A trip down memory lane at Ha Yuan
Lately, I've been missing a number of my childhood favorites -- there's that delicious kakanin and chicken pie from La Chesca, Baked Mac from Petit Four, salad bar and steak from San Francisco Steak House and to-die-for Korean BBQ dinners at Arirang.
*sigh*
For my family, these are some of the best restaurants/cafes in town and we're extremely sad that they're no longer around anymore. *sniffle* Why oh why?!?!
Luckily, there's one restaurant that we also love that is still around and I believe will continue to live on for more and more decades to go! Hooray!
Ha Yuan is a popular Chinese go-to place when you're craving for a delicious bowl of Maki Mi or perhaps for a piece of Fresh Amoy Lumpia. I remember my Mom would even bring our stainless steel container to the store for them to just put the Maki Mi there and she would just re-heat this for dinner at home.
One Sunday afternoon, Paul and I found ourselves at the Mother Ignacia branch of Ha Yuan together with my Mom and Aunt as we were in the mood for some warm noodle soup for our afternoon snack. Not even the strong rain and wind stopped us from heading over to Ha Yuan. Sure, we were stuck inside the car for about thirty minutes but thankfully the staff of Ha Yuan kindly escorted us out from the car straight to the restaurant with their huge umbrellas.
Without even looking at the menu, I knew exactly what I wanted -- one Fresh Lumpia (Php. 60) please and no, I'm not even sharing. :P I love Ha Yuan's lumpia as it has just the right amount of filling inside. Others has more garlic, wansoy and seaweed than the tofu mixture while others would have it the other way around.
Ha Yuan's lumpia is easy to eat too! You can actually enjoy your lumpia by just holding it like a burrito as it's tightly wrapped wherein the thin lumpia wrapper won't just burst open as you take your first bite. This is one thing a lot of restaurant selling fresh lumpia hasn't mastered well enough yet. A perfect choice for vegetarian and weight-watchers out there! :)
Aside from their Fresh Lumpia, another must-try is their Maki Mi (Php. 140 / 175). Paul and I got one large bowl to share which turned out to be a good decision since the serving was pretty big. One bite and I'm so happy to report that the pork loin was very tender and the noodles still has the right bite. What I noticed though was that the sauce was a bit too thick to my liking. Too much cornstarch, I think? Still, I enjoyed the Maki Mi very much and will definitely be back for more.
My mom and aunt had the Chang Tiu Lomi (Php. 190) which brought back a lot of childhood memories for them. I was able to have one spoonful of it and find it a bit too salty for my taste but it was indeed flavorful which was the reason why my Mom loves it. It had a lot of garlic bits, shrimp and spring onions thus contributing to the aroma and taste of the noodle dish.
My friend S, who now handles Ha Yuan for her family, has always been very generous to us. Being neighbors in Mercato Centrale, she would send us a cup of hot taho for breakfast or soy milk for Paul to enjoy. S has been my friend since Grade School and seeing how focused and dedicated she is in growing the business, I won't be surprise to see Ha Yuan growing and leading the pack in no time. Way to go S!! :)
Imagine how hard-working my friend S is, we went there on a Sunday and I was actually surprised to see her there knowing that she also mans their booth in Mercato during the morning. She was actually the one who excitedly told my mom about the Chang Tiu Lomi and as we were enjoying our meal, out came the server with a plate of Dim Sum Selection (Php 75) which was given by S, herself.
The Dim Sum Selection is perfect for those who can't decided whether to get Pork Siomai, Crabmeat Siomai or Shark's Fin Dumplings. Here you get a plate filled with one piece of each. Consider it a teaser for their dim sum choices and after enjoying the Dim Sum Selection, then you'd know which one you like best. Personally, I love the Pork Siomai best. Free from extenders, I love the meaty filling when dipped in my soy sauce.
I'm glad that Ha Yuan is still around and I'm sure it's definitely here to stay.
p.s. Ha Yuan also distributes our best-selling Allies Wonder Greaseless Peanuts! Now you can grab your can of nuts while enjoying their yummy fresh lumpia!
Visit Ha Yuan at 84 Mother Ignacia avenue in Quezon City. Call them at 412-7815 and 376-9007.
*sigh*
For my family, these are some of the best restaurants/cafes in town and we're extremely sad that they're no longer around anymore. *sniffle* Why oh why?!?!
Luckily, there's one restaurant that we also love that is still around and I believe will continue to live on for more and more decades to go! Hooray!
Ha Yuan is a popular Chinese go-to place when you're craving for a delicious bowl of Maki Mi or perhaps for a piece of Fresh Amoy Lumpia. I remember my Mom would even bring our stainless steel container to the store for them to just put the Maki Mi there and she would just re-heat this for dinner at home.
One Sunday afternoon, Paul and I found ourselves at the Mother Ignacia branch of Ha Yuan together with my Mom and Aunt as we were in the mood for some warm noodle soup for our afternoon snack. Not even the strong rain and wind stopped us from heading over to Ha Yuan. Sure, we were stuck inside the car for about thirty minutes but thankfully the staff of Ha Yuan kindly escorted us out from the car straight to the restaurant with their huge umbrellas.
Without even looking at the menu, I knew exactly what I wanted -- one Fresh Lumpia (Php. 60) please and no, I'm not even sharing. :P I love Ha Yuan's lumpia as it has just the right amount of filling inside. Others has more garlic, wansoy and seaweed than the tofu mixture while others would have it the other way around.
Ha Yuan's lumpia is easy to eat too! You can actually enjoy your lumpia by just holding it like a burrito as it's tightly wrapped wherein the thin lumpia wrapper won't just burst open as you take your first bite. This is one thing a lot of restaurant selling fresh lumpia hasn't mastered well enough yet. A perfect choice for vegetarian and weight-watchers out there! :)
Aside from their Fresh Lumpia, another must-try is their Maki Mi (Php. 140 / 175). Paul and I got one large bowl to share which turned out to be a good decision since the serving was pretty big. One bite and I'm so happy to report that the pork loin was very tender and the noodles still has the right bite. What I noticed though was that the sauce was a bit too thick to my liking. Too much cornstarch, I think? Still, I enjoyed the Maki Mi very much and will definitely be back for more.
My mom and aunt had the Chang Tiu Lomi (Php. 190) which brought back a lot of childhood memories for them. I was able to have one spoonful of it and find it a bit too salty for my taste but it was indeed flavorful which was the reason why my Mom loves it. It had a lot of garlic bits, shrimp and spring onions thus contributing to the aroma and taste of the noodle dish.
My friend S, who now handles Ha Yuan for her family, has always been very generous to us. Being neighbors in Mercato Centrale, she would send us a cup of hot taho for breakfast or soy milk for Paul to enjoy. S has been my friend since Grade School and seeing how focused and dedicated she is in growing the business, I won't be surprise to see Ha Yuan growing and leading the pack in no time. Way to go S!! :)
Imagine how hard-working my friend S is, we went there on a Sunday and I was actually surprised to see her there knowing that she also mans their booth in Mercato during the morning. She was actually the one who excitedly told my mom about the Chang Tiu Lomi and as we were enjoying our meal, out came the server with a plate of Dim Sum Selection (Php 75) which was given by S, herself.
The Dim Sum Selection is perfect for those who can't decided whether to get Pork Siomai, Crabmeat Siomai or Shark's Fin Dumplings. Here you get a plate filled with one piece of each. Consider it a teaser for their dim sum choices and after enjoying the Dim Sum Selection, then you'd know which one you like best. Personally, I love the Pork Siomai best. Free from extenders, I love the meaty filling when dipped in my soy sauce.
I'm glad that Ha Yuan is still around and I'm sure it's definitely here to stay.
p.s. Ha Yuan also distributes our best-selling Allies Wonder Greaseless Peanuts! Now you can grab your can of nuts while enjoying their yummy fresh lumpia!
Visit Ha Yuan at 84 Mother Ignacia avenue in Quezon City. Call them at 412-7815 and 376-9007.
