Wang Fu Chinese Café: Asian Comfort Food in IL Terrazzo

A few weeks ago, I celebrated my 22nd birthday. Although it feels surreal that a year had passed that quick, I'm happy to have been given not only a family to celebrate this milestone with, but also a set of great friends who has always been there for me. And since it's been quite a while since our last meeting, I decided to call for a mini-birthday celebration cum mini-reunion which we held at Wang Fu Chinese Café in IL Terrazzo.

I've already seen Wang Fu Chinese Café during my last IL Terrazzo visit. And since I saw they serve a good variety of Chinese-Singaporean fare with very friendly price tags, I just knew it's the perfect place for me and my friends. And I was right. The restaurant may not be really big, but it was conducive enough, with good lighting and comfortable cushioned seating perfect for diners like us who'll be staying and chatting the night away.

The Food

Since there were nine of us in the group, I ordered most dishes in two's or three's. The serving sizes of all the dishes at Wang Fu Chinese Café are definitely good for more than one person. I'd say about two to three people can share the items without a problem. Or, even four if everyone in the group isn't a hearty eater.

First among our orders is the Chili Potato Strings (P128). When I first saw this on their menu, I just knew I'd be getting this item since I fell in love with Mao Jia Hunan Cuisine's rendition of this spicy potato dish. And while Wang Fu's wasn't as crazily spicy as the one I've tried before, it delivered all the qualities I like about this dish. The potatoes were firm to the bite with a spicy yet slightly sour flavor. I think I can finish up to 3 orders of this!

Next, we had the Garlic Taiwan Pechay (P128). I'm a big fan of garlic and I'm glad that the garlic flavor was prominent in this dish. However, since I'm not that into pechay, this item didn't leave a significant mark on my palate. My friends seemed to have enjoyed having some greens on the table though, to balance off the next dishes to come.

We also had the Singapore Mango Fish Fillet (P268), a plate of breaded fish fillet topped with a sweet and tangy mango salad. I ordered this to serve as our appetizer, and it did successfully whet my palate. I can't say there's something special with the fish fillet, but the salad really brought life to the plate, taking the whole ensemble up a notch.

For our viand, we got the Wang Fu Hainanese Chicken (Half P338) which is one of the restaurant's specialty. As expected from Hainanese chicken, the meat was super soft, tender and oozing with juices. And when eaten with rice and dipped in the ginger, chili and dark soy sauces, this was one succulent and flavorful bird we can't get enough of.

Another meaty viand we had was the Black Pepper Beef (P268). Sure, the dish sounds simple, but every forkful really had me digging in. The beef pieces were so tender and so succulent, with every cut coated with the rich, savory and peppery sauce. Among our viands for the night, this scored the same spot for me as the Hainanese chicken.

We also had some Char Siu Pork (P228). Although I'm generally not a big fan of asado, I quite liked Wang Fu Chinese Café's version. Every piece was moist and tender, and generously coated with the sweet and savory red asado sauce. My friends seemed to have liked this dish as well since it complements the Yang Chow fried rice we ordered.

For carbs, we had the crowd favorite Yang Chow Fried Rice (P168). While this version isn't the most flavorful I've had, it's definitely one of the good ones especially for its price point. It tastes almost the same as the Yang Chow fried rice from other reputable Chinese restaurants I've been to. Everyone in the group seemed to have enjoyed it paired with the different viands too. So overall, this is a good choice for rice.

I also got an order of the Tomato Fried Rice (P168) since I'm curious as to how a rice item like this would taste like. At first, it was a little odd. The tomato flavor wasn't overpowering, but it was just a little unfamiliar. But after succeeding spoonfuls, I think I kind of liked it. My friends said the same thing. It gets better and better after every bite.

For dessert, it was really nice of Wang Fu Chinese Café to have given us complimentary Traditional Ice Kachang (P98). It's the Singaporean-Malaysian version of halo-halo with kaong, red beans, corn, strawberry and orange syrups on shaved ice. Compared to our halo-halo and to other ice kachangs I've had, I really dig this colorful rendition since it's not too sweet and has a delicate creaminess and refreshing flavor.

There's also a mango-flavored version, the Mango Kachang (P98). This is as good, although I personally prefer the previous one. Some of my friends say otherwise, though. They liked how this rendition has their favorite mango flavor (syrup) and some jellies.

The Drinks

I used to find it odd that Wang Fu Chinese Café would dub themselves as a café. But upon seeing their beverage selection, I immediately understood. Seriously, they have a lot of drinks to offer. And so, my friends and I all went gaga over them.

While waiting for my friends to arrive, pre-dinner time, I had myself a comforting cup of Hot Nan Yang Milk Tea (P68). From what I know, they call this Teh Tarik in Singapore and Malaysia, but it has Indian roots. And upon first sip, I can say it's definitely one of the good ones. It's light, creamy and very relaxing on the palate. I also got to try the refreshing Honey Peach Freeze (P98) which doubled as my dessert since it also has shaved ice, but this time, infused with the goodness of one of my favorite fruits, peaches.

I didn't take photos of my friends' drinks since I don't want them to suffer from my scrutiny. But they seemed to have had fun with their beverage choices -- Rootbeer Float (P78), Sprite Float (P78), Royal Float (P78), Dinosaur (P78) and Milo Godzilla (P98).

THE VERDICT

They say good company makes a celebration memorable, but with good food and service, the experience can be taken up a notch or two. And that's exactly what we had at Wang Fu Chinese Café. Everything we had for the night was good. We even had a bonus of affordable price tags, a nice and comfortable ambiance, and a wide variety of both food and drinks. Another thing I really like at Wang Fu is the fact that they serve rice meals. This is a big plus for me since I sometimes dine in restaurants on my own. So Wang Fu, thanks for being part of my birthday celebration. See you again soon!

Taste - 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 4/5
Overall Value - 4/5

Wang Fu Chinese Café, IL Terrazzo
G/F IL Terrazzo, Tomas Morato Ave.
Cor. Scout Madriñan, Quezon City
Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 709-0569
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