Mr. Poon - Paco

Location and actual place aside, judging based on the food alone, this old school resto deserves praise. I think this has been around the area for 2 or more decades. Its proximity on UP manila area made it popular among students and UP employees, aside from its regular filipino-chinese patrons. Famed for their braised beef -with rice or noodles, they also serve fresh seafood viands, dimsums, their own formula of 3-in-1 coffee, buko salad/pandan, and Maricar Reyes' (wife of Richard poon -son of the owner) liqour cakes. We ordered their all time favorite braised beef (220pesos) noodles and special beef rice (215pesos). Beef is incredibly soft and tender, their sauce is light soy -not too salty, a little garlicky, and their broth is definitely natural beef flavored, with just the right salt. If i were to choose, the beef noodles is definitely worth the try.

For those who dig Maricar Reyes' Choco Liquor Cakes, you may get 'em at Mr. Poon's in Malate. My homie @Clarissa P ordered two cakes for our first ever long overdue potluck. Mocha Bourbon. Mocha cake is the most overrated cake variant since time immemorial. This is a staple in every children's party and family gathering I have been to ages ago. Trust me when i say that you will never see Mocha in the same light after you tried this. The texture of the cake is perfect! Soft and cloud-like. The marriage between mocha and my favorite poison is a match made in heaven. The bourbon balances out the sweetness and dem mocha crumbs is adds texture to the already awesome cake. Choco Liquor Cake. This baby reeks of chocolate perfection. I absolutely love the marriage of the subtle sweetness of the chocolate and the sting of liquor. Now i understand one of my odd foodie cravings - cupcake with chocolate ganache and a shot of Bourbon. Overall, both cakes are phenomenal. Carefully crafted and has a sophisticated flavor.

For those who dig Maricar Reyes' Choco Liquor Cakes, you may get 'em at Mr. Poon's in Malate. My homie @Clarissa P ordered two cakes for our first ever long overdue potluck. Mocha Bourbon. Mocha cake is the most overrated cake variant since time immemorial. This is a staple in every children's party and family gathering I have been to ages ago. Trust me when i say that you will never see Mocha in the same light after you tried this. The texture of the cake is perfect! Soft and cloud-like. The marriage between mocha and my favorite poison is a match made in heaven. The bourbon balances out the sweetness and dem mocha crumbs is adds texture to the already awesome cake. Choco Liquor Cake. This baby reeks of chocolate perfection. I absolutely love the marriage of the subtle sweetness of the chocolate and the sting of liquor. Now i understand one of my odd foodie cravings - cupcake with chocolate ganache and a shot of Bourbon. Overall, both cakes are... read more

Now this is really old school. Nostalgia sets in once I enter the place (though this is not their original location... I think it was along UN Ave a long time ago). It comes as no surprise that the place is jam-packed on a weekend evening. There are no other big restaurants near it so one knows that people go out their way to dine here. This is actually Filipinized Chinese cooking. So typical of the very old Chinese restaurants you find in old Manila (Binondo and Divisoria areas). Their hit is still their special beef. So tender, probably stayed forever in the pressure cooker  :)  Other dishes are just alright, nothing great, such as their clams in tausi, and S&S prawns, and the rest in the photos. Thing is, this was the type of Filipinized cuisine that we found in Chinese restaurants decades ago. It seems like they have never moved up from where they were. But they still have those hordes of loyal followers, maybe that's why. Would I eat here again? Maybe not as there are so many nicer ones out there at the same price point.

Now this is really old school. Nostalgia sets in once I enter the place (though this is not their original location... I think it was along UN Ave a long time ago). It comes as no surprise that the place is jam-packed on a weekend evening. There are no other big restaurants near it so one knows that people go out their way to dine here. This is actually Filipinized Chinese cooking. So typical of the very old Chinese restaurants you find in old Manila (Binondo and Divisoria areas). Their hit is still their special beef. So tender, probably stayed forever in the pressure cooker  :)  Other dishes are just alright, nothing great, such as their clams in tausi, and S&S prawns, and the rest in the photos. Thing is, this was the type of Filipinized cuisine that we found in Chinese restaurants decades ago. It seems like they have never moved up from where they were. But they still have those hordes of loyal followers, maybe that's why. Would I eat here again? Maybe not... read more