"Makansutra, founded by entrepreneur-photojournalist KF Seetoh, celebrates the best of Asian Food Culture and Lifestyle. KF Seetoh, the Guru of Grub, has been championing street food culture in many ways. He was accorded and recognised as Singapore’s Food Ambassador by then President Mr SR Nathan. After a decade in the media industry, Seetoh put a lucrative photography business aside and founded Makansutra in 1997." - www.makansutra.com
Makansutra Hawkers Manila opened it's doors last September in SM Megamall and it features over ten hawker stalls that serve a wide array of delectable Asian food and beverage choices. I dare say, the hawker dishes are as authentic as you can get.
Each hawker has their own specialties and I tell you, it will take several more visits for me to sample all the dishes that caught my attention (kahit picture lang sa signage, natakam nako!) -- chili crabs, cheese roti, clay pot rice, laksa, among others.
When they invited me to lunch recently with a few other families (I brought the boy with me), we were able to sample their latest offering:
Makan Lunch Meals, for only Php199. Each meal proved to be very satisfying. Value for money talaga. Add Php20 and you can Soup-all-you-can!
Before lunch was served, our hosts, both esteemed chefs and entrepreneurs, Him Uy de Baron and JJ Yulo, welcomed us with a ceremony. We all joined the Yusheng/Yee Sang a.k.a. Prosperity Toss with this fresh and festive raw fish salad from HK Old Chun Kee stall.
The higher you toss the salad, the more luck it brings this Chinese New Year. Even the kids took part in pouring the sauces and had fun tossing the salad just like everyone else. It was delicious and refreshing -- a perfect appetizer for the parade of Makan Lunch meals that came afterwards.
While all the dishes have their distinct flavors, there were 5 Makan Lunch Meals that stood out for me. Here are my favorites, in no particular order:
OYSTER OMELETTE MEAL
From AH TEE
I love succulent oysters. The crispy omelette over Hainanese Rice, topped with plump oysters, and accompanied with dumpling soup makes for a light yet filling meal.
GEYLANG MEAL
From GEYLANG CLAYPOT RICE
Well-seasoned, perfectly cooked coffee pork ribs -- parang may magic in the pork, truly mouth-watering. This photo did not do justice to how good the pork was. My picky-eater boy only chose to have this among all the dishes served. The meal comes with French beans and jasmine rice.
BRAISED BEEF WITH SUNNY SIDE UP
From GOOBA HIA
There's something about the special sauce on this rice topping -- I like the salty-sweet taste, and I know my girl will also love this. A classic choice for rice bowl topped with braised beef, sautéd veggies and egg. (I thought of tapsilog, Chinese-style, when I tried this.)
ALHAMBRA MEAL
From ALHAMBRA PADANG SATAY
I underestimated this chicken satay coz others I've tried were usually dry and bland. And it's really not a pretty dish. But these were sooo tender, 18-spice-marinated meat on sticks that don't even need the extra sauce. Malasang-malasa! By far the best chicken satay I've had. The soto ayam soup was a winner too!
YAM RICE TOPPINGS
From JIN JI KWAY CHAP
This yam rice, layered with pork offal and topped with pork belly, braised duck, salted mustard leaves and half egg, was a revelation. It has fresh cucumber and tofu slices on the side. The unique mix of ingredients worked well together, complemented by the spicy sambal. I enjoyed this one a lot! So full of flavor. This actually reminded me of the Chinese kiam pung.
Kids also have choices for their Makan Lunch. At only Php150, each kid's meal comes with a glass of yummy, ice cold Milo Dinosaur! They can have chicken or beef satay, vegetable fritters or chicken nuggets with sweet-sour sauce. Nakakabusog even for adults.
Aside from the lunch meals we devoured, we were also served some of their best-sellers like this CEREAL PRAWN (I wanted more seasoning in the prawns though) and Ah Tee's super tasty FRIED (radish) CARROT CAKE with Dilis, and with Prawns. Perfect for sharing. So good!!!
Refreshments are a plenty. Of course, when I see sugarcane juice, I don't think about any other drink anymore. I had a very refreshing cup of fresh-pressed sugarcane juice over ice. Ahhhh... The boy always have mango shake whenever available. He got his request of ripe mango shake, no milk. So ako ang uminom ng Milo Dinosaur that was served to him. =)
We were all so full after the generous lunch but we need to make room for dessert. Makansutra served these popular icy treats as our sweet endings. The kids went wild with the rainbow-colored ICE KACHANG while the moms enjoyed the coconut-pandan-flavored CHENDOL topped with red beans and pandan jelly.
This luncheon was officially my first blogger event for 2017 and what a festive way to start my new year! I thoroughly enjoyed the dishes, seriously. I've been to Singapore a couple times and loved the diversity of food and culture. At MAKANSUTRA Hawkers, you can now have a Singaporean food trip adventure in Manila, everyday!
There are still so many dishes to try so I am definitely going back. I already asked J for a lunch date here. Aside from having a comfortable and spacious dining hall, MAKANSUTRA can also accommodate private events and intimate gatherings in their two function areas. Watch out for future events and workshops too. Thank you, #MakansutraPH, for bringing real hawker food to Manila. Shiok!
MAKAN LUNCH Deals @ Php199 are served from 10am - 2pm, Monday to Friday.
2nd level, SM Megamall Bldg. A
(above National Book Store)
Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
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