Binondo Food Trip: Rosso Asian Kitchen

We we're not supposed to eat here...

For lunch on our second day in Binondo, we headed to Sabino Padilla St. (formerly Gandara St.) in search of Fu Yuan Restaurant and its fabled Fookien Fried Rice. 

Photo Credit: http://www.thefoodencounters.com/

But tried as we might, we couldn't find it! We eventually asked the guard in the area where we think Fu Yuan should have been standing, and was told, "Ito po yon, nag-iba lang ng pangalan." 

So we went in and as we were about to order, I asked the waitress if they are still serving the same dishes as Fu Yuan. She was honest enough to tell us that though it is still the same place, it is a completely different restaurant. Bigo!!

As we stepped out to look for an alternative place to eat, I spied a familiar sign across the street. 

Sorry, photo was taken aboard a moving kalesa on a late afternoon :)

I have read several blogs that featured Rosso Asian Kitchen and its famous hotpot, but none has mentioned the peso-signs. As much as possible, I don't like recommending places to Mike to which I do not have any idea of the prices. Baka hindi kasi sulit...  

Rosso Asian Kitchen menu as of Oct. 27, 2012

 

Seeing that prices are on the not-so-cheap side, but reasonable, we decided to go ahead and order the Ji Gong Bao and yang chow.

The Ji Gong Bao dish is their version of the Shabu-Shabu, but with a delicious twist. Instead of just a boiling pot of soup, we actually started with a pot half-filled with cooked pork spareribs (other choices are pork knuckles, chicken, beef, frog, goat or lamb instead)

Rosso Asian Kitchen: Pork Spareribs Pot (P380, small)

We did not even order mildly spicy but specifically asked for "not spicy", since our daughter has low tolerance for spicy food. The spareribs was very flavorful and was a perfect complement to the Yang Chow Fried Rice.  

Rosso Asian Kitchen: Yang Chow Fried Rice (P198)

When there were just a few pieces of meat left, our server filled the pot with their special soup. She went on to add our choices from their shabu-shabu list:

Golden mushrooms (P95)

Cheese Bun (P110)

Fish Tofu (P90)

US Fat Beef (P185)

All the ingredients we ordered worked sooo well together to give a very satisfying flavor and texture. 

 The mushrooms were crunchy, but also stringy, similar to having noodles in your soup. The fish tofu was firm and spongy. The beef cooked fast because it was thinly sliced, and it was tender and fatty, just the way we liked it. 

Not much to look at...but very, very nice

And finally, the cheese buns! Oh the cheese buns... Para syang sosyal na squid balls with melted mozzarella inside. Heavenly!!

In the end, we paid roughly P1,200 inclusive of three sodas in can. Pwede na! So, even if it was only by chance that we ended up eating there, I'm glad we did.

 

Binondo Food Trip: Wai Ying Fastfood

My husband and I have been to Wai Ying several times, but this time is special: We have our daughter with us, and we're just staying nearby!

Wai Ying is located along Benavidez St.

There are actually three Wai Yings along Benavidez Street: the first one you see as you turn right from Salazar Street is for dine-in, while the second store a few meters after is for take-out. We did not go farther down to see the third one :)

Flashback: Mike and I ventured to Binondo some ten years ago, bent on having a food trip and relying mostly on suggestions from friends (wala pa kasi masyadong blogs noon, lol). We wanted to eat at the President's Grand Palace Restaurant but their serving size is huge, as they cater mainly to family and groups. Since it was just the two of us, they suggested we try their teahouse where they serve dimsums and rice toppings. Ok, we said, alam na namin since we can see the President's Teahouse sign from where we were seated. Only to be told (with a tinge of bitterness, if I may add), that that teahouse is not theirs. And so, para hindi kami maligaw sa ibang teahouse, the manager asked one of their waiters to accompany us. He brought us to Wai Ying, and so begins our affair with this hole-in-the-wall food heaven.

Well that was then, and this is now:)

Wai Ying prices as of Oct. 26, 2012

Since it was a holiday when we went, the place was packed! We asked if we can go upstairs to wait for a table, but was told that it has a separate waiting line and there are already people waiting. We chose to dine at the ground floor (first in line kasi kami) and ordered our food while we wait. That way, the food started arriving as soon as we were seated :)

The second floor has a better "ambiance"; the ground floor is the hubbub of activities
 

These are my orders:

Wai Ying Fastfood: Curry Beef Siomai (3 pcs.)

For me, the Curry Beef Siomai (P60) lacks punch. I guess I just expected a lot based on all the rave reviews. But well, ok na ding masubukan (pero hindi na io-order uli, lol).

Wai Ying Fastfood: Soy Chicken Rice 

My Soy Chicken Rice (P120) was delicious! I just didn't like that the special green sauce was served dumped on top. I think it would be better to specify that the sauce be served on a separate dipping bowl next time. Mas appetizing tingnan.

These are Mike's:

Wai Ying Fastfood: Asado Rice

Mike liked his Asado Rice (P120), and the serving portion was big. He still had a lot of meat left over after he was done with his rice.

Wai Ying Fastfood: Siomai (4 pcs.) {We already ate the other one}

We had two orders of Siomai (P65) since we finished the first one in a snap. It was moist, bigger and more siksik than usual, and there are actual shrimps and mushrooms you can bite into. The thing is, +5 pesos na lang, hakao na! I guess, it depends on which dimsum you like more :) 

And Trixie's order:

Wai Ying Fastfood: Fish Fillet Rice (P130)

Winner ang Fish Fillet Rice ni Trixie! It looked good, it tasted good. The serving was huge that we had to ask the waitress to wrap the leftover. And if you know my daughter's appetite, having leftover is a rare occurrence :)

Trixie also ordered Hakao (P70) which was good as expected, though a bit dry. The fact that they almost forgot that we ordered one meant it arrived as we were about to finish our meal. We dug in as soon as it hit our table. And so, no pictures (Sorry!)

The verdict: Oh yes! Wai Ying still delivers that satisfying feeling after a wonderful meal. Yung hindi ka naman parang na-holdup :) It makes me happy that we were able to indulge in good food, without burning a hole in Mike's pocket. It was a great start to our Binondo Food Adventure!

Stay-cation: Ramada Manila Central

My daughter is on sembreak, but since my boss' retirement party falls right smack in the middle of the very long weekend of Nov.1-4, I cannot go on an out-of-town vacation during those dates. So you can just imagine how excited I was to learn that the celebration of Eid'l Adha is giving me another long weekend to spend time with my family.  I immediately thought it would be fun to play tourists in our very own Chinatown and booked ourselves  a 3D/2N stay at the Ramada Manila Central. 

photo courtesy of http://www.ramadamanilacentral.com

I usually course my hotel reservations through Asiatravel.com, but not this time. The hotel's own website was offering a 30% discount through their Mid-Autumn Madness promo, and it proved to be much lower than any online booking sites. 

TIP: If you are booking through the Ramada website, better join Wyndham Rewards first. It's free, you get to earn points, and you have a chance to get additional "rewards" such as these: :) 

Excited as we are, we were in Binondo by 11am. The hotel was fully booked, and so they advised us that they could only accommodate us during the standard check-in time of 2pm. We took the time to eat lunch at Wai Ying, buy hopia from Po Chuan Tin, taro yolk puff from Shin Tai Shang, and Hopia Ube from Eng Bee Tin. 

At 2pm, we went back to Ramada and was told upon check in that we were upgraded from deluxe room to executive suite (just like the email promo said!) This is how our room looked like:

But the difference between the two rooms lie in the bathroom. The executive has a bathtub and separate shower area, while the deluxe only has the shower area.

A glass wall separates the bedroom from the bathroom and is concealed by the blinds 

Plus points for the bidet, vanity mirror and overhead rainshower

The room itself is moderately sized, but has all the amenities you will need for a comfortable stay

writing desk

32" LCD with Global Destiny cable; mini bar

Inside this beautiful chinese cabinet are...

the safety deposit box, slippers, hangers and robe

And every morning, we were greeted with this view

The included breakfast buffet at the News Cafe is ok; nothing to rave about but not disappointing either. It has 2 kinds of bacon (baked and crispy breaded), which in my daughter's book spells g-o-o-d. 

My breakfast plate on the first day: crispy breaded bacon, chicken adobo, yang chow fried rice and scrambled eggs

Second plate :) 

You can order sunny side up eggs from the waiters

I had some salad with caesar dressing on the second day; and ate it with the crispy bacon :)

They start serving breakfast by 6am. We were there at 7am on our second day, and the place was packed with the tour groups. It was chaotic. I suggest you come down for breakfast really early, or wait until after 8am when the place settles down. 

We paid less than P6,500 for the two-night stay, which already included the P400 they charged for Trixie's breakfast on both days. Totally value for money!

Overall, our stay was what we hoped it would be. Binondo is only 30 minutes away from our house but it felt like a totally different place with a very interesting vibe. And Ramada provided us with a good base to explore the wonders of the world's oldest Chinatown.