3 Weekends*

Okay, the title seems to sound melodramatic but this entry is about how my family and I ate at three different Chinese Restaurants each weekend all because of my craving for one particular dimsum - Siopao! (steamed buns or bao, for the benefit of my foreign friends.)

I love Siopao.  Ever since I was young I grew up eating Siopao at Ma Mon Luk Restaurant in Quiapo or at Ramon Lee in Sta Cruz.  My father would also bring home Siopao after his shift at work.  And yes, it also is because of my Filipino-Chinese heritage (my Grandfather is pure Chinese.)  I like the Bola Bola variety better as against the Asado (the one with the red dot at the center.)  And somehow, it seems to be best paired with Mami (noodle soup.)

Weekend One: Super Bowl of China, Glorietta 4 Ayala Center Makati

Super Bowl is one of my favorite Chinese Restaurants.  I celebrated my birthday with my entire family there once.  It is also the restaurant that broke my "no rice" diet that lasted for 8 months.  That is why we decided to go there when my Siopao craving started.  So when we were already settled at our table with complimentary crackers already served.  I simply ordered without even looking at the menu "Siopao, Bola Bola" I said, confident that they must have that on their list. Right? Right? Nope. "Sorry po Sir, Asado lang meron kami." *gasp*  Super Bowl how could you have failed me!  After all these years!  Okay, enough of the drama.  "Sige iba na lang, Diced Chicken with Salted Fish Fried Rice, Egg Drop Soup at Lechon Macau."  As I said, this is my favorite place so I know the food is really quite good but I didn't forget to write about it on the Guest Feedback Form either.  Let's see if they would heed to my request.

Weekend Two:  Kowloon House, SM Makati Food Court

You may wonder, why we didn't try the one at Park Square I?  It's simply because the place is too small for dine-in guests and besides this is still the same Kowloon House as that one.  This time no doubt about it, one Jumbo pao (ground pork, sliced meat, sausages, salted egg all rolled in one delicious steamed bun) for me,  pork pao for my wife, Beef/Wanton Mami and Sharks-fin Siomai.  I never get tired of eating Kowloon House's Siopao. Their Jumbo Pao is simply one of the best tasting, fully filled Siopao available in town.  And to top it all, this one big piece of Siopao only costs 55 pesos!  And remember what I said a while ago about the Siopao that my father brings home after work? Yes, this is that one.

But then again this is an SM Foodcourt where it's noisy, tables are not cleaned immediately and you get to be approached by all types of individuals who wants to sell you something (from Yema to a House and Lot) without any respect for your privacy.  It's tough eating there, it's a jungle.  And like any lion protecting it's pride, you have to roar at the next person who will try to approach you while you are eating in peace.  Because of this the Siopao experience seems to only get half a point credit for me.  Right Siopao, wrong place.

Weekend Three:  North Park, Glorietta 5 Ayala Center Makati

In this particular instance, we didn't go there for the Siopao but to claim the two free lemonade that we got by using a BPI Credit Card on our previous visit.  The lemonade is really good and made fresh.  This time ambiance is perfect, same as Super Bowl's.  I ordered the Nanking Beef Noodles and Siomai while my wife ordered the Boneless Fried Chicken Chops.  These already filled me up since I already had bibingka and tsokolate batirol for snacks so I just had my Siopao for take out instead.   What I ordered is their Taipao.  Like the Jumbo Pao of Kowloon House this is one big bun with everything on it but instead of the sausage they have shit-ake mushroom on it (haha, remember Austin Powers?)  I really meant to take a picture of the Taipao before I ate it so that I can post it here but then again that's what Siopao can do to me :-)


*note: I originally wanted to use the title "Siopao-man" for this week's entry but I don't want the topic to be confused with the Larry Alcala character, a superhero who loves well, Siopao of course :-)