Lukewarm feelings for Wee Nam Kee

Given the hype that this restaurant has received, and the long lines I would always see in every branch, I had rather high hopes for Wee Nam Kee. C and I decided to dismiss any negative feedback about the place and tried it for ourselves so we can once and for all prove them wrong (or right).

True enough, despite being there early, there were already people lining up to get a taste of their Singaporean dishes. I couldn't help wondering if these were regular customers or first-timers like us. I thought, if they have this many loyal customers, the food must be that good.

After getting settled and getting a chance to look around the interiors of the restaurant, I noticed the set of light bulbs uniquely placed inside what seemed to be bird cages. I thought this was a very creative twist on the traditional chandelier. (I found this very interesting that I imagined replicating it in my own house in the future :))

One look on the menu and I immediately got the impression that Wee Nam Kee's dishes offered good value for money. The price range was definitely beyond reasonable, and this is perhaps one of the reasons why people flock to this restaurant.

C and I ordered one dish each, plus some Hong Kong Style Birthday Noodles for sharing.

What I liked about the noodles was that they didn't scrimp on the ingredients. In Filipino, it was masahog. There were generous pieces of mushroom, bell pepper, shrimp, onions, carrots, etc. It had a well-balanced seasoning -- not too salty and not bland either. It was good for 2 to 3 persons, so I think it was definitely good value for money.

HK Style Birthday Noodles (P 255)

I was pretty excited about the Hainanese Chicken (I ordered the Steamed Chicken Rice) because this was the dish that Wee Nam Kee was really known for. The chicken arrived at our table a bit too cold. Now, ultimately, I think what really completes this dish are the sauces and seasoning. And perhaps the reason why it's difficult to find outstanding Hainanese Chicken is the fact that the sauces taste practically the same. I mean, how many other different ways can hoisin sauce, chili sauce and ginger really taste, right? I guess that's the challenge for restaurants now -- how do you make YOUR version of Hainanese Chicken really stand out?

So anyway, the Hainanese Chicken was good, but it wasn't exceptional. And I guess I was expecting it to be so because the restaurant is called "Wee Nam Kee - Hainanese Chicken Rice" after all.

Steamed Chicken Rice (P 168 - personal set)

C thought the Wee Nam Kee Pork Chop Rice sounded very promising, and so he decided to have that as his order. However, when it arrived, it looked a lot less appetizing than how it sounded. It was just plain breaded pork with sweet and sour sauce poured over it. And as C put it, it looked and tasted like cafeteria food. Needless to say, we were quite disappointed with this one.

Wee Nam Kee Pork Chop Rice (P 178)

After our meal, C and I ended up having lukewarm feelings for Wee Nam Kee. We weren't too satisfied with what we ate, although some dishes had some decent highs.

I honestly feel that Shiok (read the post on Shiok here) offers better tasting and better value dishes for those seeking a Singaporean dining experience.


THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 3.5 out of 5 - It was decent, but not a restaurant I would recommend

Wee Nam Kee is located in Ayala Triangle Gardens, Ayala Avenue, Makati City. Telephone number: 846-8924.

I'll give Kenji Tei Ramen House a second chance

C and I have recently started our search for the best ramen in town. We crave for good ramen whenever we want to have good dinner, but one that wouldn’t necessarily leave us feeling guilty for eating far too much. 

On one of our dates, we chanced upon Kenji Tei Ramen House in Greenbelt 5. It was a Friday night, and not unexpectedly, it was packed! Good thing they had a table for two left for us. I liked the modern Japanese interiors of the place, although I felt that the tables were too near each other, not allowing enough space for private conversations. The slightly cramped space can also be a source of discomfort for diners like us who tend to order more than usual – and end up squeezing our bowls and plates in a small table.

I thought the logo was cute :)

I liked the interiors, but I wish there was more space

For starters, to get our metabolism going while we waited for the ramen, we ordered the Crunchy Kani Maki. It was a very generous serving of gorgeous looking maki topped with crunchy bits of tempura breading, some strips of kani dipped in Japanese mayo, and roe. I loved the added texture coming from the tempura breading as well as the flavor coming from the mayo. Each piece was literally a mouthful. I had to think twice about how I would make it fit in my mouth. My only criticism about this dish is that it wasn’t too intact and would break apart fairly easily.

Crunchy Kani Maki (P288)

Now, who would've thought cheese and gyoza would go well together? The Cheese Gyoza certainly put a cheesy twist to your ordinary gyoza. Inside the fried wrap was ground meat and cream cheese, which when dipped in the mayo dressing tasted delicious. It could use more cheese though, because I found myself having to take a couple of bites to get to the cheese.

Cheese Gyoza (P198)

Finally, our ramen was served. The owner of Kenji Tei (who incidentally was C's acquaintance) humbly suggested to try any of the miso based ramens because these were specialties of the house. We ordered the Miso Butter Corn Ramen because after all, who could go wrong with butter? It completely slipped my mind that I don't like eating corn when it's mixed with other kinds of food. For me, it's best when eaten alone. In any case, I was willing to give it a try. 

The bowl looked appetizing and smelled lovely when it arrived. C and I were quite disappointed with the taste, though. There were lots of different flavors coming from the dish, but they didn't quite mix well together. The miso base was decent but not so flavorful and so I expected the flavors of the other ingredients to compensate. But the combination of the subtle miso flavor, the taste of the corn, plus the flavor coming from the beansprouts and the other vegetables didn't sit well on my tongue.

Miso Butter Corn Ramen (P348 - large)

Because I enjoyed the kani maki and the gyoza, I think this restaurant has potential. I dunno, maybe we just ordered the wrong dish. I'm willing to come back to try their other ramens. If it changes my first impression (or even if it doesn't), I will most definitely let you gourmandes know :)

For reservations, see below:

THE GOURMANDE'S SCORE: 3.5 out of 5 - Great maki and gyoza, but the ramen could be so much better

The Best of the Holidays 2011

Happy New Year! My apologies for being MIA the past three weeks. The holiday festivities had me going from one reunion to the next, piling up calorie after calorie from all the delicious Christmas lunches and dinners. Despite the extra pounds, the great thing about all the holiday binging is that I got to try plenty of great dishes that I can share with you, my fellow gourmandes.

What follows is a compilation of some of the best dishes that I enjoyed during the break. This is just one of the reasons why Christmas is my favorite time of the year :) Enjoy!

1. Seared Salmon - The Stock Market, Bonifacio High Street

P650

My team and I celebrated our 2011 wins with our agency partners over lunch at The Stock Market in BHS. This, I would have to say, was my favorite among all the dishes we ordered. The Stock Market takes pride in serving dishes with only the freshest ingredients and their Seared Salmon did not disappoint. Just by its look and fragrant smell, I knew it was going to be delicious. The salmon was cooked very well, with no trace of that fishy stench. It was tender but they managed to keep the fish meat intact. The salmon's flavor was brought out even more by the caper tomato sauce. The garlic mashed potatoes had small bits of garlic inside, which was absolutely yummy.

2. Mozzarella Toast and Pizza Margherita - Green Tomato, Shangri-La Mall

Ever since my friend Avery announced that she's having a baby, we all cannot wait for the little angel to come! And so when she revealed the news, we all agreed to organize a baby shower for her. This meant months of planning -- over food, of course :) We had our first planning meeting a few days before Christmas (which doubled as a Christmas reunion, too) in Green Tomato.

The Mozzarella Toast was a great way to start our meal. Outside was a nicely toasted crust that was tasty and crispy. Inside was a delicious filling of mozzarella and tomatoes that went perfectly with the anchovy tomato sauce.

Mozzarella Toast - P195

Pizza Margherita is one of my favorite kinds of pizza because if its simplicity. Green Tomato's Pizza Margherita was delightfully simple, with generous amounts of cheese, fresh tomatoes and some pesto. The thin crust was just the right amount of crunchy.

Pizza Margherita - P190 for personal, P545 for large

3. Dimsum and Beef Curry - Choi Palace, Eastwood Mall

The day after Christmas, before my family and I went back home from our trip in Clark, we had a scrumptious dinner at Choi Palace in Eastwood. With the quality of Chinese food in this restaurant, it's like a more affordable version of Peking Garden. Below are, in my opinion, the highlights of our meal.

I enjoyed the dimsum in Choi Palace because I felt like we got our money's worth. The Pork and Shrimp Siomai and the Hakaw were packed and siksik, with no trace of extenders at all. Inside the Hakaw was a generously big piece of shrimp. Their Xiao Long Bao is one of the best ones I've tried. It was packed with meat and flavorful hot soup inside, and came with yummy black vinegar for even more flavor.

Pork and Shrimp Siomai

Hakaw

Xiao Long Bao

What I liked about the Beef Curry was that it had a very subtle curry flavor. The sauce was a lot more creamy than normal curry, which I think people who do not like the strong taste of curry would enjoy (like me and my dad). It also had a generous serving of beef, which again, I feel gave us good value for our money.

Beef Curry

Christmas season is always the perfect excuse to let go a little and feast on as much delicious food as we want. :) Best of all, it's the perfect time to spend meaningful moments with our family and friends, look back at the year that passed, be thankful for the many blessings we've received, and be hopeful for the many more blessings we know we will come our way in the new year.

Happy 2012, my fellow gourmandes. Cheers to more gourmandizing this year!