Chinese food in Manila are heavily influence by Cantonese cooking by way of HongKong. These involves dimsum, roasting, braising, frying, slow-cooked hot pots, rich and flavorful sauces and
savory stews.
savory stews.
However, I also love to try other Chinese dishes like those of the Sze-chuan cuisine.
Sze-chuan or Sichuan cooking are known for their spicy dishes. Quite a robust flavor! They are very liberal in their use of chillies and pepper. Stir-frying is the most common form of cooking a Sze-chuan dish. Images of a sizzling wok with veggies and meat over a high-flame plays on my mind whenever I think of Sze-Chuan dishes.
If you want Sze-Chuan dishes, try to drop a visit to the Sze-Chuan House along Roxas Blvd. Yup, the name sounds very flat and ordinary, and not eye-catching for me. It has been there for
the longest time (since late 70s) but it did not attract my attention until recently. I always pass by this restaurant when I was still in college but it didn't caught my attention for the misconception that it's just an ordinary Chinese restaurant serving the typical Chinese dishes. But when we dropped this place a visit last weekend, we were surprised to see that their menu boasts different varieties of Sze-Chuan dishes along with other Chinese dishes.
the longest time (since late 70s) but it did not attract my attention until recently. I always pass by this restaurant when I was still in college but it didn't caught my attention for the misconception that it's just an ordinary Chinese restaurant serving the typical Chinese dishes. But when we dropped this place a visit last weekend, we were surprised to see that their menu boasts different varieties of Sze-Chuan dishes along with other Chinese dishes.
Oh and I almost forgot, their ambiance also reminds me of those old Chinese restaurants (laminated woodworks, linen tables, incandescent lamps) that we used to visit when we were still young.
We ordered a serving of the KungPao Frog Legs and the Double-Cooked Pork for our lunch.
KungPao Frog legs is a traditional Sze-chuan dish made of stir-fried frog legs cooked with a sweet spicy sauce seasoned with sundried chillies, sliced leeks and garnished with peanuts. A few years back, I already tried the KungPao Chicken that's why we tried the frog legs variety. I am no big fan of frog legs due to the distinct unique flavor of its meat but the dish do taste good. It's not my favorite dish but I can go along with it. My girlfriend loved the dish that she ate a big portion of the frog legs.
The other trademark Sichuan dish of Double-cooked Pork was served next. The Double- Cooked Pork has a long history in Sichuan cooking. I like it better than the frog legs. The dish came in generous portion of pork bacon cuts (not the bacon cold cuts) seasoned with spices(predominantly chillies) and garnished with sliced bell peppers and onions. This stir-fried dish tasted great. They're a bit spicy and salty.
Their Yangchow rice is just ordinary, though it tasted more of like a 'Filipinized' Yangchow rice.
What lies next for us when we go back here are their Dandan Noodles and their rendition of the Mapo Doufu. Another trademark Sze-chuan dishes.
When you visit this place, try to look for the menu items with red exclamation marks as these are the traditional Sze-Chuan dishes. The more the exclamations get, the spicier and hotter it gets. :)
Cheers!
Sze-Chuan House
Aloha Hotel
2150 Roxas Blvd. cor. Quirino Ave.,
Malate, Manila
02 526-8088 ; 02 525-4192
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