Pinsec Noodle House

Location: Ground Floor Capitan Pepe Bldg, Recto Avenue (Near corner Rizal Ave or LRT Recto station). Just across a well known chinese fast food restaurant.
House specialty: Chicken and Beef mami

This is going to be funny. I went to high school and college for around 10 years in the so called university belt area (It includes Recto, Espana, and Morayta streets) and the only food joint that I frequent are the ones literally around University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University. I never ventured beyond the immediate vicinity. When I was in highschool I hardly ate outside because home was just several minutes ride away and I had this thing for fasting recreationally haha. In college I sort of stuck it out with a few food spots. There were Popsy's (not sure if I remember the name right) in front of FEU (best burger steak), my classmate's karenderia near Quiapo hehe, and Kendi Kendi in the old Cartimar (Haha again I'm not sure if I remembered the name right, they had awesome mami or noodle soup dishes). These local foodspots are now long gone to give way to big time fast food restaurants.

Daytime scenes in a cyber punk city

And yes, you read it right. The building the restaurant is located is called Capitan Pepe. It is a very old building. I heard that during World War 2, the japanese occupying forces converted it into a police station. It comes complete with a coat of arms insignia on the facade. Too bad my PS vita can't take a clear shot of it.

Capitan Pepe bldg right across the street along a busy Recto Avenue near corner Rizal Ave. Find the Pinsec House signage! 

Wandering aimlessly

Fast forward to the present. I've been visiting this quaint old mami (Filipino term for chinese noodle soup) shop named Pinsec House (I put the word noodles in the title just for description) which I discovered several years ago while walking aimlessly along Recto avenue haha.They have this full glass window in front of the shop. Inside it is where they assemble bowls of mami. Bowls are filled with half cooked noodles and their simmering soup stock is kept in a huge stainless vessel. When there is an order, the cook then adds chicken, wanton, or beef chunks in the bowl along with some garnish. They then fill it up with their soup stock. Your bowl of mami will be served to you piping hot along with a plate of hot siopao (steamed buns) if you ordered it hehe. Food will be impossible to eat so you will take the time to have chit chat with your companion or just watch the busy street outside the shop while you wait for the hot bowl of mami to cool down a bit.

The first time I stepped inside this restaurant I know food is good because of the smell. Their old style display menu will greet you at the entrance along with the aromatic puffs of steam coming from the front kitchen. It is wonderfully humid in there. I say it in a good way because you know you are getting real food. Everything is cooked in-house and prepared daily. They are not processed and reheated edible items like in most fastfood places.

There used to be a lot of mami joints in Manila in the past but a lot of them have already closed shop. Perhaps no one in their family was not interested in continuing the business? Pinsec is one of those who is still running fine after several decades of operation. You can tell by the old interior and taste of the food they serve. These are the kind of food people from old Manila used to enjoy.

Now they won't give out chopsticks. That is how localized this chinese restaurant has become. Just a pair of stainless steel spoon and fork wrapped in thin table napkin. Condiments are present via plastic bottles of soy sauce and chinese hot sauce (somewhat like sriracha) and a plastic pepper shaker in each old style diner table.

They mainly have three types of mami. Chicken, beef and wonton. Asado and bola bola siopao are also available.

Chicken mami

Beef mami

The taste of old Manila. Soup taste clean. If they are using buillion cubes, they are using it correctly  as buillion cubes should not overpower the soup stock. Noodles are fresh. They are thin round types. Thinner than lomi noodles.

The classic mami and siopao combination

Asado siopao

Pinsec use little chunks of braised beef which are tender and tempting to eat with fried rice hahaha. They garnish it with slivers of vegetables. The siopao (29 pesos) has this awesome dough that taste sweet (but not too much) and fluffy. The filling are typical pork asado and meatball for bola bola. They are a pleasure to eat while still warm.

After you fnish your meal, you will find yourself paying in front of the cashier which still use a very old bulky cash register which from the looks of it was manufactured in the 50's.

I also like how they price their items. As of this writing, their regular bowl costs 65 pesos. But their large bowl cost only 70 pesos. So naturally you will be more inclined to upgrade your order unless you are not that hungry. It's like they are forcing you but not in an aggressive way unlike what fast foods do where they bunch in items into value meals so you are forced to purchase food products (like ice from their half filled softdrink glass) that you really do not want to eat. Or you can just order ala carte burger and ask for water. Nothing is stoppping you haha.

Siopao steamer. Always piping hot!

Meals in Pinsec House are very satisfying and affordable. A meal of large mami and soiopao will set you back just over a hundred pesos. General environment is relaxed and not pretentious. You can go in in your pambahay (house attire) wear or even in pajamas and no one will judge you haha. This is place is still doing great. They have this very consistent steady stream of hungry customers although I haven't seen it full to capacity. Probably because I drop there usually during odd hours after lunch time. I have not got the opportunity to do some chit chat with the lady servers to find out more about the history of this old restaurant. I never do any interviews because I want their story to be told casually like they are passing around some rumor or secret information haha. I do not want to hear any prepared answer. I want real stories straight from the horse's mouth. I'll update this post for some additional stories once I get the info.

It was a really hot day and I need sugar

Service: This place, the building that they are located in, and the neighborhood is really old school Manila. Staff are polite. Some people who are used  eating in airconditioned restaurants will find this a bit difficult but not impossible. I always sweat after I finish a bowl of mami. It is a very minor inconvenience considering the food that you will be having.

Menu: They also have siomai soup for 30 pesos for those who are really in a tight budget. Menu is really simple. A few variations of mami and their steamed siopao plus the obligatory bottled softdrinks.

Value:They regularly update their pricing to reflect their production cost.That's amazing! Food is so affordable you can walk away with your stomach full of noodles for less than 200 pesos.

What Food Spots say about Pinsec House:

RECOMMENDED

We urge everyone to try it out!

Su Zhou Dimsum

Good to be back again. I gave myself a vacation from writing last month because my mother recently passed away on February 6, 2016 of natural causes. So I have to hold off working on posts that were in the pipe line. This post is dedicated to my mother Nora Reyes Vigilia, who nurtured my love for discovering and appreciating good food. And encouraging me to read all those encyclopedias and books she brought from La Salle grade school library along Taft (It was being phased out and they were disposing old books) were she worked as a faculty member and librarian. A lot of those books and along with the recipe books that she bought from the bookstores made me aware that beyond Lola's great cooking at home, there are a lot of awesome food out there just waiting to be discovered.

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings

New location since 2015

Location: 1740 Mabini Street, Malate, Manila.
House Specialty: Dimsum and Noodle dishes

Su Zhou Dimsum is located along Mabini street near (around 200 meters away from) the historic Malate Church. I first heard about this 24 hour chinese restaurant from Page (Food Spots researcher). After one of those late nights with her friends, they end up in this homey joint. She was so excited to tell me about her new find and we soon scheduled a food trip to Malate so I can try out the noodles and dimsum she was raving about.

So off we went to a portion of Malate that I seldom go to. There is so much going on in Malate and Ermita that I (a native of Manila city) might not be able to visit all those food joints in my lifetime hahaha.

Before we proceed, just a friendly reminder. If you find the pics looking like coming from an early 2000's pic album is because I am using a PS Vita to document my food trips.

Worth mentioning first is their house tea which they readily serve in a hot teapot while you are waiting for your dine in order. Unlike many japanese or chinese restaurants here in Manila where you would have to ask for it. For people not familiar with it, the house tea is most often for free and it is perfectly okay to ask for them if you are in such a place if they do not serve it to you at the onset.

Kuchay dumplings and a pot of house tea

My first order from Su Zhou which I shared with Page were the famous Xia Long Pao Dumplings (4 pcs for 100 pesos), Beef Noodle Soup (155 pesos) and the Fried Noodles with Beef (180 pesos). The noodle soup here comes in a big bowl. Good enough for two. I love the way the noodles snap whenever you bite it. The noodles here are never soggy. They are always perky! Somewhat like al dente because I think they are using a mix of rice and wheat flour. And if you are lucky, they might include a big piece of  braised beef chewy tendon in your bowl, just what I got in my last visit before posting this article! Yummy!

Mixed Meat Fried Noodles

Freshly steamed Xiao Long Pao Dumplings

Now the dumplings are something else. They use the same dough from their noodles so you get that "snap" in each bite. It is quite addicting. I'm not sure if everyone else experience the snap. Maybe it is just me, haha! For the xiao long pao, do not wait for the dumpling to cool down because you will just get an icky jelly instead of hot soup when you proceed to bite and slurp the hot filling inside. I usually eat xia long paos by picking it up with a chopstick and caressing it with the ceramic spoon. The idea is that when I begin eating the dumpling, all the juice that I'll miss will go to the spoon thereby avoiding wastage of good food. Instead of putting the whole thing in your mouth as there is a good chance the soup inside will be too hot and will just burn your taste buds. I also order Steamed Kuchay Dumplings (8 pcs for 130 pesos) when I have company. The kuchay dumplings which are actually made from ground pork and what have you (hehe) and a very generous portion of minced kuchay (like green onion) are pretty straight forward when it comes to devouring those dumplings.

A plate of Kuchay Dumplings

Make sure to dip them in their vinegar wine-ginger sauce, which is my fave, to add another dimension to the dumplings' taste or the chili oil if you prefer spicy food. Although I see some people who are used in eating siomai with the usual soy sauce and calamansi can request these items from the servers.

Awesome dumpling sauce

We wash it down with Su Zhou's house tea which I believe consists of a jasmine and oolong mix. That's so fun! That was one of the few moments that my tummy was so happy! Hot tea does wonder to our digestive system. And the tea will help you from not feeling too heavy nor dizzy from all those food. So we went home very happy on my first trip to Su Zhou.

Hot tea

Six years later, I find myself going back again and again to that wonderful dimsum spot. I've been visiting the place countless of times. They used to be located in an old building along Mabini street beside an equally awesome japanese izakaya place called Mizuzu. But since 2015, they moved to a better location to a new building just across the street from their original location. They share the building with Red Planet Hotel and 7-11. And a good thing is that they are still open 24 hours a day. Whenever I feel like it, after my last day of the week from work (which I log out early in the morning), I go to Manila Bay for a morning walk and have brunch at Su Zhou to start a perfect and relaxing day off from work.

Old and new signages

They also have branches in Greenhills and Binondo by the way. But I am loyal to the Malate branch because of their location hehe

My favorite noodle dish there are the beef noodle soup and the mixed meat fried noodles.They have their noodles swimming in a hearthy beef broth which includes chunks of braised beef, slivers of vegetables and seaweed for an extra umami kick. The fried noodles are delightful, recommended for those looking for delicious, greasy, affordable comfort food. I also tried the Spareribs Noodle Soup (155 pesos) and Goto Noodle Soup (160 pesos) . I recommend it if you are fan of pork ribs or beef tripe.

Beef Noodle Soup

Goto Noodle Soup

Next on my list is the dimsum dishes. You can order them by sets of four pieces (some dimsums come with 8 pcs). They also come as soup dishes. What always get me is the way they serve the vinegar wine-ginger sauce. The ginger slivers always seem to evoke a zen like random arrangement everytime the servers garnish the sauce. I also tried the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (4 pcs for 130 pesos)

Xia long pao and a bowl of half eaten noodle soup

I also tried a few varieties of their fried rice: Su Zhou, Seafood, and Mustard (150 pesos per order). Which is good for two if you have ordered other carb items on the menu. One of the characteristics that I am looking for in a good fried rice is if they smell and taste like they were fried in a very hot cast iron wok or skillet. And the fried rice here taste like that. Awesome!

Su Zhou Fried Rice. Hmmm amoy kawali (It's a compliment).

If you like the idea of a cartilagenous beer food dish, I recommend the Beef Tendon dish (I forgot the price, will update this). They serve you a plate full of beef tendons drizzled with their braise sauce. Perfect with beer!

They also have congee dishes. I tried the Goto Congee and Pork with Century Egg Congee (Not sure if that is the name in the menu and I forgot the details will update). The goto is very much like the porridge with beef tripe (tuwalya) that you can eat at most lugawan joints. While the pork and century egg congee is self explanatory. They serve it in a big bowl, so if you are eating alone, you will be in trouble if you order more than 2 side dishes to go with their congee haha.

Pork and Century Egg Congee

When there are days that I just want to have a light meal, I either order the Dumpling Soup (will update also) or the Dumpling Noodle Soup (150 pesos) or Wanton Noodle Soup (155 pesos). They are kuchay and shrimp dumplings or wantons served in a clear soup and fresh noodles. They are light tasting but fills you up.

A lonely bowl of Dumpling Soup

Also a must try is their Mapo Tofu (will update). One order is good for 2 to 3. We like to jack up the hotness level of this dish with a few spoonfull of the house chili sauce available on the table.

Delicious Mapo Tofu

And there are too many items in their menu that I haven't tried all of them haha. And I won't even attempt to, I have lots of places to visit. But I sure will come back to this place as long as they serve good noodles and dimsum. Looking forward to another late night gig or event in Malate so we can have an after party food trip here.

After our band's performance in a 2015 halloween event in Malate. To end the night, we trooped to this joint to gorge on chinese food. With Page and Nono. 

Mustard Fried Rice

Service: What I like from their interior and general atmosphere is that they are not pretentious, very much like a mom and pop vibe, and they are open 24 hours a day. And they welcome everyone unlike this pioneering Ma mi restaurant along Quezon Avenue where we got the cold shoulder from waiters busy serving the"regular clients" (we sat there for 20 mins and nothing happened until we left while the other table already got their order). Staff are polite and helpful if you have questions about the menu. Place is clean enough and does not smell (that goes for the restrooms as well). Good airconditioning. Everyone will be comfortable here. Serving time is reasonable and they will tell you how long you will have to wait for dishes that will take time to prepare.

Menu: They will overwhelm you with choices hahaha. If you will be visiting them for the first time, I recommend a dumpling and a noodle dish order. You can also buy frozen dumplings for take out (will update details) which I don't do currently because I do not have time to cook or even reheat at home nowadays.

Value: 100 pesos for 4 pieces of quality xiao long pao dumplings, I do not expect someone who will complain about the price for this dimsum house. They should be affordable to everyone who regularly eat at fastfood restaurants... and considering Su Zhou serves real food.

What Food Spots say about Su Zhou:

RECOMMENDED

We urge everyone to try it out!

SNITZ Schnitzels

This should have been posted last week of December but work schedule, holiday rush, and caring for an additional dog (Monzo) sort of ate my time in finishing this entry. But all is well guys. Happy New Year fellow food spotters! And something wrong with my connection, I can't upload the pictures, will upload it later or tomorrow.

Location: 2nd Level Fairview Terraces, QC (Across Max's)
House Specialty: Chicken and Fish Schnitzels

Snitz!

Squid rings and chicken nuggets w fries ensemble.

Chicken Nuggets!

Fish and Chips!

For those who love to eat deep fried food, you will be glad that one of our mall overlords (Oh Hail Ayala) has gifted us with another foodie gem that got its inspiration from a popular food item that originated in Europe. Snitz specialize in schnitzels. If you are not familiar with the name schnitzel, they are meat or any other cutlet coated in batter and then deep fried to crispy perfection. This food establishment mainly serve chicken and fish schintzels although you can also order nachos, sausage and squid rings. Beer food!!! Hehe.

Squid Rings with tomato ketchup sauce.

Chicken Snitzel sandwich.

Chicken schnitzels seem to be the best seller judging from what people are ordering whenever I visit the place. But I come there for the Fish and Chips! When I was a kid I read a lot of foreign magazine/news articles, and one of those that piqued my interest is fish and chips. Now, there were no such thing as internet or foodie hip communities back in those days, so I was left to just imagine what would fish and chips would taste like. Later on I found out that ordering the fish fillet meal from McDonald's is something like what I was hankering for. There's the fish with tartar sauce. And there's the chips... or fries. It just comes in sandwich form!

It took some time for me to see fish and chips to be included in many restaurant's menu. My favorites are the beer battered ones from Chuck's Grub (Why did you closed your store in Trinoma!) and Napoli (Already closed in Fairview). As you see, the restaurants that I go for fish and chips have already closed shop although Chuck's still has one store left at The Fort, Taguig which is very far and so out of the way from where I live and work. So me and Page (future contributor) were very happy (she used to eat fish and chips there for consecutive days when she was not yet vegan)  that Fairview Terraces let Snitz open shop in their sacred church... I mean mall, that is very near to where I live. Snitz alone is a good reason for me to go out there and endure the short but tiresome commute every other week so I can have my dose of fish and chips at a very reasonable price of 98 pesos that includes your typical glass of super-charged-with-sugar iced tea. For those who do not know me, I hate diabetes inducing sweet drinks. As if fastfood restaurants are treating everyone like kids that they have to bundle softdrinks or iced "tea" (which is really watered down flavored syrup/powder) with their meals. I end up just drinking water from the tap or just drinking half of it if I am really thirsty and need something cold.

When you step in to the store, right away you know you are in a good place because the aroma of spices (either garam masala or coriander) permeates the air along with the good ole smell of frying chicken and potatoes. If you are a beer drinker, it is very easy to love this place as the interior reminds you of a cozy beer pub. They do have a liquor license displayed but they do not serve beer hehe. They serve chicken and fish schnitzels with fries, fried calamaris, sausage, mojos, and schintzel sandwich and rice meals.

A boat of fried delicious food.

They serve the food in cute steel wire serving racks shaped like a boat. Service time is reasonable and they will tell you if you if there is a long wait time especially during dining rush hours as they will only start to fry and do their magic only when there is an order. Food is great! The golden brown schnitzels are always hot and crispy perfect with cold beer... if there is one. The fries they serve are sprinkled with cayenne powder and a mix of spices which I cannot discern. Something like a teeny weeny bit of garam masala or coriander. I am not that curious though, I try not to bother myself too much about its spices because I do not have any plans in recreating them at home haha.

Fish and Chips!

The chicken schnitzels are awesome. Crispy chicken fillets served with either rice or fries. They also have chicken schnitzel sandwich which I love. Their fries are the thick homemade cut ones. Fatter and better than McDonalds'. Although the dips (sweet n sour, tartar, and mustard mayo) does not interest me. Then there are the fish schnitzels which is equally awesome. The golden batter does the trick. The batter is the strength of Snitz. I haven't tried nachos and their sausage for the reason that I come there for the fish hehe. Tried squid rings but the last time I ordered it, it was rubbish. No kidding. But the first few times I tried it, they were awesome. The joint blowing hot and cold. I hope they already put their act together as it is already more that a year since they opened shop. Will try out their squid again in the near future and I will update this section.

Only downside that I experienced at this joint was on the first several months after they opened. Food quality was so inconsistent that it was like order at your own risk. We were served soggy french fries bought from the supermarket and wilted squid rings. That was due to the fact that they were experiencing supply issues and the original fry cook was replaced by people who did not know what they were doing. Page dutifuly complained about the food and it looked like they listened. As after a few months of absence, I revisted them and good food is being served again at Snitz!

How I wish they have a stand alone establishment somewhere along a quiet roadside that serve cold beer hehe. Their food is perfect with beer I tell yah. But you will be surprised that a lot of kids and college students patronize the joint.

Close up.

Service: Very Satisfactory. Although I wish they automatically include the table napkins when they serve the food haha. I believe they have already overcome their first-few-months-awful-food-stage haha. Been there for consecutive weeks and food was awesome.

Menu: Like I said, great beer food! They got to have a stand alone establishment where they serve beer. I think they will be a hit somewhere in Cubao, Makati or Timog.

Value: Totally worth it. With taste and quality that can give big fasfood restaurants good competition, you can't argue with a 108 peso chicken sandwich or a 98 peso fish and chips value meal.


What Food Spots say about Snitz:

RECOMMENDED
We urge everyone to try it out!