Spices: Mien San

Along Granada street is a hole in the wall Chinese resto which is always packed with diners no matter what day of the week. Considered as an institution, Mien San has been serving comfort Chinese food for almost two decades now. I came across some old food photos and it reminded me of the wonderful comfort Chinese food found there.

One of my favorite Chinese dishes is the Mapo Tofu. It consists of tofu cubes, ground pork, black beans and chopped chilies in a sticky soy based sauce. Mien San's version was delicious, savory, flavorful and most importantly spicy.

Mapo Tofu - Php188

The different varieties of dumplings found in Mien San are always such a treat to eat. These are always served piping hot and the filling inside is so hearty and tasty.

Steamed Kuchay Dumplings - Php88 for 8 pieces

Different types of Filling

I got to admit, I've tried and tasted better Xiao Long Bao but these are of great quality and tastes pretty good for its price.

Xiao Long Bao - Php 88 for 4 pieces

The Hot and Sour Noodle Soup was so rich and thick, it had the right level of sourness and spiciness.

Hot and Sour Noodle Soup - Php188

The Three Cups Chicken is a named as such because of the way of preparing it. For each chicken a cup of soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil are used to cooked the dish in an earthen pot. This tasted how it supposed to be, the meat was so tender and juicy.

Three Cup Chicken - Php248

The Onion Pancake was thick and flaky compared to the thin crunchy spring onion egg based pancake. Though I prefer the latter, this was really good as well.

Onion Pancake - Php88

Mien San continues to draw in its loyal customers and new diners. It has consistently serve delicious Chinese dishes at a very affordable price and the servings are pretty big. The one place that reminds me of the three qualities (delicious, affordable, huge serving) is the food in Chinatown. With Mien San around, people who live around San Juan and New Manila doesn't have to go all the way downtown to partake on delicious affordable Chines  food.


Mien San
Address: Granada St., Valencia, Quezon City
Tel. No.: 723 0558
Operating Hours: Mon to Sat - 10:30am to 11:30pm
                           Sundays     -  10:00am to 10:00pm

Spices: Lusso

I came across the food dude's list of best burgers in the metro. When I saw and read about the Lusso Demi-Pound Burger, it caught my attention and it made me craved for burgers. Thus one rainy Saturday evening I went to Greenbelt 5 to try the burger out.

Lusso was located at the end of the long row of restaurants, we had to ask the concierge on its whereabouts. The resto is relatively small, there were a few tables inside but the al fresco dining area is pretty spacious.

Lusso

We started off with the Truffle Potato Crisps. Potato Chips that was fried with Truffle Oil, it tasted ok, it was crunchy and it smelled of Truffle Oil.

Truffle Potato Crips - Php150

The Lobster and River Prawn Roll looked promising. The sandwich was pretty big, served with a simple side salad and potato chips.

Lobster and Prawn Roll - Php450

When I took a bite off the sandwich I was really impressed. Usually in making this kind of sandwich, only small scraps of lobster and prawn are used but this one had huge chunks of it. Mixed together with the homemade mayonnaise, it was creamy and it tasted great.

Lobster and Prawn Sandwich

One thing that my friend pointed out was the crusty crunchy buns used, she didn't liked it. I totally agreed with her, the crunchiness of the bread overwhelmed the tenderness of the seafood, it would have been better if the buns were softer.

When the Lusso Demi-Pound Burger was placed in front of me, I was gladly surprised to see how thick and huge the beef pattie was. There were a few slices of onions on top that was supposed to be cooked with Prosseco (Italian Wine) and served with a side salad, thick cut fries and Cambozola cheese bath.

Lusso Demi-Pound Burger - Php595

I had my burger cooked to medium well, it was perfectly cooked. The pattie is made up of US prime beef and Foie Gras, the combination tasted divine. Though one can't really enjoy the texture of Foie Gras in the pattie, it tasted of it  and it made the pattie SOOO juicy.   It was so moist and tender inside that the juices were flowing out of it with every bite.

The Huge Beef and Foie Gras Pattie

The Super Juicy Center of the Burger

The burger was already so good as it is but pouring the cheese bath over it took it to the next level. The creamy and tasty Cambozola (made up of triple cream cheese and Gorgonzola) adds another layer of texture and flavor to the burger.  This is no doubt one of the best burgers in the metro. And to those who plans to try it out, No Ketchup Please!!!

Burger with Cambozola Bath

We ended our meal with a beautifully brewed cup of Lavazza coffee.

Lavazza Brewed Coffee - Php100

Lusso
Address: Grouind Floor Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati
Tel No: 756 - 5893
Operating Hours: Mon to Sun - 10am to 12mn