TSIM SHA TSUI: TAGUIG'S BEST KEPT SECRET

     Ever since I was a child, I've been a fan of Cebu's famous chain of Dimsum restaurants, namely Ding How, Ding Qua Qua, Harbor City and Dimsum Break.  

Whenever I fly to Cebu, one of my first stop is always one of those restaurants for a couple of orders of Sweet and Sour Pork and of course, their STEAMED FRIED RICE. 

I was elated to discover that there is a place in Manila, specifically the Taguig area, that serves those dishes that I know and love.. A little hole in the wall restaurant in Taguig called Tsim Sha Tsui!

AN UNLIMITED DIMSUM FEAST AT LI LI AT NEW WORLD MANILA BAY

           Rarely do the Zamoras find ourselves in the Manila area, but we would cross oceans and climb mountains for some awesome dimsum, and Li Li, the premiere Chinese restaurant of AG New World Manila Bay Hotel, is the home of one of the best Dimsum All You Can Promos that you can find in Metro Manila! 

SUPER BOWL OF CHINA'S P1 WEEKDAY DEALS & THE YANGCHOW CLASH OF THE TITANS!

            The lights and the cameras were ready.  With five tables and what seemed like an infinite amount of bowls filled with delicious Yang Chow, the stage was set. And we had the best seat in the house. Though I was merely just a spectator, my heart was racing..  I felt like I was watching a live episode of my favorite show, Man Vs. Food. 

           Where was I, you ask? At the Yang Chow Chowdown: The Ultimate of Super Bowl of China event!

DIMSUM BREAK NOW OPEN AT SM NORTH EDSA ANNEX!

     If you haven't read my post about one of my all time favorite restaurants.. Cebu's "Harbor City", I suggest you do first. That way, it might be easier for you to grasp just how deep my love for their dimsum goes. Regardless of their incarnation, whether they were called "Ding How", "Ding Qua Qua", "Harbor City", and the most recent, "Dimsum Break", their Sweet and Sour Pork and Steamed Rice has been a staple in my diet since I was a child.    

       When a fresh graduate of High School from Cebu leaves for Manila, one would think that he would miss his friends most. Call me a horrible friend, but forget them.. Leaving Harbor City's Sweet & Sour behind was one of the most heart wrenching experiences of my life.

      I always had a dream that someday, we would all live in peace and harmony.. And that Sweet & Sour pork that I grew up with would be easily accessible to me.

     Finally, that day has come. 

     On September 29, 2012, Dimsum Break opened their first branch in Manila, at SM North Edsa Annex. 

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR AT P.F. CHANG'S PHILIPPINES!

In case you're new to my Blog, I just wanted to let you know that as of today (January 19, 2012), The first ever Pickiest Eater In The World Contest Giveaway is underway, and you can find out the details on how to join by clicking out the post HERE. Get a chance to win Gift Certificates for P5,000.00 worth of services from CATHY VALENCIA SKIN AND BODY CENTER! Guys, if you need pogi points with your girls, this could be your chance! (Unless you wanna use it yourself of course.. Umm.. We're not here to judge)

The only reason why she looks so tall is cuz she's wearing heels. 

And umm.. I'm wearing "flats". 

              My sister Raquel and I made plans during the Christmas break for me to visit her over at the South. I hadn't been to Alabang since my trip to The Wooden Horse Steak House so I thought it would be fun to find a place to eat over at the other side of the metro. At first I was targeting one of those hole in the wall restaurants around BF, but I found out through Rina's friend that there was a restaurant that was opening in Alabang Town Center (Not at The Fort, as I originally heard through the grapevine) - one that I had seen and heard about quite often, but never got to try. Wouldn't it be a cool way to celebrate the Chinese New Year weekend at the newly opened P.F. Chang's? 

       And as a lover of the Chinese Cuisine, I swore to myself that as soon as P.F. Chang's opens its doors in the Philippines, I owed it to myself to finally get a taste of what the fuss is all about. So on January 19th, 2012, P.F. Chang's finally opened for business at Alabang Town Center. 

       Two days later, I found myself speeding down South Super Highway on my way to Alabang. 

THE SUNDAY STROLL TO EAT WELL

Now that Rakenrol is finally in the theaters,

 it's back to regular programming for The Pickiest Eater In The World!

Thanks for bearing with me for the past week as I skipped the usual food entries in order to write up about the movie

 (which I hope you all watched by the way).

        I have always considered myself a "Chinese Food Junkie". Having Chinese food as the cuisine that I have posted most about it all the proof you'll need to know that it's true. And even though I had just come from an amazing dining experience known as "Zong", I still chose yet another Chinese restaurant to go to for our next adventure.

   To be honest, it wasn't our first choice. It wasn't even our second. We were in the Bonifacio Global City area on a fine Sunday morning, and our first choice was to use a voucher from a restaurant I had purchased (You'll see that post soon.. It's awesome). So we moved to another restaurant in the area, but apparently it doesn't open until 3pm, which I found to be ridiculous, but oh well. 

     On any other weekend, we would have ended up in Mercato Centrale again, but SNR was having their member's sale, so parking around the area was insane. Besides, as much as I love the place, I needed new material for my blog. 

      As I was driving around the area, I remembered my cousin Paolo telling me about "Eat Well", and that I would love their Sweet and Sour Pork.

Words cannot express how much I love Sweet and Sour pork. I hear the words "Sweet and Sour" and I turn around on instinct, thinking that someone is speaking to me. The best one I've had, is actually a home made one made by the Yaya of my cousin Raf.. a phenomenal cook. Up there would easily be the version of Harbor City in Cebu. I could go on and on if I wanted to hehe..

    Since I wanted to try the Caramelized Porkloin of Zong, I deliberately refrained from ordering the Sweet and Sour Pork (Although I definitely plan on going back to try it).. Which was probably one of the most heart wrenching decisions of my life.

   A week later, there I was, STILL dreaming of Sweet and Sour pork, and since we were in the neighborhood, I thought it would be a good time to give Eat Well a go. 

SORRY JOLLI, THERES A NEW KING BEE IN TOWN!

Hail to the King, baby

                   
             Rina And I usually visit my folks in Antipolo on Sunday mornings.. We have lunch there, spend the day with the kids and leave in the afternoon. Having a home in the mountains of Antipolo has both it's pro's and cons. The pro's being the refreshing mountain air devoid of pollution, the picturesque scenery, and the calming peace and quiet. Once you're in the house and plopped down a comfy bed, expect to be knocked out cold within minutes. It's really the perfect place to relax and recharge yourself after a grueling working week. 


                  The cons? Well, It's not exactly far, but it's a little bit isolated. When your there, you feel like you're away from civilization. It's actually really not that far from the city, and there are some malls that are a 20 minute drive away. But you do get the feeling that you're in the province, especially if you're used to working in busy business districts like I am. 

                   Since its along Marcos High Way, I would pass what seemed to be a newly opened restaurant called "King Bee" every time I'd head off to my parent's place.. And I was pretty amazed how it never failed to be jam packed. I asked my brother if he'd ever eaten there, and he re-affirmed it and said "No but it's always full!". So they must be doing something right. 

THE BATTLE OF HARBOR CITY

It was in this precise moment that the chorus of Chris Daughtry's song "Home" blared in air, as tears welled up in the eyes of my wind blown face..

             My first "out of town" post!! Of course it had to fittingly be, perhaps one of my all time favorite restaurants, Habor City in the beautiful island of Cebu! Backing up a bit, Cebu is the city where i grew up.. or as I like to say, "Didn't" grow up. I lived there for almost ten years, and I have a lot of great memories there with some pretty amazing people. The funny thing is, whenever I go back, i forget to contact my friends, but I never fail to make a trip to Harbor City.

          It is simply that awesome.

THE SUPER BOWL OF BIG BUDDHA

What are YOU smiling at?

          Out of curiosity, does anyone know the difference between Big Buddha and Super Bowl?

          Right now, i'm on the fence about whether i enjoy eating there or not. I've had two extremely uneven experiences at the Big Buddha Greenbelt 3 Branch. Good food for a reasonable price, right? But is the price really all that "reasonable"? And you know what? The service was crap - or it was at least the last time Rina and I went there. During our most recent visit, we waited 10 minutes at our table and no one bothered to even give us a menu, despite all our hand waving. The kicker was, the place wasn't really all that full either! Ok, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt - we were at the corner and we weren't exactly at the most visible area.. but why put a table there if they have no intention of pay attention it? Bottom line, they should have been more alert. We promptly walked out, and let's just say the hostess outside got a piece of my mind before we left..

You dont' wanna mess with a hungry RichieZ..