noodles – Page 2 – Jellybeans in the City

Quick and affordable Chinese food at Causeway, Tomas Morato

My officemates and I were on our way to Le Ching for lunch when we spied the lack of parking space in that resto.

So off we went to look for another place to eat. Since we were already in the mood for Chinese food, we settled on Causeway Seafood Restaurant.

Even with the number of cars parked in front of the restaurant, the parking attendant still found a way to fit our car in.

Inside, there is the usual hustle and bustle, the busy energy, usually found in Chinese restaurants. The place is not swanky, it may even be considered dingy, but judging from the sizeable lunch crowd and the busy wait staff, Causeway seems to have established itself among a loyal following.

Our group of four shared these Chinese dishes:

Beef Hofan Noodles (Php300 for small). Stir-fried beef with noodles that is oh so greasy but also oh so good!

Fried Spareribs with Salt and Pepper (Php330 for small). Such a simple dish but I seem to find myself ordering this in every Chinese resto I go to.

From the Dimsum Cart: Crab Roe Siomai (Php80), Asado Siopao (Php80), Kutchay Dumpling (Php90) and Seafood Roll (Php85)

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It seems like Causeway’s combination of quickly served dishes and affordable pricing is a winning formula, as evidenced by its lunch crowd. The wait staff could be a little quicker in fulfilling refill requests though.

This Causeway Seafood Restaurant is located at 24 Timog Avenue, Bgy Laging Handa, Quezon City (Tel.: +63 2 3762559) with operating hours from 10am to 12mn Mondays to Saturdays and 9am to 12mn Sundays.

Other branches are located at:

8th Acropolis Center, 53 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Libis, QC (Tel.: +63 2 6389374) with operating hours from 11am to 12mn Mondays to Saturdays and 11am to 11.30pm Sundays.
7 Congressional Avenue, Project 8, QC (Tel.: +63 2 4269032) with operating hours from 10am to 10pm Mondays to Sundays.
Banawe cor Linaw Street, Sienna, QC (Tel.: +63 2 5221690) with operating hours from 7am to 12mn Mondays to Sundays.
883 Banawe Street corner Del Monte Avenue, Sienna, QC (Tel.: +63 2 4108690) with operating hours from 11.30am to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 12mn Mondays to Fridays and 10.30am to 2.30om and 5.30pm to 12mn Saturdays and Sundays.
1266 Benavidez Street, Tondo, Manila (Tel.: +63 2 2304381) with operating hours from 9am to 11pm Mondays to Fridays and 7am to 11pm Saturdays and Sundays.

Authentic Sichuan Cuisine at Fantaste, Salcedo Village

Sichuan (also called Szechuan) cuisine, which originates from Chinese province of the same name, is known for its bold flavors, resulting from the variety of seasonings and cooking methods used.

Newly opened restaurant Fantaste brings a taste of Sichuan into the heart of Makati City. Along with a selected group of bloggers and foodies (as well as my daughter, #ExhibitA), I was able to attend its Grand Opening and sample its many food offerings.

The restaurant’s mascot is reminiscent of Dreamworks’ Kung Fu Panda, chosen because, according to the wait staff, the panda symbolizes friendship, unity and world peace.

Fantaste’s claim to fame is its rice bowls. These dishes are individually cooked in their own clay pot bowl, topped with hearty servings of viands, accompanied by steamed bok choi and half a salted egg, then doused with a secret sauce upon serving. Its heated clay pot container maintains the rice bowls’ heat during the entire meal, even giving the bottom grains a slightly toasted crunch and flavor.

Given a choice of which among its twelve rice bowl choices to sample, I opted for the Chicken and Mushroom (Php260) while my daughter got intrigued with the mysteriously titled The Best of Fantaste (Php220). To be honest, I think I had the better choice, my bowl having a better mixture of tastes and textures.

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Two of #authenticchinesefood #ricebowls available at new resto Fantaste: Chicken Mushroom (Php260) and The Best Fantaste (Php220). I actually like the Chicken Mushroom better. Btw, the rice in these rice bowls are cooked individually in claypots, and upon serving, are doused with a #secretsauce. Review now available at beingjellybeans.wordpress.com (search: Fantaste). #foodie #foodporn #foodstagram #foodiegram #foodgasm #nom #nomnom #nomnomnom #igers #igersmanila

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I overheard from my seatmates (and seconded by my daughter who is more well-traveled than I) that the dishes feature the taste of mainland China’s provinces, rather than the taste we normally associate with Hong Kong which is more familiar to the Filipino palette. We all welcome the variety that these bring to our dining experience, although some would be an acquired taste: the Red Jujube and White Fungus Soup (Php120) for example, had a seemingly bland broth with explosions of sweet and tartness from the date fruit and the meat flavor of its chicken bits.

The restaurant also has a breakfast menu which we were all also able to sample: the Congee (Php120) and Beef and Lettuce Congee (Php140) which, to me, served as a subtle palette for toppings; the Steamed Vermicelli Roll (Php120) which had a nice spicy kick; the carbo-loaded Yangzhuo (or more commonly known as Yang Chow) Fried Rice (Php160); Pork Ribs coated with Glutinous Rice (Php140); the Dry Fried Noodles with Beef (Php180) which had a nice peanut-ty taste; and the Fried Noodles with Three Shreds (Php180).

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#NewRestaurant Fantaste’s #RedJujubeandWhiteFungusSoup (Php120) is definitely an acquired taste. Its #ChineseBreakfast Items such as #congee (Php120), #beefandlettucecongee, (Php149), #yanzhoufriedrice (Php160), #glutinousriceballs (Php140), Cantonese #steamedvermicelliroll (Php120), #dryfriednoodlewithbeef (Php180) and #FriedNoodles with Three Shreds provide an authentic taste of mainland #chinesecuisine. Review now available at beingjellybeans.wordpress.com (search: Fantaste). #foodie #foodporn #foodstagram #foodiegram #foodgasm #nom #nomnom #nomnomnom #igers #igersmanila #delish

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Those looking to complete their taste of authentic Chinese food can even opt for drinks imported from the mainland such as Chinese versions of our favorite softdrinks, flavored yogurt drinks and flavored teas.

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#thirstquenchers available at new #chineserestaurant Fantaste, all imported from China: Chinese versions of our favorite softdrinks, flavored yogurt drinks and flavored teas. #drinksofinstagram #drinkies #beverage

A post shared by Jellybeans in the City (@beingjellybeans) on Jul 2, 2018 at 1:31am PDT

Given the novelty of its food offerings, I would suggest to the restaurant manager to consider having a menu with pictures and descriptions of the dishes. That way, the really adventurous foodies would know which items are in line with their palates while the less gastronomically conservative patrons can choose those which more closely align with their taste.

I would also suggest a less upbeat background music: the resto’s offerings are somewhat traditional and some can even be considered medicinal (particularly its herbal teas) . If the resto would like to capitalize on the health benefits of its cuisine, a more languid and traditional background music would be more appropriate.

Just my two cents… 🙂

Foodies who will journey all the way to Makati to visit this resto should also consider where they can park. Parking spots are severely limited and the nearest pay parking area charges Php80 for just two hours.

Disclosure: Together with other bloggers, I was invited to attend this restaurant’s Grand Opening. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Quick Chinese Food at Le Ching, Tomas Morato

I decided to accompany a coworker who had a sudden craving for noodles and dimsum. Since this brand of Le Ching Tea House is some short distance from our office, we took our lunch here.

My friend ordered a hearty Wanton Noodle Soup (Php165) and Siomai (Php105) while I got myself a Spare Ribs rice topping (Php168) and an order of Taro Puff (Php119).

I found the viand portion of the rice topping a bit short; it more made up of bones rather than meat. The taro puffs were served piping hot and tasted as good as I expected.

Similar to its Greenhills branch, this Le Ching branch boasts no frills or fancy decor; just tables and chairs and a lone server. Its interiors are sparse to the point of being a bit dingy.

However, to those who grew up on the taste of its Chinese food offerings, Le Ching is adequate for their cravings.

This branch is located Timog corner Mother Ignacia Street, Quezon City.

Affordable Chinese feast at Kopi Tiam

This cozy resto in New Manila is actually known for offering affordable versions from the original North Park menu.

We recently welcomed my parents home with a sumptuous dinner in Kopi Tiam. The place is located along C. Benitez Street, past Camp Crame from EDSA. The part of Boni Serrano leading to this place was pretty dark and I had my doubts on whether we were in the right location. Fortunately, Hubby chanced upon the signage and we were soon assisted by a friendly security guard into our parking space.

The resto’s interiors were clean, well-lit and had a modern Asian feel.

To satisfy a hungry party of 9, our orders were:

3 orders of large, fresh and nutty vegetable rolls or lumpiang sariwa (only Php93 per roll!)
2 platters of Yang Chow Fried Rice because no Chinese food meal in my family is complete without it (Php188 per platter)
2 plates of Lechon Macau, another family favorite (Php258 per plate)
Brocolli Garlic, just so we can say that we had another veggie dish (Php168)
Salt and Pepper Spareribs, always a safe bet (Php223)
Garlic and Beef Cubes (Php268)
Chami Noodles (Php288), and
Nestea Tower (Php250)

It was a comfy and tasty feast for the whole family; we were able to enjoy the relatively quiet ambiance and the service was fast and efficient.

Plus, given all our orders, total bill was at Php2,368!

I’m looking forward to dining here again and trying out the kopi beverages and desserts.

Kopi Tiam by North Park is located at Horseshoe Village, C. Benitez Street, New Manila, Quezon City. For reservations, call 02-7235674.

Chinese restos like Hap Chan are great for family dinners

I took my folks here for a nice family dinner. I always say that Chinese restos are great for family dinners because the viands are served family style which encourage sharing and bonding. We ordered our favorite Chinese food: