Food tripping

'Tis the season for new food choices in Manila, and I finally got a chance to try some of them after patiently waiting for the right time to go.
The right time to go to Bonchon Chicken at Ayala Triangle is in the afternoon for merienda where there are free tables and no queue.
I asked Jeroen to order wings for me as I didn't want to get mad if ever they are out of stock.
Surprisingly the wings came out really fast. But this "snack" cost PHP 185 for three cut-up wings.
Taste and crunch are good, but the size is really measly (read: kawawa).



I'm not the type to eat this with rice, so the price is not worth it for me, unless you're on a diet.
Singapore's Bonchon Four Fingers Chicken at Singapore's Ion Orchard was much better, to be honest, simply because the wings in Singapore are bigger and fatter.



Here's the Bonchon menu for your reference




Bonchon Chicken now open at Ayala Triangle Gardens.



A few steps from Bonchon is Wee Nam Kee, where Jay and I went tonight because Jay was craving and starving.
Got there around 7 PM and had to wait for a table, but not for a very long time.
My order arrived really fast. The chicken was fine and served semi-chilled.



The rice I found a bit hard and didn't have the glossy coating they have in Singapore that is derived from chicken fat. I know it sounds unhealthy but chicken fat is one of the secrets to good chicken rice.



They didn't have bottled water or soda, or normal soy sauce when I requested it.
They had the usual condiments of ginger, chili and soy sauce, but I prefer salty soy sauce to sweet.
Here's the original Wee Nam Kee in Singapore



where I had this chicken rice



and shared this plate with friends. The chicken in Singapore was fatter and the rice had more flavor.



Finally, Jeroen and I tried the newly opened Shi Lin at the Podium.
Although we were not hungry, we came in because of a flier we received in the mall.
Shi Lin is one of the versions of Taiwanese Din Tai Fung opening around Metro Manila, that is known for its soupy dumpling called xiao long bao.
Shi Lin opened last week with cooks trained in Taiwan. You can watch them prepare the dumplings under the supervision of a Taiwanese trainer who was there to make sure they do it right.



Jeroen and I wanted to know if Shi Lin's dumplings would measure up to Din Tai Fung.
Suprisingly the first dish we had tasted like the real thing, except the soup inside wasn't as hot as I expected.





Tastes very close to the original we had in Taiwan



and the franchise in Hong Kong



The other dish we ordered wasn't as good. It was pale as a ghost and tasted almost exactly as the first dumpling, which was kind of repetitive.



Compare to the one in Taiwan.



The fried rice was pretty good, but don't order it with pork chop on top, as we were disappointed.



I would go back for the first xiao long bao. I will probably drag Jay, who loves Din Tai Fung.
Overall, while it's nice that more food trends are opening up in Manila, everything mentioned here still tastes better abroad.