CHELSEA

Gift shopping is one of the things I eagerly await come Christmas. It always excites me to find things perfect for particular people, then crossing their names off my list. Days before Christmas last year, when Tanya Diaz, my colleague, told me she was doing last-minute shopping at Robinsons Galleria, I couldn’t help but ask to tag  along with her (And I’m so happy she agreed!). I also had some gifts left to buy at the time, so I was able to cross out the last few names on my list as well. 

After everything, we were so tired that we wanted to rest and eat dinner together. So, we strolled around the mall and we found Delicious Kitchen by Eat Well. We got excited because we both love their food, so we didn’t hesitate and rushed inside.

TANYA

It took me until December 22 to realize that Christmas was around the corner and that I hadn’t bought presents for anyone yet. Riding the familiar current of rushed Christmas shopping, as usual, I, alongside my Appetite colleague and friend Chelsea, decided to go for a quick stop at the mall that night, right after work. After hours of strolling, choosing, buying and walking, we finally gave up and decided to eat somewhere cheap and non-fast food-y—and lo and behold we found Delicious Kitchen by Eat Well, and so that was where we finally settled in for dinner!   

Here's what we ordered:

Xiao Long Pao (P125)

Chelsea Says:

When we saw Delicious Kitchen, Tanya screamed, “Masarap yung Xiao Long Pao diyan!” And indeed, the little balls of ground pork and fat are so tender and scrumptious, with the flavorful soup inside! I ate it whole, which I think is how Xiao Long Pao should be eaten, to be able to enjoy the soup with the pork together.

Tanya Says:

Whenever I am at a Chinese restaurant, I always make it a point to order Xiao Long Pao, for the reason of possibly reliving the epic gastronomic bliss I felt when I first tried them at a Chinese restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. In fairness to Delicious Kitchen, their Xiao Long Pao proved to have a very close resemblance! Soupy and meaty inside, that dim sum dish was pure joy to the senses.

Hakaw (P165)

Chelsea Says

 I love shrimp so much that Hakaw is my favorite dimsum. The most common problem with other kinds of Hakaw I've tasted was that the shrimps are dry. So I was particularly happy about theirs because they’re so juicy, fresh and big! They also added some bamboo shoots inside to complement the shrimp.  I love it!

Tanya Says 

Although I felt P165 was a bit too much for only three pieces of Hakaw dim sum, the generous size was a consolation—and that it had chopped bamboo shoots, which was quite uncommon and impressive! 

Masachi Balls (P108)

Chelsea Says

At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d like the idea of white chocolate inside sticky rice flour, but with working for Appetite in mind, I needed to be more adventurous. So when I took my first bite into the layer of sticky rice flour, then the melted white chocolate inside, I had an unexpected eye-popping moment that only Tanya has seen. I’m so happy I tagged along! Thank you, Tanya Diaz.  

Tanya Says

Our dinner was culminated by a serving of sweet masachis, which were small rice flour balls that were stuffed with a white chocolate filling. Nothing says dessert better than a shot of oozing white chocolate in your mouth—Yummmm! And in agreement with Chelsea, we both shared that speechless eye-popping moment, to which we both unanimously approved of our lovely simple Chinese dinner. Despite the tiresome shopping spree and long walk around the mall, we nonetheless went home both happy, satisfied and full—thanks to Delicious Kitchen and to Chelsea Lim for sharing quite an enjoyable evening with me!