizzled with a tangy lemon sauce.

Peppercorn Spareribs (Php395). Bite-sized pork spare-ribs deep-fried to crispy juiciness and topped with garlic and served with chilled vinegar.

With these dishes, the fam’s combined appetites were sated and we were able to revisit some of my favorite dishes from my childhood visits at Luk Yuen.

All the dishes were flavorful, satisfying and affordable, certainly a great choice for a family meal during a bout of shopping.

This Luk Yuen branch is located at the Lower Ground Floor, SM Megamall Building B, EDSA corner Doña Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 86334396 or +63 956 7366816.

Other branches are located at Cash & Carry, Alabang, Greenhills, Glorietta and Capitol Commons.

Tasty Taiwanese dishes at FatFook Kitchen, UP Town Center

For a recent holiday get-together with my former office buddies, we settled on FatFook Kitchen at UP Town Center as our meet-up place.

For one thing, UP Town Center is easily accessible to all of us, scattered all over the metro as we are. Despite the Christmas rush, getting there was relatively easy, since most of the traffic are headed towards the opposite direction to the Makati and South areas.

Secondly, we know that we won’t be disappointed in the food. After all, Taiwanese cuisine is so close to what appeals to the Pinoy palate while offering a welcome break to flavors and textures we consider mundane.

The next challenge was ordering food for a group of five that will please everyone’s taste buds or sate their personal cravings. Fortunately, FatFook has a ready solution with its Feast for the Family offer which allows diners to order one appetizer, one noodle or rice dish, one vegetable dish and two main entrees for just Php1,1088.

Given our appetites and this amazingly affordable offer, we ordered two sets of Feast for the Family and indulged ourselves in a variety of Taiwanese dishes which included:

Appetizer.

Noodles and Rice.

Vegetable Dish.

Main Entrees.

Dimsum. Our meal wouldn’t be complete with some tasty potstickers so we ordered some of the frozen dumplings which the restaurant steamed and served to us.

We also couldn’t pass up the chance to have a taste of FatFook’s signature Taiwanese Sausages, plump and meaty links with a sweet, savory and garlicky flavor. Also, since FatFook does not offer service water, we washed down our meal with soda and TeaCo Black Tea.

Our enjoyable time together over good food was enhanced by the great service of FatFook’s staff.

I’m so looking forward to our next meet-up here.

This FatFook branch is located at 2nd Floor, Phase 1A, UP Town Center, Diliman, Quezon City, open daily for dine-in and takeout.

Other branches in the metro are located at:

SM North EDSA
Glorietta
Robinsons Galleria
Alabang Town Center
Ayala North Exchange
Ayala Malls Manila Bay

FatFook delivers frozen and ready-to-cook dishes via GrabFood and FoodPanda.

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