Every Sunday, my family makes it a point to do things together because it's the only day we really see each other. My sisters are still in school, my mom works late, my dad lives abroad and I'm at the office most of the time.

This Sunday was markedly different from the rest because I decided to come out of hibernating and spend time with them. We had just finished running some errands in the Greenhills area when we decided to have an early dinner. Communication is not one of our quietest suits as a family unit, so there was a lot of yelling. "You decide where to eat!", "I'm okay with anything!" and options being thrown that the rest of the family wouldn't consider were being shouted left and right. Since the rain was casting a gray spell on the rest of the day, I knew that all I wanted to eat was a steaming bowl of soup with strong flavors.

We're creatures of habit so it's very hard to get all of us to try new places to eat. So it was nothing short of a miracle that Mom decided to make a u-turn along Granada and check out Mien San, a Taiwanese restaurant that we had always seen but never bothered to try.

Mien San has been a part of the San Juan landscape for some time now - since 1995, to be exact. I don't know what exactly drew us to this place, but on my end, it was the promise of hot soup with strong flavors that reeled me in.

They gave us complimentary fried wonton skins covered in sugar for starters. These were really good - I could probably eat a whole bowl of this if given the chance.

The first dish to arrive were the Steamed Pork Kutchay Dumplings (P88). The first time I tried these tasty Northern Chinese style dumplings was at the Big Binondo Food Wok hosted by Ivan Man Dy some years ago. These dumplings were served hot, but not piping hot, unfortunately. They were still good - the meat was flavorful and the kuchay added a little bit of texture and color to each and every bite. At Mien San, you can enjoy these dumplings fried or steamed, but I prefer the former.

What Chinese meal would be complete without a serving of xiaolongbao? An order of Mien San's Siao Long Pao will set you back P88 for four pieces, so we ordered two. The best part of this dim sum is carefully lifting it with chopsticks onto your ceramic spoon, trying not to let the steaming hot soup contained within its puffy skin escape before it hits your mouth. There's a small pleasure in sinking your teeth into a hot piece of xiao long bao and feeling the release of the savory pork broth. Dip it in the special vinegar and you're all set for a lovely gastronomical experience.

My sister Yanna ordered the Beef with Tendon Noodle Soup (P228). What I loved about this soup was the simplicity of it, and the generous hunks of tender meat and gooey tendons that were floating leisurely in the bowl. There's nothing that will soothe your senses on a rainy day more than a hearty bowl of noodle soup, in my opinion. My other sister Toni prefered it to my order, and they both shared it.

On the other hand, I ordered the Spicy Beef with Tendon Noodle Soup (P288), which is the same dish, with a little extra kick. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Sprinkled liberally with chili oil, you can clearly see the redness of the soup in the photograph. It completely satisfied my craving for a flavorful soup. Toni's boyfriend, Jorel, preferred this to the original version, so we shared it.

My mom ordered the Mustasa Sichuan Pork with Noodle Soup (P148). While it was good in its own way, it was too leafy and green for my taste. People who go heavy on the veggies would love this. This is the kind of soup I would love if I were sick in bed with a cold.

Jorel ordered the Chicken with Lemon Sauce (P248). This was a dish that we all agreed wasn't very good. When one thinks of chicken with lemon sauce, the most likely image would be of puffy glazed chicken tenders laden with MSG. While there was nothing wrong with the taste of the chicken, per se, I guess we were just expecting something different.

Last but not least was the Mapo Tofu Pot (P188). Taiwanese cuisine has various influences, such as Chinese and Japanese, but this dish had a vague Italian flavor because of its tomato-laden sauce steeped with garlic. This was a winner nonetheless. Pair this with a cup of rice and you have an entire meal! I must admit that this dish was for sharing, and since our noodles filled us up, we had to take this home.

I'm glad I got to go here with my family, as we so rarely get together these days. I'm also glad that we decided to give this place a chance instead of passing it by in favor of other places we'd gone to before.

Mien San is located at 36 Granada Street, Bgy. Valencia, New Manila, QC.

(02) 723-0558