Le Ching tea house

Le Ching tea house shoppesville Greenhills.

Anyone who are familiar to Greenhills shopping center would certainly knew Le Ching tea house. It's been a mainstay of the place since who knows when.

Like most Chinese tea houses, you don't come here for the tea but for the food. But unlike the usual Yamcha menu that is synonymous to tea houses, Le ching is more a Noodle and Rice bowl establishment.

I've been dinning at it's restaurant since I was a kid. It was originally called "North Villa" or "South Villa", actually I quite forgot about it. I think there were two competing stores serving the same menu that over time they then merge into one entity. That's why there are are two independent stores inside Shoppesville. (Le ching 1 and Le ching 2) facing either ends of the mall.

Their Beef and Wonton noodles comes in these small bowl that's seem readily overflowing. It looks like a small dish but the noodle are tightly packed when served that one will find that they're a heaping helping of noodles when untangled.

The soup is salty and as much possible one shouldn't consume. It absorbs the yellow color and shrimp flavor of the thin Hong Kong style noodles. Just let it soak and heat up the noodles.

Eating these noodles remind of a scene from Jackie Chan's Drunken Master film.

When one eats at Le Ching one should order their Spare-rib rice. Much like a Burger is to Mcdonalds or the Gyudon to Yoshinoya, their spare-rice is Le Ching signature dish. That dish alone lays Le Ching's reputation. It's been touted by quite a few food reviewer as the best spare-rib rice in the country. Though such distinction is debatable, Le Ching's a good contender. I myself imagine that it's emergence in the mid- 80's brought about it's popularity to the menu of other small shop Chinese restaurants in the country.

Now mind you I've been eating this stuff for a long time, and even though my taste to it might be a little prejudiced, I've got to admit the quality of the dish sometimes varies from time to time, possibly from the temperament of the cook on that day.(the food are already pre-cooked off-site)

They sometimes use cheaper cuts meat instead of the tastier by the bone spare-ribs piece. And, the rice they use is isn't something to write about. Still when they got it all right, it's unbeatable as a satisfying hunger buster.






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Jipan's - curry rice

 Jipan's bread store is one of the first store here in the country that sells totally organic breads and cakes for decades.
It is also famous for serving various authentic Japanese dishes like ramen and donburi food.

When they first opened their Megamall outlet, which is right besides the main Asian Development Bank in Mandaluyong city, they've been catering to the banks many Japanese executives during lunch time. Their most popular item is their beef curry rice.





Their curry rice is probably my favorite. the quintessential Indian dish by way of Japan is quite popular comfort food for many Japanese and it is something that we Filipino's might find rather familiar. One could say that Jipan's curry rice is like thick sauced version of our beef Caldereta. This is quite evident with shops cut of meat which tend to be chunkier than most Japanese curry rice, but is still tender with a good bite. The sauce is the just the right spiciness and the proper savory flavor without being too masked by the use of spices.
You only need a spoon to eat this stew which is laden in a heart bed of rice. It also come with a side salad of shredded cabbage and corn. I would recommend you try the curry rice with a spoonful of the salad's mayo dressing. Gives it a good creaminess to the dish.

The place at Megamall had just been renovated. It is more like a casual Cafe than fine dinning. It may not look like it, but here you can savor authentic popular Japanese home cook meals in the country that any Japanese salaryman would recognize.





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Kanzhu hand-pulled noodles

 

The present Kanzhu restaurant, near Wilson's ave. San Juan, Used to be a similar looking Hand-pulled noodle restaurant. For Whatever reason, the old restaurant was absorbed by the Kanzhu hand-pulled noodles restaurant group found in Timog ave. Q.C.They both serve Lanzhou-style lamian. I was a little disappointed when the old one closed since they do serve very excellent Lamian noodles, plus the place is close to where I work. I haven't tried out Kanzhu yet, so I was bit apprehensive when they took It's place. Fortunately, my fears are unfounded when I fish they're dishes quite as good.

As you can see I ordered stir-fried noodles with beef and vegetables, my usual order here. You can see it is quite a hefty amount. One order can satisfy 3 people, and for 160 Pesos per order it is a real bargain.

Despite it's oily and starchy appearance, I can finish a whole serving of these and not feel bloated that one get's from eating Chinese food. Those are good sign of a well made fresh natural Chinese noodles.

The original restaurant is manned by a Chinese chef from the mainland, and he makes superb smooth and really chewy noodles. Recently, most of the hand-pulling are now made by highly trained Filipino chefs. The quality of their noodles is quite equal in quality. Like any authentic Lanzhou-style lamian, they only make and pull the noodles upon order. You can guaranty in it's freshness. The soup broth are not that strong in the Mutton taste than in the past but are still equally tasty. It has that clean and refreshing taste that are different to the fatty broth that one gets from chicken and pork.

Lanzhou-style lamian are hand-pulled noodles as famously seen in various culinary documentaries discussing Chinese Cuisine. In fact Hand-pulled or Lamian noodles are just one from various types of noodles. There are Hand-Shave, Hand-cut, extruded type.. just to name a few, but the most common are the Machine-cut type. One can never tell which one is more superior since each one have their own faults and virtues.

There are even different style of hand pulled noodles and each one stems from what region in China it came. Lanzhou-style lamian came from the north-west part of china. Depending on the what they favor there are the Thin kind to a more thicker version of the noodle, with a slight different technique in pulling and twisting to achieved it.

Since Lanzhou is heavily populated by Chinese of Islamic faith, the food tend to be Halal, with the meat and soup broth are of Beef and Mutton. The Mutton smell and flavor is very evident especially to new costumers who are more used to the common Canton style noodles one finds in the Philippines. Unlike it's predecessor that limit itself to just noodles and dumplings, Kanzhu also serves regular Chinese fare for those who wanted a little more variety. Some people might be put-off by the Lanzhou taste, but I would certainly urge them to try it for themselves, and who knows you might get to grow to like it. I sure did.

The Kanzhu restaurant in San Juan is located rather in out away place than the various, more popular eateries that dotted nearby area along Wilson's ave. I would definitely recommend this place, not only to Noodles aficionados, but to any one who wants to have a superb dinning experience with friends and family. You'll be surprised in finding this little gem among roughs. 

This is were you'll find this map handy.

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Kanzhu hand-pulled noodles

8001 Jose Abad Santos, San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines

Ling-Nam noodle house

Ling-Nam brought to mind for those who grew up in the Eighties in the Philippines as one of the quintessential Chinese noodle soup shops in the country.  It's roots in Binondo Manila, it have been long time purveyor of Chinese style Beef brisket noodles Lomi and Wonton noodles as opposed to Ma Mon Luk style noodles soup,or Mami as we call here.

The name alone brought back warm nostalgia of much simpler days. Children who grew up on that era would surely have found memories of enjoying their humble dishes of hearty noodles bath in warm tasty broth. Their own adventures of taking comfort with one these on rainy days, most especially after class.

Ling-Nam  is one of the first in the country to venture in pay-at-the-counter self-service fast food Chinese restaurant, that Chow King would later on dominate. Lin-Nam was moderately successful in this, but it was very successful in getting more people to be more aware of their kind of Chinese dishes that their Beef mami recipe would become standard in the country and influenced most of today's restaurants.

Ling-Nam restaurant is trying to make a comeback by setting itself up as not as fast-food style but the usually sit-down Chinese tea-houses.

The taste of their Beef-Wonton noodle soup is practically the same as I remember when I was a kid. Their Noodles are the thin crinkly kind, is always excellent. It firm but smooth to slurp, and it holds up the flavor of the soup very effectively. The broth is on the sweet and tangy kind with the beef sauce that is added to it. The dish is definitely refreshing with the strange rainy weather we're having right now.

My only gripe is that their wonton dumplings and Siomai seems to be stuck back in the 80's to much that it would not hold up to the more sophisticated  versions we have right now. The fillings are good, but the wrapper is thin and quite very easy in getting mushy. This is rather disappointing for a shop who's business is producing raw noodles and wonton wrappers for other shops.

They also serve standard Chinese fare like chicken, beef, fish, rice dishes and other entree'  besides Noodles, that other discerning costumers can try.

I usually go to their Greenhills branch which is close to my work and my home. It's been open there since 2006. It is a very convenient location and they're open up to late at night, so it's a good place to those who are looking for a good place to eat after long tiring day of shopping at the Tiangge in Greenhills shopping center.



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Ling-Nam restaurant
Greenhills shopping center, San Juan, Metro Manila