Siomai House - Siomai Whenever, Wherever

Isa ito sa mga food carts na nagsusulputan na parang kabute kung saan-saan. Siomai House usually occupies space near groceries, food courts, bus terminals, markets, LRT or MRT stations, office buildings or any place na maraming tao. I usually visit the one inside the Marketplace in Greenfield district because of the obvious reason na katapat lang halos ito ng Teleperformance where I work.

My first taste of Siomai House's siomai was 3 years ago. It was introduced to me by my agents when I was still a supervisor. Iyon na rin ang everyday bonding moments ko with my agents - eating out sa... dyaraannnn... palengke! Isa ito sa mga common interests namin kaya madali kaming magkasundo. Lahat kase kami halos ay madaling magutom (read: matakaw) at dahil na rin sa economic situation, naging mas convenient na option ang market food.

Big servings with generous garlic and chili toppings


Refreshing ice-cold black gulaman



Sa halagang P25, meron ka nang 4 na pirasong siomai. An order comes with a hefty servings of pork siomai topped with equally generous amount of garlic bits and chili sauce. They use commercially available soy sauce (Datu Puti, nakita ko lang sa ilalim ng kanilang counter) and calamansi as dip. Mas malaki sya compared sa version ng Henlin or any siomai I have tried. Their siomai is steamed just right, hindi malabsa (soggy) and probably, the best-tasting siomai below P30/4pcs. Syempre hindi masayang kumain kung walang panulak, and here at Siomai House, they serve ice-cold black gulaman for a measly P10. So sa halagang P35, you can satisfy you siomai cravings anywhere you go!

A Siomai House cart


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Frequently visited branch (author): Siomai House, Marketplace, Greenfield District, Brgy. Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City
Location/s: Food courts, train stations, bus/transport terminals, sidewalk
Business Hours: Varies by location
Bestseller: Pork and shrimp siomai
Other offerings: Ice-cold black gulaman
Estimated Budget: P25 to P35 per meal
Payment Method: Cash

Paotsin - My First Fried Wanton Experience

My first fried siomai experience was at Paotsin - isa sa mga food stalls sa labas ng SM North EDSA Supermarket. Naglipana na rin ang kanilang mga branches all over - sa supermarkets at food courts ng mga malls ni Tito Henry, Tita Robina at Tito Jaime. Ilang taon na rin ang nakalipas when I first tasted their siomai. Ang una kong napansin ay ang kakaiba nilang packaging - violet styro with matching violet sfork. Medyo kakaiba sa nakasanayan ko na puting styro ng Henlin. Kelan ko lang rin napansin na nabago na ang kanilang packagaing - from violet, naging black styro but still with the matching black sfork. So ang overall presentation ng food medyo weird, hindi naman nakakatakot pero may pagka-weird (paulit-ulit?) talaga. Imagine - black styro, green rice (Hainanese rice), golden brown fried siomai and violet sfork. So para tuloy meron mag-uutos sa subconsciousness mo na, "kakaiba ito, matikman nga." So yun na ang simula ng aking Paotsin food affair.

Paotsin's Old Packaging


Paotsin's New Packaging


Una kong tinikman ang kanilang fried siomai. Ok naman pero nakakapanibago dahil nasanay ako sa steamed siomai. Wala namang something special sa fried pork siomai - except for the fact na malutong sya compared to the steamed one (think twice pag malutong na rin ang steamed siomai). At dahil kadalasang mahaba ang pila sa Paotsin sa mga SM malls, hindi ito yung tipo ng meal na pagtitiyagaan mong hintayin sa pila sa loob ng 15 minuto. In short, "ok lang."

Ang usual scene sa Paotsin stalls


Pero nagbago slightly ang aking pananaw when I tasted their sharksfin at crab wanton of course, with their trademark toyomansi with chili. Ito yung tipong timpla na swak na swak sa panlasa ko, yung tipong mag-cecelebrate ang mga taste buds mo. Parang sinasabi ng utak mo, "Gusto ko pa, gusto ko pa!" Tapos sasagot yung wanton at toyomansi ng, "May silbi ako, may silbi ako." Habang sumisigaw yung tyan mo ng, "Tama na, tama na. Wala na akong space!" At the end of this battle, syempre panalo si utak pag meron ka pang budget - speaking of budget, you can have Paotsin's wantons and dumplings for P34 (without rice) or P45 (with rice). At syempre pa, hindi kumpleto ang meals pag wala ang kanilang very refreshing na Buko Pandan juice (12oz - P18, 16oz - P20, 20oz - P22).

Healthwise, dahil fried sya, expect na di sya ganun ka-friendly sa katawang lupa unless they use olive oil. At ang Hainanese rice, amoy pa lang, MSG na! Pero pag natikman mo na ang isang sforkful ng rice na ito, you will certainly ask for more. Ang health benefits (or the lack/opposite of it), ng MSG ay pwedeng pagdebatehan sa ibang venue.

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Frequently visited branch (author): Paotsin, Pavillion Foodcourt, Pavillion Mall, Greenfield District, Brgy. Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City
Location/s: SM malls, Robinson's malls, Ayala malls, other malls
Business Hours: Mall hours (depende kung saang mall)
Estimated Budget: P50 to P70 per meal
Payment Method: Cash

Welcome to chEATs - the Philippines' Guide to Cheap Eats

Welcome to chEATs - the Philippines Guide to Cheap Eats!

Pagdating sa food trip, hindi ako choosy. Basta masarap, swak! Ang blog na ito ang unang subok ko sa food blogging. Hindi man ako culinary expert, meron akong panlasa na pasok na pasok sa taste ng Pinoy.

Paunawa sa Publiko: Anumang karamdaman na sanhi ng pagkain sa sidewalk ay hindi pananagutan ng may-akda.