I grew up in a somewhat health-conscious Filipino-Chinese family.
We have a large family on the Father's side, and I remember my A-mah (grandmother) would cook so much Chinese food for us on weekends. A-mah taught my mother a lot of her secret recipes, and my mother would recreate the whole Chinese dishes at home.
No, we weren't fond of eating at fast food chains back then. But it was a tradition to hold our family reunions and celebrate holidays in a Chinese restaurant somewhere in Binondo.
I've been to Hongkong twice and there was this authentic Chinese restaurant that had stayed in my memory for the longest time(forgot the name though). I loved the food there so much that it motivated me to look up Chinese restaurants here in Metro Manila with a matching resemblance. Grateful that I was invited recently to try out the dishes at Choi Garden in Megamall to see if the dishes there were as authentic.
Did they pass?
Not quite sure yet.
I might visit the place once more just to make sure. But I still enjoyed my meal nonetheless.
Tucked in one of the largest malls in Manila, this hidden little gem can be considered as one of the better Chinese restaurants around, and me and my tummy both love this place too (something very difficult to achieve as both have incredibly discerning tastes when it comes to Chinese food).
This restaurant's interior is bigger than you might expect, with several upholstered striking red booths that'll surely provide the comfort ,LUCK, and privacy that we are looking for in the first place. Perfect place for those with big families and with children.
Service was quick and polite too.
And because the ghost month has finally ended, Choi Garden offers boxes of Mooncakes just in time for the Harvest Moon or Mooncake festival.
They let us first try the Make-your-own-ShabuShabu Noodle Bowl for 388 pesos.
For the soup base, it was a choice between the double boil pork soup or the Sze Chun spicy soup. I opted for the Double Boil Prok Soup. Not fond of spicy dishes at all.
For the noodle, I opted for the Ramen tand for the toppings, I selected the Beef Brisket Tendon, the crabstick and squid ball.
You can choose 3 of the toppings from this selection.
The noodle soup for me was a bit bland. I was expecting for a flavorful one because of the beef brisket. And I'm not totally sure if the noodles were hand made. I forgot to ask the server. And worse, halfway into the meal, a small, sharp bone fragment from the beef brisket I think, stuck in between my teeth. Fortunately, I did not swallow the thing.
I did enjoyed the crabsticks and squidballs :)
Choi Garden now will be my go-to place whenever I'm craving for pork buns. I never tasted the famous pork buns from the other "famous" restaurant that serves the "famous" pork buns but they said that these are more flavorful and cheaper!
If you would have a steamed pork bun, then the Pork Asado buns from Choi Garden, which is priced for only 99 pesos, is the perfect choice. It’s most definitely the real deal and you won’t be disappointed, I guarantee you. A little reminder though. Do not take these babies home. It won't be as soft but still tasty though(I actually ordered 2 more boxes of these and brought them home).
The menu covers other Chinese standards, such as roast chicken that was impressively succulent and reminded me of an authentic Peking duck I tasted way back.
You can get this for only 280 pesos for one order! Yes, quite affordable. This is one of my favorites here. Perfectly roasted and flavored. Yes, the flavor is somewhat similar to an authentic Peking duck. Especially the chicken skin.
My children love sweet and sour pork dishes. I would recreate a Chowking version at home and they would ask for more. But this Sweet and Sour Pork at Choi Garden is incredible. Tender, flavorful, and Not too sour nor sweet. Perfect and crunchy!
This is only 300 pesos per order. Not bad if you ask me.
And for the dessert, we had the Taro Tapioca (Sago) and it was wonderful. It was creamy and refreshing. It's like a comfort food from my childhood. It has soft chunks of taro and clear little tapioca balls in a background of aromatic coconut milk. It can be served chilled or warm (and now I'm drooling).
They also let us tried the Mooncake but the taste was a bit different from the usual Mooncakes we buy every year. But this was yummy too!
And this is Choi Garden’s very own House Blend Iced Tea. Majority of the ingredients were imported from Hong Kong to maintain the quality and taste.
The verdict?
The dish that really stood out for me was the steamed pork buns. Excellent dough, good filling. And most surprisingly, not too sweet. Other yummy dish was the roasted chicken. The sweet and sour pork was a good choice as well. YUM!
There aren't many places that serve up Chinese specialty dishes so I am really glad that Choi Garden is around to fulfill that craving whenever I'm wanting soft, yummy, pork buns! LOL
Choi Garden SM Megamall is located at the Second Floor of Mega Atrium, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. It is open daily from 10 AM to 10 PM.
Like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/choigardenmegamall.
Follow them on Instagram @CHOIGARDENMEGAMALL.
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