Kao Chi: lazy sunday's lunch

Gotta stay home one Sunday. What to eat, what to eat? I scanned my mind for a nearby restaurant with yummy food. *Light bulb picture here* Kao Chi!

Lugang Cafe is popular at the moment as having the best Xiao Long Pao in Manila. Kao Chi's xiao long pao is their closest rival. But more than its xiao long pao, the restaurant offers a lot of good Chinese food.

The xiao long pao's wrapper is so thin it breaks if you pick it up the wrong way. Well, yeah, it'd a bummer letting out all the juices. But, everybody's got to work it to eat good food. :) Eat it while it's hot. Even if it's not, it's still yummylicious though.

Xiao Long Pao P138/6pcs.

We never imagined this Lions head hotpot to be this big. The soup is tasty, the big bola-bolas are beefy in the best way and the vegetables are vegetable-y. :) 

Lions Head Hotpot Small P318, Medium P418

This was the least popular dish but it's nonetheless good. It was just that we did order too much. :) Or else we were too lazy to dig up some pork and put it in the bun. Or maybe it was just sort of "alanganin" since it's not exactly a lunch dish. 

Pork Stew with Muy Chai P338

The crispy fried shrimp balls sold out fast. There were only two left by the time I was able to get ahold of it to take a picture. It's crispiness at its best. And of course, I love anything shrimp! The best things in life are those that are forbidden. :D The only sad thing was they gave us so little of the sweet chili sauce. It's still yummy without the dip though. 

Crispy Fried Shrimp Balls P228/6pcs, P488/10 pcs.

The black pepper beef tenderloin was peppery. I just ate a mouthful and found it not to be too tender. Or maybe I judged wrong having just one try. 

Black Pepper Beef Tenderloin P368

We weren't supposed to order some rice but we never regretted ordering this. It's so good my brother craved for some a few days later. This might be a good way of tricking some vegetable-hater kid into eating, and actually enjoying, some vegetables. 

Shanghai Vegetable Rice P238

Last but not the least, I ordered some Shark's fin soup for my Ama (grandmother). But my sister told me she just gave my ama a bowlful and what she did was just drink the soup itself. 

Oh well, I support banning Shark's fin soup in restaurants and ordered it just because it does have medicinal benefits good especially for the older people. It'll be such a waste so I just shared it with my brother. No worries! This is the last time I'm drinking shark's fin soup. 

Assorted Shark's fin soup P200 

We regularly eat in this restaurant and I could really say that it's Chinese food at one of its best! The dishes we ordered this time aren't the best of their food since it was Fred who ordered. He hates how my family tend to order the same food from the same restaurants. :) Other good dishes to try in Kao Chi are the Sauteed Eggplant in Special Sauce (P238) and the spareribs. 

P.S. I know there's a Kao Chi in Teipei, you might ask me if this is a franchise, the answer is no. I guess they didn't file for international branding... yet.

P.S.S. You might notice that all the prices end with an 8. It's the lucky number for the Chinese because when you write it, you don't have to lift your pen up. Which means it's the most idle number to write. Kidding! It means luck that is continuous. :)

P.S.S. I'll show you another reason I admire Kao Chi.

The interior designer made it look so posh and luxurious. But when you take a closer look, what they use are your typical formica tables and plastic chairs covered in red cloth. The booths are a cool touch as well. :)

Kao-Chi Restaurant

109 NS Amoranto, Maharlika

Quezon City, Metro Manila

(02) 410-7799