Where To Eat In QC: Fat Fook Brings Taiwanese Food To UP Town Center
Fat Fook Kitchen has opened their 7th branch in the Philippines. This time, northerners can rejoice again! Taiwanese food can now be enjoyed in UP Town Center, aside from the original branch in SM North EDSA.
Taiwan is one of my favorite cities to visit. I used to go there at least twice a year and I spend a lot of time at the night markets. I go there for the shopping and of course, the food! I am beyond ecstatic to find some of my favorite night market dishes on the FAT FOOK KITCHEN menu.
night market favorites
The sweet Taiwanese sausages that remind me of our local longganisa is served at FAT FOOK KITCHEN with slices of garlic stuck into the meat. I love this combination because the sausage can be cloyingly sweet. If you are not a fan of the strong flavors of garlic, you should probably ask them to toast yours a bit more.
The famous CHICKEN CHOP is one of the dishes that really grabs your attention at the night market. The long lines are enough to tell you that this is an amazing dish. In Taiwan, these are served fresh off the fryer and straight into your hand (and mouth). The freshness lends a taste that can never be replicated in any restaurant. FAT FOOK KITCHEN makes a decent attempt at replicating this night market favorite. It’s not exactly the same but at least I don’t need to fly out and stand in line for an hour! It has the signature white pepper and Chinese five spice combination that brings me back to those fun nights in Taipei.
If you are curious but you’re too scared to try it on the streets, FAT FOOK KITCHEN also has a version of the infamous stinky tofu! It’s not as intimidating to have it at a restaurant versus having it on a street stall with a language barrier to deal with. Now’s your chance!
dimsum
Since we’re having Chinese food, dimsum is a must! I have long been a fan of Xiao Long Bao even before the Din Tai Fung craze. I must say, I prefer street-side stalls that sell these steaming hot soup dumplings over those Michelin-starred fancy and over-priced joints.
I tried the XLB at FAT FOOK KITCHEN when they first opened some years ago. I have to say that I was sorely disappointed on that visit. The soup had already seeped into the dumpling skin and they had become soggy. I think I was served a batch that was steaming for far too long.
This time around and after years of practice, I am happy to say that the XLB at Fat Fook has improved by leaps and bounds! The skin is now perfectly firm and still has a good bite to it. These is a spoonful of soup inside and the meat is flavorful and tender. The dumplings are also much bigger than those I first tried. I really hate those places that are making a competition about who can make the thinnest XLB wrapper. As a result, they end up making it with so little meat so that their wrapper can hold everything inside. Ugh. I want a substantial dumpling! Luckily, Fat Fook got it right!
The spicy dumplings were also a big hit at our table. Don’t let the word “spicy” scare you! The sauce is mild with just a slight kick. It is essentially soya-based and it goes really well with the meaty dumplings.
noodles and rice
If you’re looking for something more substantial, they serve a number of viands that go well with their Taiwanese Fried Rice. There is a selection of chicken, pork, beef and vegetable dishes to choose from.
Not craving for rice? There’s also a number of noodle dishes to choose from. You can have the classic Taiwanese beef noodles or go for stir-fried noodles instead.
dessert
I was pleasantly surprised by the shaved ice desserts here. The mango cheesecake shaved ice was so good. I immediately regretted leaving so little room for dessert! Because it’s always so hot outside. I think I will be coming back for this dessert a lot more often than I really should. I also liked the Oreo version but the mango one was outstanding!
Oh, did I mention they also serve MILK TEA?
