Hawker Chan: A 1 Michelin-Starred Dining Experience

 On my birthday, we went to SM Mall of Asia to stroll and ate dinner. There are closed shops around, closed stalls, and you can see the massive reduction of people roaming around. Yes, this pandemic has greatly affect businesses and even employment. You can see minimal number of people compared to the full packed mall before. Restaurants, food chain, and dining areas have more vacant sits than before.

This is our chance to try Hawker Chan. This store had long lines before the pandemic. You need to wait more a couple of minutes, even ours to have sits. Just like other food stores, minimum health protocol is observed.

We ordered Soya Sauce Chicken Noodles, Char Siew Vegetable Noodles, and Braised Tofu with Egg and Seasonal Vegetable.

Soya Sauce Chicken Noodles

I like the chicken. It is tender and juicy. The sauce somehow tastes like teriyaki. Just a disclaimer, I am not a food enthusiast and not a food critic. The noodle, I think, is half-cooked. I found that normal to chinese cuisine. The sauce compliments the noodle. It is a good combo. The chicken alone is delicious. I wonder, maybe the chicken is better partnered with steam rice.

Char Siew Vegetable Noodles

I ordered vegetable noodles to distinguish it to the normal noodle I showed above. For vegetable noodles, it tastes leafy but not strong. It has a unique taste and I like it. I am not into vegetables but this one is kinda good. The sauce is somehow sweet. I can not find a sauce alike. Char Siew is similar with barbecue pork. The pork is also tender and juicy. You can never have a complain on the meat. The noodles is also like half-cooked. This is also a good combo.

Braised Tofu with Egg and Seasonal Vegetable

This is my favorite from the three though this is just a side dish. I grew up hating tofu in general because I do not like the taste and the texture. But as the time goes by, I have tasted delicious tofu from other restaurants so I would like to try this one since, so far, Hawker Chan has not yet disappointed me. We tried the sauce first. The sauce has balanced of sweetness and saltiness. I tried a slice of tofu and as what I expected, it is delicious. The tofu melts in your mouth. It is smooth and soft. For the egg, it is not a typical it is tasty also. As for the vegetables, I have not finished it. I tried some and it is also good. Over all, I like this tofu very much. I can say that this is the highlight of our Hawker Chan experience.

After finishing the food, we talked about how everything tastes like. We came up to the conclusion that everything tastes salty and sweet. I do not think that I can eat this kinds everyday. Everything tastes like the same maybe because of the sauces. But for the chicken, I will recommend it if you like to take home or dine in with the family. It is a good experience for the first time. I will definite come back but not too soon. There are other choices aside from their meals. They also served wanton. Maybe when we came back, I will try their wanton and other sides but I will definitely add chicken. I really like their chicken.

This is a very good experience. If you would like to try a michelin-starred restaurant, Hawker Chan is definitely a go to especially with their affordable and reasonable price. If you are in a budget and want to eat a premium meal, try Hawker Chan. You will never get disappointed. Now I know why people wait for hours falling in line just for this. Definitely a must try!

Dutche Chocolates: Dark Chocolate Bar with Stevia

I am a big fan of dark chocolates, the bitter the better. I am also into dieting. The kind of dieting that trying to be healthy, you know what I mean. These times when I started living a healthy life, I am trying my best to reduce my sugar consumption. I also emit chocolates in my life. Fortunately, I am not addicted to chocolate and I do not like chocolates that much but I love KitKat, Reese, and toblerone.

Since I am in a family who is genetically diabetic, I am conscious on my sugar intake. While I am browsing online looking for groceries, I have seen this kind of chocolate and it catches my eyes because of the word Stevia on it.

I am not that familiar with Stevia but I know that it is a good substitute for sugar especially for those who are diabetic. It is a good thing, right? To further enhance my knowledge about it and to make sure that I am eating a healthy one, I searched it on the internet. Stevia is calorie- and carb-free so it is considered healthy. Also, it has numerous benefits and considered safe.

Dutche Chocolates is a Philippine company. Aside form dark chocolate bars, they also offer products for baking and others like polvoron. They are available online and in grocery stores nearby. Support local.

I will be honest here, I am so intrigue with this Stevia that I made my expectation high. This is my first time trying it and I am so surprised that this does not taste sugary at all. It really tastes bitter. I have not tasted any sweetness on it. I ditched this one for a while because I can not take the bitterness even though I only ate a bar portion of it. I bought two pieces just in case I crave for the other one but since I dislike the taste, I gave the other one to my boyfriend to let him judge it. He said that the taste is okay and tolerable. He also said that he did not taste any sweetness but it is not that too bitter. He liked it actually that he wants another one.

Since I trust his taste buds, I give it another shut. Maybe I just expect too much that is why I reacted that way. Now, I am consuming it portion by portion but I will not buy this again.

I still recommend it for people who are in no sugar and diabetic. This is a good option though.