HK Beef Brisket Expert [MSG Free Beef]

We discovered a new restaurant along the little street of Benavidez near Hope Christian High School. On the first look, it is somewhat similar to Lan Zhou La Mien but smaller and brighter.

We've already pass across this place a couple of times already but wasn't interested to try as there was always a few people eating inside. One reason might be the Chinese signage which might be intimidating for those who doesn't know the language. The banner reads 港式達人清湯腩 (Gǎng shì dárén qīngtāng nǎn) which translates to Hong Kong Beef Brisket Clear Soup Expert. Anyhow tonight we were in the mood for some beef noodles so we thought might as well try something new.

Here is the menu:

Their crew told us that the best seller is the Wonton & Beef Brisket with Noodles. We decided to order the Wonton Beef Brisket Noodles, Beef Brisket with Rice Noodles and Vegetable with Oyster Sauce (not in the menu, 90 php).

Wonton & Beef Brisket Noodles

Beef Brisket with Rice Noodles

As simple as the food looks, so does the taste. The soup seems to be the result of a long process of boiling the beef and getting rid of the fats - clear and without any strong taste of the beef or the radish. The soup is also quite bland, possibly the result of it having no MSG (as stated at the bottom right of the menu) and us nothing being used to clear soup based beef noodles.

At first look the bowl of noodles looks small as compared to others but as we eat further we've noticed that there were less noodle but MORE beef. The Wonton and Beef Noodle Soup I ate had around 8 strips of beef, which is quite rare. The wonton also is mostly meat and tasted fresh - which was great.

Nothing special with the vegetable with oyster sauce, just boiled lettuce with no seasonings. The oyster sauce was the right partner for this.

The overall experience was like eating at home with your Chinese mom's cooking. Just natural, less salty and MSG free food unlike the typical Chinese restaurant which is usually oil, salty and has tons of seasoning.

If you guys have eaten here before, let us know in the comments below!

港式達人清湯腩 - Hongkong Beef Brisket Expert
Benavidez St., Sta. Cruz Manila
Right across Security Bank and Hope Christian High School

Tasting Eng Bee Tin’s New Taiwan Mooncakes

We all know that Eng Bee Tin is one of the traditional stores in Binondo that innovates. Their first innovative product was the famous Ube Hopia that until now remains to be one of the best selling Hopias in the Philippines. They have since introduced a LOT of other flavors and variants which you can’t find anywhere else. Ever heard of their Mochipia and Custard Hopia? Right now as the Mooncake festival draws near (September 27, 2015), Eng Bee Tin just released new versions of their Classic Mooncakes – Taiwan style Mooncakes. It comes in three flavors: Matcha Green Tea, Azuki Red Bean and Original Purple Yam.

As soon as Eng Bee Tin released their New Taiwan Mooncakes, we bought all three flavors to give them a try. Our conclusion: In terms of appearance, Eng Bee Tin did a good job of introducing a spiral design. In terms of taste: If our taste buds are correct, Eng Bee Tin’s Taiwan Mooncakes is basically a fusion of the classic Mooncake and their Hopia. As you’ll read and see below, Eng Bee Tin used the fillings of their Hopia instead of the usual mooncake filling.

As you can see in the images above, their Taiwan mooncakes costs 120 pesos each. Their price is lower compared to the price of their classic mooncakes but also smaller in terms of size. Their original mooncake is about 1.5 times larger. You can also buy the box set which costs 350, saving you 10 pesos. The design of their box set is good although the packaging of the mooncakes itself needs some improving.

Limited edition set of 3 box

Now, which do you think tastes better?

Azuki Red Bean, Purple Yam and Matcha Green Tea

Original Ube Mooncake

Reviewing the taste

Here comes the part we’ve all been waiting for – the taste. We had quite a challenge reviewing the taste mainly because of this particular ingredient: the salted egg inside the mooncake. We’ve noticed that not everyone likes salted egg while some really likes it – more than the filling. Luckily, the 10 people who was involved in the taste test was diverse enough that some tasted the filling only while the others tasted it as a whole.

Matcha Green Tea

Matcha Green Tea Filling

Matcha Green Tea

Since one of the trending flavors right now is Matcha Green Tea, this was the one most of us were excited to taste. Upon first bite, the taste of green tea wasn’t really that obvious Some of us who wasn’t aware of the flavor thought it tasted like Buko Pandan. Overall, the mixture of the flavor and the egg blends well and tastes good. This flavor was actually the first to get completely eaten.

Azuki Read Bean

Azuki Red Bean Filling

Azuki Red Bean

At first look, the Azuki Red Bean Mooncake might tell you that it is sweet. However, it is not. Instead what you’ll taste is a somewhat nutty flavor. If you are familiar with Eng Bee Tin’s Plain Mongo and Red Mongo Hopia, we believe the taste is somewhere between those two. If eaten as a whole, the taste of the salted egg will mostly overpower the filling. This might be good for those who prefer the taste of the salted egg.

Purple Yam

Purple Yam Filling

Original Purple Yam

Lastly, we tasted the original purple yam flavor which is locally known as “Ube”. We believe that for those who liked the Ube Hopia of Eng Bee Tin, you’ll like the taste of this one – since the taste is almost the same. Although Eng Bee Tin is also selling an ube flavored mooncake, the taste of ube is very far from the one in their Hopia Ube, which we think is sweeter and tastier.

Overall, Eng Bee Tin did quite a great job of creating an entirely new product using its already existing ingredients. It somehow made mooncakes more enticing to eat. Definitely a great addition to your gifts this coming Mooncake Festival.

*Until September 23, 2015, Eng Bee Tin has a 10 + 1 Mooncake Promo. Get a free box of Mooncakes for every 10 boxes you buy.


Eng Bee Tin Chinese Deli
Main Branch: Ongpin St., Binondo Manila
Contact: (632) 288-8888 / 241-9999
For other branches, please click here.


Note: We wrote this blog post by ourselves, and it expresses our own opinions. We have no business relationship with Eng Bee Tin. We didn't receive any food or compensation in relation to this post.

LING NAM: Quick and Tasty Noodles

Many if not most of you have seen Ling Nam’s chain of restaurants across Metro Manila. But did you know that the first branch which opened way back in 1950 was in Binondo?



Ling Nam Wanton Parlor
616 T. Alonzo St., Sta. Cruz, Manila
Tel: 733-5231; 733-5234



Located near Arranque Market, the area is very busy during the day but very quiet during the night.

Here is their menu:
Note: Lugao's and Kaptay Mien are only available during breakfast as early as 5:30am until 8:00am.

Modern Menu

Original Menu

Original Menu

Original Menu

Here is what we ordered:

Wanton Asado Mien (Noodles) – Php 170

Wanton Beef Mien (Noodles) – Php 170

Beef Mien (Noodles) – Php 150

The noodles came less than 5 minutes after we ordered, which was really fast as compared to other Chinese restaurants in Binondo.

In terms of their noodles servings, they aren’t as big as the servings at Masuki or Lan Zhou La Mien. But it is enough to make you full. The prices are more or less the same with Masuki. As to the taste, I’ll give it a thumbs up. Nothing special about the soup but the meat in their wanton is legit like many of the ones being served in Binondo. Their beef and asado likewise are tasty and you’ll know that it was prepared and cooked for many hours hence you can feel the tenderness of the meat.

And of course, Siomai – Php 35 per piece, 2 pieces per order.

Siomai - 2 pcs per order

Not as big as the one in Masuki but bigger than 90% of the siomai you will ever see in Manila. Plus, instead of the orange coloring – there is actual shrimp at the top. The taste is okay and tastes almost the same as the one in Masuki but no without the latter's asado sauce.

Overall, Ling Nam Binondo Branch is a great place to eat if you’re hungry and in a hurry.

Ling Nam Wanton Parlor
616 T. Alonzo St., Sta. Cruz, Manila
Tel: 733-5231; 733-5234
Operating Hours: 5:30am – 10:00pm

And, if you’re interested to know more about their lugao's, here’s a review from a regular customer:
http://www.tsinoyfoodies.com/2015/02/ling-nam-wanton-parlor-noodle-factory.html

Other branches and more information about Lingnam:
http://www.lingnam.net/branches.php

How about you? Were you able to compare the taste of the dishes between the original Ling Nam and their branches? If so, how was your experience? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Lan Zhou La Mien: Big Bowl Noodles at Affordable Prices

Lan Zhou La Mien is one of the most famous noodle restaurants in Binondo. Known for its hand pulled noodles and huge serving of dumplings, this is one of the restaurants in Binondo you definitely have to try.

Lan Zhou La Mien
Locations:
1354 Benavidez St, Binondo, Manila (infront of Citibank)
499 San Fernando Street, Binondo, Manila
1354 Masangkay St, Sta. Cruz, Manila (directly infront of Metropolitan Hospital)
Tel: 559 9466

Lan Zhou La Mien - Benavidez Branch

Here is their menu, you can notice that all their foods are below 200 pesos.

What's more, their servings are huge. One order of their noodles is often enough for anyone. I ordered Chicken Kan Pan Mien. Basically it's chicken noodles with special sauce but with the soup served separately.

Chicken Kan Pan Mien

For those who want additional flavor in their noodles.

Condiments - I usually put a lot of spring onion into my soup.

16 pcs Dumplings

All these dumplings for just 160 pesos (as of 4/16/2015).

Overall, it's hard to be disappointed to eat at Lan Zhou La Mien especially if it's your first time. With their huge servings at affordable price, you'll leave their restaurant feeling satisfied. Personally, I really like their Kan Pan Mien, Beef Lamien, Steam Dumplings and Lamien Guisado.

Lan Zhou La Mien
Locations:
1354 Benavidez St, Binondo, Manila (infront of Citibank)
499 San Fernando Street, Binondo, Manila
1354 Masangkay St, Sta. Cruz, Manila (directly infront of Metropolitan Hospital)
Tel: 559 9466

Fortune Wok: Binondo's Hidden Gem

(There is a promo for our readers at the end of this post.)

Never judge a book by its cover. This is one rule that doesn't usually apply to restaurants,

except for this one.

Located at 347 San Vicente St. corner T. Pin Pin, Binondo Manila, Fortune Wok, I believe is one of the friendliest restaurants you can find in Binondo. The feeling of skepticism you will feel before you enter the place will most likely be replaced by satisfaction and connection with the place and its owner by the time you leave it. I know that is a heavy statement but this is what we have experienced in this place located at the middle of (almost) nowhere.



Although the location of the store is not that well known, the place is quite easy to find since it is just a few streets away from Sta. Cruz Church and the restaurant has a huge billboard above its entrance. It is quite easy to notice especially at night.

[caption id="attachment_192" align="alignnone" width="720"] Entrance of Fortune Wok at night[/caption]

Once you enter the restaurant, you'll notice that the appearance is almost the same as every other traditional Chinese restaurant in Binondo, basic table and chairs as you can see in the picture. Although this one has a huge round table that can accomodate around 12 people.



Upon entering, we were greeted by the owner of the store Mr. Chow, though at first we didn't know he was the owner. We only found out while we were choosing what food to eat. He's the one you can see on the picture below. We were able to chat with him the entire time we were in his restaurant and found out that he's an international food expert and was featured on ChinoyTV.

[caption id="attachment_194" align="alignnone" width="300"] Mr. Chow (on the left)[/caption]

At first, we only expected the usual service in a typical restaurant: we ask what their specialties are, find out if it's delicious, and decide. But our experience at Fortune Wok was different, we asked them if they can introduce us their dishes and unexpectedly Mr. Chow gave us an offer: He will choose what he will serve us and if we didn't like any of his dishes, we need not pay for that certain dish, but if we did like it, he just wants us to spread the word to our friends. In short, we accepted his offer. In total, he served us 5 kinds of dishes: Soup, rice, pork, squid and fish.

Soup: Seafood Soup (serves 6-7)



The first dish they served us was Seafood soup. The soup was tasty and quite meaty, although it can't be seen in the picture above it has shrimp and oysters in it. My friends  and enjoyed it and some of us ate 2 bowls. Thumbs up!

Rice: Yang Chow Fried Rice (serves 5-6)



Their Yang Chow fried rice is good, and what's different about theirs is their big shrimps and big serving. How big is one order of this? Big enough for 6 people or 3 very hungry people.

Pork: Kowloon Pata (285 pesos)

[caption id="attachment_201" align="alignnone" width="720"] Picture of the dish "Kowloon Pata" in their menu[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_198" align="alignnone" width="720"] "Kowloon Pata" actual serving[/caption]

Next in line was the Kowloon pata, and if you like eating pata, I believe you will really like this dish. The pata here is bite sized and really soft and tasty. I don't usually eat pata especially the large one but I liked this one.

Squid: Sky Squid



 

The dish that I liked most was their sky squid. At first look it reminded me of the pigeon dish usually served at wedding banquets. Basically its fried squid served with kropek (shrimp cracker). Highly recommended but might be too salty for some like one of my friends.

Fish: Lapu hot plate



The last dish (or so we thought) was the Lapu Hot Star, sizzling lapu lapu with sweet and spicy sauce on top. The dish was just OK. We finished the entire thing but felt that the sauce was too strong that  we weren't able to appreciate the fish.

While we were almost done eating, Mr. Chow approached us and mentioned he will be treating us their special dessert after which if we liked it he will be telling us the story behind the dish (the story is quite long but interesting so I won't be sharing it in this post).

Dessert: Banana flamb'e (48 pesos/piece)



The name of this dessert is Banana Flamb'e (pronounced as Flambey). It looks simple but it tastes really good. Basically, it's a banana with a crunchy coating covered with sweet syrup. The banana is really soft that it almost melts in your mouth. My friend even bought 2 orders to bring home.

[caption id="attachment_206" align="alignnone" width="720"] Banana Flamb'e take out[/caption]

Overall, we really liked the experience we had eating at Fortune Wok. Good food and Great Service despite the not so good ambiance. They even have wifi here. We noticed that the owner Mr. Chow is really hands on in terms of their food and even provides us brief explanation of the dishes. If you are confused on what to order, you can ask Mr. Chow which by the way only speaks a little Tagalog but knows English and Mandarin.

 

Fortune Wok: Authentic Hong Kong Style Cuisine
347 San Vicente St. corner T. Pin Pin, Binondo Manila
Tel: 5238626
Cel: 09369513821

EXCLUSIVE for our readers: Just say the password "The only authentic Chinese food in town" upon ordering  and you will be given a random gift personally chosen by Mr. Chow.



If you have already eaten at this restuarant, share your comments below.

***The owner, Mr. Chow was made aware halfway when we are eating that I am a blogger, therefore the service given to us might be bias.

Here are other pictures of their dishes (provided by Mr. Chow):