Shi Lin

Shi Lin at the Podium,  like Crystal Jade and Lugang, serves xiao long bao among other dimsum choices. The limited menu also offers noodle soups and rice toppings. It wasn't the xiao long bao that attracted us when we were checking out the menu but the noodles with spicy sesame and peanut sauce. Hmmm....So we ordered it plus the wonton noodle soup , vegetable buns and just to try their version, the xiao long bao. 

The xiao long bao is ok. The wrapper was firm enough to hold the soup inside but the filling was a bit tough for me. The xiao long bao of Lugang is better. Or perhaps it was just one of those days for the guys making this dimsum..

xiao long bao

The vegetable buns are just ok for me. It had a mild bitter after taste, I won't order this the next time.

vegetable buns

This is the noodles with spicy sesame and peanut sauce. It was served lukewarm , intentional I think and it was very rich! The sauce was good ,specially with the spicy sesame but it was thick that you needed some sort of  a chaser , or in this case, soup from the wonton noodles to dilute it  after a couple of spoonfuls. Make sure to share this noodles 'coz you will pause midway after having too much of that rich peanut sesame sauce. 

Noodles with Spicy Sesame and Peanut Sauce

Wonton Noodle Soup

The wonton noodle soup is ok. The clear soup tasted so mild, almost bland but at least it wasn't salty.  The wontons are better than the xiao long bao for me. 

Talking Tongues

Talking Tongues, located at the ground floor of LPL Manor along Leviste St in Salcedo Village serves Indonesian - Chinese cuisine. It offers the usual satays, beef rendang, gado-gado salad and other rice or noodle dishes.

We ordered the laksa and the seafood and mixed vegetables with rice.

Seafood and Mixed Vegetables with Rice - P275

The seafood and mixed vegetables with rice is ok but not really distinctly Indonesian, more of Chinese,  except for the spice. It had fish fillet chunks, squid, shrimps  and a lot of veggies. Good for two persons but you can skip this next time.

Laksa P275

The laksa on the otherhand is really, really good. It was creamier than the traditional Singapore laksa but tasted as great. It was  moderately spiced with lots of chicken and tofu and  Indonesian kropek on top. I highly recommend their laksa.  I will visit Talking Tongues again to try their version of the nasi goreng.

Tao Yuan at Resorts World

Finally, I've tried Tao Yuan. Apparently, according to some food blogs ,  it's the best Singaporean food in Manila with the best Hainanese chicken and even the Singaporean embassy agrees. The original branch is in Malate but we tried the one in Resorts World's Newport Mall. Good thing we came early coz the entire place was reserved . They seated us at a  table outside which was ok since after only a few minutes, there's a waiting list already.

Their menu is actually a combination of classic Chinese dishes, Chef's recommendations and a separate menu for traditional Singaporean food.

We ordered  one half  boneless hainanese chicken with hainanese rice and  crispy noodles with assorted seafood.

Half Boneless Hainanese Chicken P450+
Hainanese Rice P50 per cup

The hainanese chicken was good. It was tender and boneless but a few pieces still had bones but it was definitely good and superior than Wee Nam Kee for me. They served it with enough sauce and on top of sliced cucumber slices. You have the usual ginger garlic , soy sauce and chili on the side. It was perfect with the chicken rice! 

crispy noodles with assorted seafood P370+

We love the crispy noodles with assorted seafood.  The clear thick sauce didn't taste like the usual sauce they use on Chinese noodle dishes, it wasn't salty and heavily seasoned so you can taste more of the seafood. It had fish fillets, shrimps , squid, scallops, mushrooms and polonchay or Chinese pechay? ( or kale??) .  This dish is a must order! 

Both the chicken and the crispy noodles are good for 3 persons but we managed to finish everything! We even got a complimentary dessert from our server. He gave us almond lychee with fruits, thank you! Service was great , needless to say. 

By the way, the house tea is very good too.We'll definitely go back to Tao Yuan! 

Tummy Trip in Europe: I got a high with these Dutch Treats!

I love Amsterdam! I love the global cuisine, the hustle and bustle of this vibrant cycling city, the canals, the nightlife...it was just so alive! No wonder teens and party goers from all over Europe are packing the Dutch capital during weekends! There's so much you can do in Holland, you can visit the cafes that are scattered all over the city for a good meal, watch a concert at the Heineken Music Hall, check out the Van Gogh and other museums, hang out at the Dam Square, shop til you drop and try the "coffeeshop" for you know what hehe..

Anne Frank's house behind me..

The nice thing is that the city is very accesible from Schipol, just take the train going to Centraal station and you have access to the metro already  to get to your choice hotel or you can simply walk from there.

These are just some of the Holland goodies we were able to take pictures of:

grilled chicken platter at the Mexican

carne asada

Wok to Walk ,  a fast food hole in the wall in Amsterdam , lets you choose the kind of noodle or rice you want and the toppings ( seafood, veggies, meat ) and the sauce. I had rice noodles with shrimp, pineapples and curry sauce. It was really good!!! And it was perfect with the cold weather that day in Amsterdam.

shrimp, pineapple with curry sauce on rice noodles at Wok to Walk 

They have Belgian fries/frites all over the city too. We tried Chipsy King. It was delicious if not the best.

drool!!!!!!

This pizzeria was near the Dam square. Heineken and beer!!!

yummy pizza!!!

Using the remaining euro coins at Schipol..They have the McKroket , a Dutch original : )

 

 Amsterdam is a must see! Oftentimes I find myself in Schipol just  for the connecting flight but this city definitely deserves a visit of its own.

TummyTrip Europe: Seafood, Pizza and Pasta in Vienna

Four days in Vienna, four days of good food! A run down of memorable eats in the Austrian capital:

Hawaii Pizzeria. We just came from Prague and this pizza place is the nearest to our hotel. We got the minestrone soup, vegetarian pizza and chicken schnitzel with fries and salad . Everything was good.

minestrone soup

vegetarian pizza

chicken schnitzel with frites and salad

After doing intense cardio ( haha!) after visiting Shonbrunn Palace, given the kilometric walks exploring the entire place ..we had to eat at the metro station for a quick snack before the next meal. Actually, the quick snack meant a full serving of duck rice bowl and spring rolls. The duck rice bowl was really good. The skin was crispy, the meat tender and teriyaki sauce wasn't salty. The spring rolls were ok too.

duck rice bowl at the metro station , tramway sushi , yum!

At Nordsee, a self service casual dining restaurant serving mostly seafood. This is the best find in all of Vienna if you love seafood. A good break from all the meat in Prague hehe..

at the Stephansplatz branch

yummy!!!

shrimp cocktail and seafood paella..really good! 

transferred to the nearby cafe for dessert...

chocolate macaron and cheesecake-- sinful desserts! worth the sugar

Italian dinner one night. We ordered the margherita pizza and seafood marinara pasta. Both were delicious.

marinara pasta ..good!

 

If you take the metro U2 going to Olympiaplatz , you will reach Stadion mall. From downtown Vienna to this huge mall by the Danube in just 15 minutes. 

Tried the Chinese buffet. From soup to dessert , every dish was good and worth going back for more servings haha specially the hot and sour soup, chow mein noodles , lemon chicken and sweet and sour shrimp. 

Fine global cuisine in an elegant baroque setting, that's food tripping in Vienna. I surely miss this magnificent and beautiful city. I won't mind going back to explore other culinary treats that would please even Mozart himself.