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.

Birthday dinner celebrations enjoyed Chinese lauriat style is a big part of Tsinoy culture so here I am with another post of it.  When it comes to Chinese restaurant selection, we youngsters entrust the selection process to my Ah E who recommended that we dine at King Chef Seafood Restaurant this time.  We've dined here several times already (but this is the only incident I brought a camera).

King Chef Seafood Restaurant in Lucky China Town Mall is so spacious with lots of seating capacity that the chances of seeing other Tsinoy friends there are high.
 


Aside from the general dining areas, they also offer function rooms for more private occasions and events.

Food

Dimsum

♥ Hakaw (Shrimp Dumpling) (90 php)

We actually ordered the dimsum last because they have a dimsum promo after 9 pm.  We were already full so we only ordered our favorites.  The Hakaw is my all-time favorite.

X.O. Siomai (85 php)

My cousins ordered the X.O. Siomai.
 

♥ Fried Shrimp Dumpling (95 php)

The Fried Shrimp Dumpling is one of their specialty dimsums so its a must order!


Soups

♥ Hot and Sour Soup LRG (620 php)

 The Hot and Sour Soup is my default order.
 

♥ Golden Pumpkin Soup LRG (950 php)

The Golden Pumpkin Soup is another great choice.  Since I couldn't chose which soup I wanted, I had both.

Live Seafood Selection

♥ Sauteed Suahe with Tea Leaves

Prices are not fixed for the live seafood selection.  It's a bit more pricey but worth it.  The Sauteed Suahe with Tea Leaves is one of the items we always order at King Chef.

Lapu Lapu 

♥ Fried Lapu-Lapu in Mango Sauce

The Fried Lapu-Lapu in Mango Sauce is also a must order when dining at King Chef.  The mango sauce breaks the monotony of the usual sweet and sour fare.

Pork

Spareribs with 8 Spices SML (320 php)

The Spareribs with 8 Spices is crunchy on the outside but the pork meat is tender and juicy.

Chicken & Pigeon

♥ Chicken Fortune Bags LRG (960 php)

The Chicken Fortune Bags is another family favorite.  It's filled with tiny diced chicken and mushrooms.


Seafood

♥ Stuffed Eggplant with Japanese Sauce SML (380 php)

The Stuffed Eggplant with Japanese Sauce is also King Chef's best-seller and we love it too.  The sweet and savory sauce as well as the smooth and fun texture of this dish is sensational!

Vegetables & Beancurd

Seasonal Vegetables (Polonchay) with Garlic LRG (550 php)

We also got the Seasonal Vegetables (Polonchay) with Garlic just to have something healthy which is a must for the oldies.


Noodles

Birthday Noodles LRG (625 php)

The Birthday Noodles is of course a requirement for every Chinese birthday celebration.

 
Drinks

Butterfly Iced Tea

The Butterfly Iced Tea is a sweet blend of brewed iced tea.

Milk Tea

The Milk Tea was a bit too sweetened.


Complimentary Desserts

♥ Mango Balls

One of the perks of eating at Chinese restaurants often is that Ah E is already best friends with every manager.  Not only will you be guided on what to order (what's the freshest seafood etc.), you'll also be given a discount when dining in groups and any complimentary dessert you want.  (These perks are similarly offered in every Chinese restaurant.)  We wanted Mango Sago but it was not available so they served Mango Balls instead.  It is has a mango flavored skin filled with a mango slice and covered in dessicated coconut.

Almond Jelly

We were also given served a second dessert which was Almond Jelly.  This is a classic dessert which I'll never get tired of eating.

Complimentary Dance and Song Number

While enjoying our dessert, the servers also danced and sang their hearts out (about three or four times).  You can even request your favorite song if you want.  The excess performance numbers were a display of the manager's hospitality and show of gratitude for our dining loyalty.  Ah E and the rest of us were very delighted with such a simple gesture.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
King Chef Seafood Restaurant has always consistently delivered quality food and service.  No doubt, we will soon dine here again.

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. 

Sinigang sa Sampalok

The Sinigang sa Sampalok is your option if you're yearning for some hot sour soup with a hint of crab sweetness.  You can also munch on the crab while you're at it.