I'm always on the look out for share-worthy food finds.  And, its usually the budget-friendly places where I can experience satisfying cheap eats that I appreciate the most.  One of latest discovery that fits that criteria is Jack's Joint. 

Jack's Joint is located along Jose Abad Santos in front of Philippine Cultural Highschool.  Thus, it is just walking distance from 168 and 999 mall. 

Seeing the black and white motif and the font mislead me into thinking that it is an English pub.  But, it turned out to be a middle eastern joint where you can smell and watch as the meats are being grilled. 


Like in sports bar, there is a TV turned on.  And, there's free WiFi too.  Being located near schools, residents and commercial areas, the diners are a mix bunch.
Food

Burgers

♥ Burger Half Pounder + Cheese (120 php + 15 php)

The Burger Half Pounder + Cheese is a steal deal for its price.  The burger patty looks whole but upon biting into it, we noticed that it is actually 3-layers binded into one.  Taste-wise it was pretty good.

♥ Burger Half Pounder + Cheese (120 php + 15 php)

Even the buns are soft and tasty that my friends enjoyed it.

Rice Meals

Chicken Steak (130 php)

The Chicken Steak is tender but a bit dry.  It was spiced just right.

Chicken Pirzola (130 php)

 This is my first time to encounter a pirzola dish so I have no clue on what it should taste like.  The Chicken Pirzola is a fragrant dish with a sweet and savory marinate like that of a barbecue.

Kebab

♥ Special Kebab (180 php)

The Special Kebab is well-spiced, tender and succulent.  I loved this!

Shawarma 

Shawarma Rice (95 php)

The Shawarma has a sweet blend with a light spiciness.  Since it is thinly sliced, it is very easy to chew.

Pizza

♥ Shawarma Pizza (285 php)

The Shawarma Pizza is one of their most interesting offerings.  On it own, I didn't find it appealing.  But, their yogurt sauce and hot sauce does wonders for this dish.

4 Cheese Pizza (280 php)

The 4 Cheese Pizza is good enough considering the very affordable price.


Shakes

♥ Yogurt (50 php)

The Yogurt is sweet and tangy.  This is a great palate refresher.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
As there are hardly any Middle Eastern places in the area, I'm sure many will be happy to pay a visit at Jack's Joint Burger Shawarma Pizza.  The price is so reasonable that even students can come here frequently.

I sometimes still wonder how I managed to wake up so early during my pre-college years.  For me, early is before 10 am and I could say the same for the rest of the family.  There are only a few instances that could get us up at 5:30 in the morning and one of those is Ling Nam Wanton Parlor & Noodle Factory.

This humble place along T. Alonzo Sta. Cruz has been my mom's favorite breakfast place since she was young.  And, it's still her favorite place up until now. 

As soon as you step in, you can already sniff the pleasant scent of their Lugao.

The place is small but it has a second floor.  Upon, taking our order, we were given our complimentary hot tea.

Food

Lugao (Morning Only: 5:30 am to 8 am)

Halo-Halo Lugao (145 php)

The Lugao are only available from 5:30 am to 8 am so be sure to come early for it.  They may even ran out of it before 8 am.  My brother's choice is the bountiful Halo-Halo Lugao.  It has everything: bola-bola, liver, kidney, chicken and fish fillet.

Liver & Kidney Lugao (155 php)

My favorite is the Liver & Kidney Lugao.  This is not for everyone though, it has a hint of the fuzzy organ taste that some people dislike. 

Chicken Lugao (155 php)

The Chicken Lugao is a popular choice because chicken broth is always appealing.

Chicken Lugao (155 php)

The broth is mild so mixing the egg before it's completely cooked together with the lugao is vital for me.

Fish with Bola (170 php)

My mom loves the Fish with Bola which is another great choice.

Dimsum

Pork Siomai (70 php)

We always order their Pork Siomai which is more chunky and porky than other commercialized ones.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Ling Nam Wanton Parlor & Noodle Factory will always be our favorite lugao or congee place.  I don't even like congee but this can get me off my comfty bed in a flash.  We also buy their packed noodles and use it for cooking at home. 

When it comes to fried chicken, Sincerity Cafe & Restaurant has made a big name.  It has even expanded with a branch in Lucky Chinatown Mall making it more accessible to many.

A queue is to be expected if you're dining on a weekend.


There's an indoor area and al fresco too.

Chicken

♥ Sincerity Fried Chicken Whole (300 php)

Yes!  As you expected, we ordered the famous Sincerity Fried Chicken!  I can't really pinpoint exactly what makes it so different from the rest.  It's not oily, its crispy on the outside (you can really hear crackles when you bite!) with juicy meat.  The batter has the right blind of spices which is a bit on the peppery side.  The cheap pricing at 300 php for a whole chicken is also a plus.

Seafood

♥ Fried Oyster Cake Big (200 php)

I'm not really particular when it comes to oyster cakes.  As long as the texture is good and the oyster is flavorful but cleaning tasting, I'll dig in.  The Fried Oyster Cake fits my preference perfectly.

 

♥ Deep Fried Frog Legs Big (200 php)

Frog and frog legs may seem exotic to some.  But, it's actually a common fare for our family.  We often order the Deep Fried Frog Legs.  We love these!  Although we cook this at home, we just can't pinpoint their technique.

Rice

Kiampong Special Small (60 php)

The Kiampong Special is not the best salted rice around because I find it lacking in flavor and components but a good staple with the already tasty viands.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Sincerity Cafe & Restaurant's famous Sincerity Fried Chicken deserves the recognition its been gathering.  I certainly hope they maintain their quality as they expand.

Our shopping spree at Lucky China Town Mall got us hungry but we didn't mind waiting in line for Little Asia that night.

Having good experiences at Little Asia in the past made us enticed to come back for more.

As you can see, the interiors are quite luxurious with chandeliers and beautiful wallpaper prints.  But, the tables are cramped with little spacing and you can hear the chatter all over the place.  That's quite typical for Chinese restaurants so we're comfortable with that.

Food
What we love about Little Asia is that they continuously add new dishes so we are always assured of something  new to try in every visit aside from our old favorites.

Poultry

♥ Kung Pao Chicken (275 php)

The kung pao chicken is a family favorite.   Little Asia's Kung Pao Chicken has big chunks of chicken in spicy kung pao sauce with peanuts, leeks and black chili.  It was a pretty good rendition!

Seafood

♥ Coconut Fish Fillet (275 php)

Our new and well-loved discovery was the Coconut Fish Fillet.   It was soft and slippery fish fillet in a mildly spiced coconut cream sauce with a hint of basil. 

Vegetables

♥ Shanghai Spinach Tofu (245 php)

The Shanghai Spinach Tofu is also a must try!  It is a pan fried tofu topped with finely chopped spinach with oyster sauce, rice wine, shitake mushroom ginger and onion leeks.

Rice

Yang Chow Fried Rice (255 php)

The Yang Chow Fried Rice was recommended by our server.  We regret ordering this because it was too common.  Next time, we'll go for the Salted Fish Fried Rice or their noodles instead.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
When it comes to Asian cuisine, definitely put Little Asia on top of your list.  Their pricing is affordable and serving size is good for sharing.  They also have a wide-range of selections to choose from.

Way back in high school, my classmates and I would sneakily eat behind the teacher's back just for fun.  We Tsinoys call that "Taw Cha".  We would take turns bringing snacks and share it with the group.  One day, my classmate brought Kopi Roti which was entirely new for me.  

I asked where he bought it and brought home some for the family as a surprise.  They loved it too and since then we've been loyal customers.

Food


Set

♥ Set E: 1 pc. Kopi Bun with Coffee (or tea) (105 php)

When dining in, our usual order is Set E: 1 pc. Kopi Bun with Coffee (or tea).  Kopi Roti's Coffee is pretty good for such an affordable price.

♥ Kopi Bun (50 php)

But,our favorite is really their Kopi Bun.  Just its coffee and butter aroma can wake me up from a drowsy state.  When I was in high school, this was only 30 php.  Naturally, it's been price has increased like the rest of the commodities.

♥ Kopi Bun (50 php)

The Kopi Bun has a thin flavorful crispy coffee crust with followed by its  soft and fluffy dough with warm butter in the middle.  Whenever we spot a Kopi Roti branch, we'd buy some of this for take home.  They have a nice packaging for 6 pieces with matching paper bag.  We enjoy eating this for breakfast or merienda.  It's easy to reheat.  We just use the electric oven toaster.

Kaya Puff (25 php)

It's our first time to try the Kaya Puff which was smaller in size and topped with powdered sugar.

Kaya Puff (25 php)

It was not as crisp as the Kopi Bun.  Instead of butter, it had the Kaya spread.  It was pale in comparison to our all-time favorite Kopi Bun.

Soft Boiled Eggs (35 php)

They also offer the Soft Boiled Eggs  which was prepared the Singaporean way.  It has 2 soft boiled eggs mixed with black soy sauce and sprinkled with white pepper.  I'm not a big fan of this style since I love my eggs plain as I appreciate the egg yolk flavor but some prefer eating eggs this way.  If you haven't tried this, you should try it out for yourself.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Over the years, we've tried coffee buns from local bakeshops and international franchises but nothing even comes close to Kopi Roti!  It is still our favorite Kopi Buns and I think it's pretty tough to beat. 

My mom grew up loving the Maki Mi of Mañosa in Ongpin.  So when we heard that there is Mañosa Noodles, Seafood & Chops at RCBC Plaza in the corner of Sen Gil Puyat and Ayala in Makati, we decided to dine there to relive her childhood memories. 

Mañosa is one of the oldest authentic Chinese restaurants.  It was first established in 1940's! 


The place had yellow lighting.  The walls had pictures of the old Binondo.  The interior gives a rustic and native Filipino-Chinese feel to it. 

Food

Soup

Maki (110 php)

My brother ordered the Maki which is only broth and starched beef strips without noodles.

♥ Maki Mi (120 php)

Everyone was so excited I guess that we ordered a Maki Mi for each of us.  The serving is generous so it overwhelmed us.  We could probably finish it if it was our only order but since it wasn't, we should've at last shared this. >.< The Maki Mi was good though.  The broth was thick, rich and slimy just the way its supposed to be.  The starched beef strips was savory and tender.  The noodles is your typical Chinese egg noodles. 

Seafood

♥ Oyster Cake (200 php)

Don't let its confusing marbled appearance fool you.  This is one damn good Oyster Cake!

Pork

♥ Pata Tim (365 php)

The Pata Tim is a Filipino Chinese fusion braised pork leg dish.  This is our family favorite.  Despite being health-conscious, all of us easily succumb to the flavorful yet sinful pork skin and oh-so-tender braised pork meat.  We also ate the vegetables to lessen the guilt. =p

Noodles

Chami (140 php)

Cha means "stir-fry" and Mi means "noodles" in Chinese.  I like their unique version which is soaked in Maki sauce because I'm not fond of dry noodles in the first place.  This had thick egg noodles and loads of meat strips and vegetables. 

Rice

Kiampong (48 php)

The only let down for the night was the Kiampong.   It tasted odd! 

Machang (65 php)

We love Machang!  In fact, we always have a stock at home in case we're to lazy to cook, we just boil one.  Mañosa's version was simple with pork chunks that's quite meaty and not too fatty.  It was good but I'd prefer a Machang with black mushrooms. 

Drinks

♥ Black Gulaman (50 php)

The Black Gulaman is not only cheap but it was very refreshing!  Everyone ordered a glass of this.  This had vanilla essence, shaved ice, sugar and gulaman cubes. 

♥ Mango Black Gulaman (70 php)

I ordered an extra Mango Black Gulaman because I've never tried one before.  I super loved this tantalizing glass of sweet mango puree with black gulaman cubes! 


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
The legendary fame for affordably priced authentic Chinese dishes of  Mañosa Noodles, Seafood & Chops continuous and I bet it will go on for a very long time.  Their Maki Mi is as good as it has always been.  Don't miss out on it.