Restaurant Review: Hap Chan

I wasn’t keen on going back to Hap Chan since our first encounter at their Pedro Gil branch wasn’t good. Saying that their service sucks is an understatement. We stayed inside the restaurant for almost twenty minutes, endlessly waving our hands to catch someone's attention. None of the servers approached and took our orders forcing us to leave the place with disappointment.

My mom and dad tried their SM Manila branch a few months ago and assured us that their service is better. It was Sunday night and the place is quite small so we had to wait for a few minutes to be seated. Fortunately, I had better first impression with this branch. A friendly waiter assured us that we would be seated immediately and took our orders as soon as we were ready.

I forgot to grab our receipt that’s why I don’t have the price and exact name of the dishes.

Yang Chow is our family’s favorite so it always has a spot on our table. I always judge a Chinese restaurant by the way they prepare Yang Chow. It should not be oily or too dry. Hap Chan’s Yang Chow is a bit dry and lacks the flavors that I was looking for.

I don’t like thick breading, which was the case with their camaron rebosado. Surprisingly, we liked it! The breading tastes like ahmmm… bread! Hehe. :)

I love the final two dishes. I forgot the name so let's just call the first one Beef with Broccoli. The vibrant green color of the broccoli and leeks complemented the dark brown beef strips. The flower-shaped carrots added contrast as well. This is a usual dish but this particular one challenged my palates. The tangy sauce was perfect as each beef strip and broccoli absorbs it.

Our family has grown its fascination with steamed fish fillet. Steamed foods may be a healthier choice but the flavors are not as rich as the fried ones. But with soy sauce, spring onions and lots of garlic, who says that steamed fish fillet is boring?