Pho Hoa with a Twist

After having visited Puerto Princesa, I set out in search of that delicious Vietnamese noodle soup in the Metro Manila area. The only authentic soup I can find is at Pho Hoa, a Vietnamese franchise from the U.S. where most of their ingredients (noodles and hot sauce) are imported from California. Their soup is different from the one I had at Bona's Chou Long, a Vietnamese roadside noodle shop on Manalo Street in Puerto Princesa. But after a few experiments, I hit it right on the mark. When I ordered the  sliced beef flank soup, I requested that they use the beef stew broth, the one with a dash of paprika. I still remember Bona's soup were a bit sweet and spicy so I asked the waitress to hand me a teaspoon of sugar and about a spoonful of their hot sauce all stirred into the soup. Since their broth was not cooked with lemongrass, I just added a dash of lemon along with a few springs of basil and lo and behold...a duplicate of the Bona's Chou Long! So if you desire to get that authentic Bona's flavour, try it...the only downside is that Bona's Chou Long serves French baguette sandwiches while Pho Hoa has an assortment of authentic Vietnamese rolls and other Vietnamese-Chinese style rice dishes. Pho Hoa's advantage lie in the quality of their noodles and hot sauce which they import from the States and their beef balls from Puerto Princesa! In summing up, you can get a great Ph35 Bona's style Vietnamese soup flavor at Pho Hoa with quality ingredients for Ph200...but hey, it's worth it!!! Bona's Petit!

Sambo Kojin...a Korean feast!

 Triple V's latest addition is an all you can eat Korean feast for Ph495. Located at their flagship on EDSA just past Connecticut in Mandaluyong, Sambo Kojin boasts of a wide selection of Korean appetizers from sushi to kimchi and an array of cooked dishes like, sukiyaki, Korean spare ribs and stew, tempuras, chap chae, katsudon. They also have raw meats and seafood for you to cook on your table consisting of shrimp, calamares, yakitories, bulgogi beef, pork and chicken. On your table is a tray consisting of 6 different sauces for you to try and also some kimchi and other appetizers like spinach, sweet potatoes and dried and spicy fish fingerlings. 

The restaurant is on the second floor above the Kamayan and Dad's restaurant but the place has no elevator access for the handicap. But for the price I would recommend the quality of the food and great service.
 

Hai Kang...a family affair

Shark's fin soup

Dungenous Crabs

Peking Duck

Peking Duck wrap

It seems like I can't get enough of Chinese food but it just so happened this past month came with friend & family gatherings... and a great way for most Filipino families to celebrate is by having a "laureate" (8-10 course) dinner at a restaurant. 

Situated along Wilson Street at Greenhills, San Juan, is Hai Kang Seafood Restaurant (formerly Harbor City), which caters to small family gatherings. The restaurant is laid out having both sides of the place lined with private rooms with a round table which can accommodate a family of 10 to 16. The rooms are separated by accordion type dividers that can be opened and linked together for groups of more than 16. And for large banquets, they have the main dining area that can fit 200 to 300 people. 

Steamed grouper

Roasting platter

Hai Kang

Shrimp with leeks and cream sauce

Hai Kang offers a wide selection of set menus ranging from Ph6T to Ph18T depending on the number of seating per table. Their specialities range from roastings to fresh fish and shellfish.Truly this place is for family affairs! Hai Kang is located at the corner of Wilson St. Don Miguel Streets just past the Greenhills West gate.

Lugang...A Sampling of Different Chinese Regional Cooking

Located at Connecticut Street in Greenhills, Lugang offers a variety of Chinese regional cooking from Taiwan, Canton, Sechwan, Hunan and HongKong. The restaurant boasts of its modern eclectic interior of glass and stainless steel while maintaining an Asian flair by adding bamboo and an open kitchen at the back with a display of their roasting specialties. Almost a year old, Lugang still maintains a full house during lunch and dinner so I recommend that you call in for reservations. 

  

 Some of their specialites are Hainanese Chicken, Beef with Cruddles (Chinese crispy sliced donut), Imelda Spicy Fish head, Siao Long Pao (Cantonese soup filled buns) and not to mention their roastings of pork Macao, chicken and duck. Their menu comes with pictures for customers to select.

Prices range from 150 to 450 pesos on their dimsum and roastings and 350 to 600 on their main items which are good for 2 to 3 persons. Reservation is a must and I suggest having a driver because their parking lot in front easily fills up!