El Presidente of Binondo at Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa City

El Presidente of Binondo at Alabang Town Center,

El Presidente of Binondo at Alabang Town Center Muntinlupa City

I have been to El Presidente a few months back and I remembered not liking what I ordered then. I paid P99 for a spicy chicken dish, and it was too sweet for my comfort. Filipinos are known to like a sprinkle of sugar in most dishes --- the reason why the sweetish Jollibee burgers are first in the Filipino palate, as compared to the bland McDonalds burgers.

I was looking forward to a brunch at Tim Ho Wan with my daughter in SM Megamall yesterday, when she again gave me a rain check. She had special projects from one site and she can't spare a few hours for a lunch-out. I hope she earns much this time, so she can pay for brunch next time. 

Nonetheless, I promised myself to have fun and went to the nearby Alabang Town Center to have lunch at North Park or the Vietnamese Restaurant near it. To my dismay, all restaurants at the ground floor level were full of diners. I have no other recourse but to go to the food court where there were less people.

El Presidente of Binondo

The stall was all in red/gold and fully lighted. The food display looked palatable and nicely presented. I decided to order two viands, with shrimp cracklings and a piece of butsi, for P150. The server said that I can have my pick of the viands: so, I chose the sweet and sour fish with bean curd, and fried fish fillet with seasoned vinegar.

One of the servers took notice of me and smiled. She must have observed on how I looked at the selections and have concluded that I was one of those pesky bloggers who peppered cyberspace with food reviews. Oh, how right she was! I then noticed that she carefully selected the cuttings of the fish to place on my plate and I felt that it was more than ample for my serving. Hah! Trying to get into my good graces!

Sweet and Sour Fish/ Fried Fish Fillet, with shrimpt cracklings and butsi

What can I say?

The sweet and sour fish has a piquant taste --- not that sweet but with the right seasoning like those in the Binondo area. I liked the bean curd, not too soft nor over fried. The fried fish fillet was seasoned with Chinese spices, not merely salted. They were good and tasted like the ones that I've tried in Chinatown. The portions were big, that it took me an hour to finish it. Had my daughter been there, we could have ordered one dish, and it would have been enough for both of us.

Comments

I guess, since the Alabang Town Center caters to the middle and upper middle class groups, food stalls are more careful in food preparation and presentation. Most customers must have tried food from high end restaurants and know about how the food should taste like. Hence, no short cuts and only the best value for money should be serve, to customers with discriminating taste.

My Rating: 4 Stars 

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Tim Ho Wan Restaurant, SM Megamall, Metro Manila

Tim Ho Wan Restaurant, SM Megamall waiting area

  
The other day, my daughter called up for us to try the newly opened Michelin (1 star) rated restaurant, the Tim Ho Wan, in SM Megamall. It was bruited about as the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in
existence.

So, as writers who have the nose for anything new, more so if it is cheap, my daughter and I headed to the site for brunch. We agreed that it is better to be there by past lunch time so the queue would be shorter and more manageable.

Restaurant Staff manning the queue

We were wrong. At past 1pm the queue was still long. However, the placement of customers was fast, so we got seated right away. The place is small as compared to other restaurants  and can only accommodate around 50 diners.

Customers wait patiently to be served

When we looked at the menu, we found not that many choices---as compared to other local restaurants. However, for a Michelin* restaurant, the prices were indeed cheap, ranging from P120 to less than P200 pesos. If there were cuisines higher than P200, I may have failed to notice it. It is not dirt cheap, but it does not cost an arm or a leg either.

We were surprised with the prices. They come cheap and affordable!

We ordered shrimp and shrimp/pork dim sum, fried lumpia wrapped pork, carrot cake, and baked buns with barbecued pork. We had oolong tea to wash away the myriad taste as we savor each and every cuisine. What can I say?  Oh, heavenly! The food has a distinct piquant taste that makes it as one gustatory delight!

Dining area where people from all walks of life congregate

The baked buns with barbecued pork was crispy on the outside, but yummy on the inside. The buns were thin and the barbecued filling was filled to the brim. It has a distinctive flavor that I have not tasted yet in any of the Chinese restaurants in Metro Manila.

Buns with barbecued pork! Oh, heavenly!

The dim sums that we tried--- shrimp and shrimp/pork combination were tops. The queue that we have to endure  was well worth it; and the three hour travel just to reach the place, is something that I will do again just to partake of those sumptuous delights.

What are you waiting for? Go and try it yourself!  :D

yummy filling of the buns

Oolong Tea, Shrimp dimsum and fried wanton with pork/shrimp fillings

Fried shrimp rolls with pork filling

Pork/shrimp dimsum

Carrot pudding

   
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