What's the Color of your Fortune?...

...Mine's Golden. Golden Fortune has been a regular after badminton "hangout" for us..a.k.a. this is where we pig out after sweating it out =)...oh! who can resist the calling of good food paired with good company and topped off with affordable price? DEFINITELY not us =P.

Due to it's location, it's been a while since H and I ate here. So we grabbed the chance to visit Golden Fortune again during one of our errand trips to Manila.

The Food Spread:

SEAFOOD HOFAN

As usual this dish didn't disappoint. The serving is ample and the amount of seafood they included in the dish is enough to make one's mouth water. This order is definitely good for more than one person.

FRIED OYSTER CAKE

I was a bit disappointed when I first saw our order. I thought to myself :"it's so small =("..well, it's not really that small but comparing it to other oyster cakes we've tried in the past..this is a bit smaller. BUT! Everything changed when i took my first bite *yum!*. The oysters are so fresh and meaty...you can almost smell the scent of the ocean with every bite =D. Traditionally, oyster cakes are served with hot sauce or ketchup for dipping but for the oyster cake served at Golden Fortune, we didn't bother to use the dipping sauces because we are able to enjoy more of the fresh oyster taste that way.

FRIED RADDISH CAKE

This is one of my favorite dimsums since I was a child. H liked it too when i first had him try it. We like Golden Fortune's version of this dimsum because of the generous amount of Chinese sausage they included in the cake which gives it a smokey aroma.

PORK SIOMAI

*excuse the two missing pieces of siomai in the picture...the smell of the freshly steamed dimsum is just too tempting to resist*...ho!ho!ho!

Going to a Chinese restaurant and not ordering siomai is like going to a Japanese restaurant and not ordering tempura...so we just gotta have it! We found the siomai a bit too oily...i guess they have to put enough pork fat so the meat won't get too dry during steaming. Except for the oiliness, their siomai tastes really good.

Overall, we are very happy with our meal. As with most Chinese cooking the dishes are a bit oily...that's why Chinese people drink tea with their meals to wash away the oiliness of the food. This is one restaurant we will continue going back to as long as they remain open =D. Aside from dimsum they also serve traditional Chinese dishes and shabu-shabu ( Hot Pot ).

They have an ongoing promo in both their branches offering discounts on dimsum and Shabu-Shabu items at certain hours as follows:

BINONDO BRANCH - 2:30pm-5:30pm

T.M. KALAW BRANCH - 9pm onwards

GOLDEN FORTUNE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Binondo Branch:

G/F Peace Hotel,1283 Soler St., Binondo Manila

Tel. No. +632.244.2777

T.M. Kalaw Branch:

678 T.M. Kalaw St.

Ermita, Manila

Tel. No. +632.522.2288

[Hu:]'s Going Crazy Over Noodles?

Curious about the concept of a restaurant serving only Chinese and Japanese noodles we decided to give [Hu:] a shot.

Upon entering the quaint little restaurant, you will be welcomed by their friendly staff. Since it is our first time to try this place we didn't have much of an expectation...but we were a bit disappointed to see how limited their menu is :

Yes! That's all they have

free steaming hot Korean green tea

The dishes were in Korean ( which made us think that this is more of a Korean noodle house rather than a Chinese/Japanese place ) but with English descriptions. Unfamiliar with what dishes to order, the friendly staff helped us out to their house specialties.

The Food Spread :

JAENGBAN-JAJANGMYEON P250.00

- stir fried noodles with black soy bean sauce served on a large plate

MIL,SIL and FIL shared this order. Upon seeing how dark the sauce is, we expected the dish to be salty but it actually tasted pretty good...not salty at all! There is a hint of sweetness in the sauce.

JJAMPPONG P230.00

- spicy noodle soup

SORRY NO PIC WAS TAKEN...BOO! H WAS TOO EXCITED TO *SLURP* HIS NOODLE SOUP

H's order which the family also had to share. The broth of this dish is heavenly! You can taste the infusion of different seafood flavors and the spiciness adds just enough kick to awaken ones senses...and clear one's sinuses =P

NANG MEMIL-GUKSU P250.00

- cold buckwheat noodles...( but we had it hot )

We specially liked the lightness of the broth used in this noodle dish. Though this noodle soup didn't come with any meat toppings it is very tasty...i say the secret is in the broth!

MUL-MANDU P150.00

- boiled dumplings

The dumplings tasted okay, we've had better dumplings in other places that serve the same.

Overall, the food is okay but we didn't end the meal feeling satisfied..maybe because we are not accustomed to the kind of food they have. A good sign that this is not a bad restaurant is the number of Koreans who were entering and eating in the restaurant....and boy! do they seem to enjoy their noodles =).

[Hu:] CHINESE & JAPANESE NOODLES RESTAURANT

Address: Located along El Grande Ave. BF Homes Paranaque