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To P.F. Chang's or Not to P.F. Chang's in Manila?

Read First: P.F. Chang's in Manila? Shortlink: oap.ph/PFChangsManila

P.F. Chang's, the popular American Chinese Restaurant of Philip Fleming and Philip Chiang, finally opened its first branch in Asia. With 200 restaurants across the US, and branches in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Kuwait and UAE, it also now calls Alabang home.

When you eat Chinese food in the US, your friends would probably take you to either P.F. Chang's or Panda Express. (Check out my P.F. Chang's experience in California.)

Its appearance in Manila caused quite a stir. A lot of people question whether or not an American Chinese restaurant concept will work here. 

We decided to celebrate Aidan's 7th birthday there when P.F. Chang's in Alabang opened its doors to the public recently. Here is a rundown of our P.F. Chang's experience... 

Hong Kong Roast: A Bagtikan Hole-in-the-Wall Favorite

When I first visited Hong Kong Roast, I had this nagging feeling that the food seemed familiar...

Later on, we found out that this HK-canteen-type resto along Bagtikan St. in Makati was actually the morphed version of Fortune Empire, an Ultimate Taste Test 5.0. winner and one of the pioneers who helped us launch Mercato Centrale last November.

Some of their dishes are awesome (like our favorite roast pork), but some are not recommended. Read on to find out what to order in Hong Kong Roast (HKR).

IMC (International Master Chef) Kavino Lau

Chef Lau showing the photo where he won a gold medal in the International Master Chef competition.

Rumor has it that an International Master Chef (IMC) working for the Chinese restaurant in Heritage Hotel started his own Chinese resto in Jupiter Place (replacing Malacca). It even got the approval of foodies with discriminating taste, who love Chinese cuisine.

We satisfied our curiosity last night. Now I understand why the foodies are raving about it...

Lugang Cafe - Bellagio in Manila!

Shanghai-based Bellagio restaurant finally agreed to branch out to Manila. :) Bellagio is known for having the best Taiwanese cuisine in China and the best desserts in Shanghai.

Since Bellagio is a registered name here in Manila, they were forced to use the translation of its Chinese name -- Lugang Cafe. (I guess using the Bellagio trademark was more expensive, so they had to rebrand it.)

A lot of foodies are already raving about this resto, and some even commented that Lugang's Xiao Long Bao is better than Crystal Jade's.

Let me share with you our Lugang Cafe experience...

Suzhou Dimsum - A Xiao Long Bao Favorite No More?

 

For the longest time, Suzhou Dimsum is our favorite for its Xiao Long Bao. Depending on where we are close to, we either hit the Malate or Mandaluyong branch when we want our Xiao Long Bao fix. We like to eat at the original Malate hole-in-the-wall branch where the dimsums are actually made. However, after eating at Crystal Jade, could it be that there's a new favorite Xiao Long Bao in town? So we went back to Suzhou and see how this old favorite really compare.

XO Kitchen, Manila - I Love the XO but not the Kitchen yet...

 
I absolutely love XO, which is an eXtra Ordinary chili sauce with yummy bits of scallops and other secret stuff. One of the reasons we go to Chinese restaurants in hotels is that you can order unlimited servings of XO! We also love the XO Sauce created by Claude Tayag -- it's one of the highlights in the Bale Dutung condiments.

THE Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao

Chinese chefs from Singapore preparing the dimsum for Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao.

Finally, THE Crystal Jade that foodies are raving about in Hong Kong and Singapore is now in the Philippines! No, it's not the old Crystal Jade in old Greenbelt; to distinguish itself, the restaurant's name indicates its Shanghainese specialties -- La Mian and Xiao Long Bao.

6404 Camia - The Secret Chinese Restaurant

I got lost when I first came here. There were no signs outside because it's just a simple house converted into a restaurant. Ivan Henares introduced us to this place through his blog post entitled, Manila: You Jie Xiao Chao Chinese restaurant near Rockwell.