Don't you just love discovering great hole-in-the-wall restaurants through word of mouth? This article from the Sunday Inquirer Magazine kinda spoiled the fun but thank you Ms. Salcedo for writing about it otherwise I would have never known about its existence.
The Menu
This restaurant has no sign and its menu is all in chinese characters, thank God there are two waitresses who can speak tagalog and a menu that consists of pictures with english subtitles. Without these two waitresses and the photo menu, you'd think you are transported to somewhere in China. The restaurant is actually a converted small apartment and it adds so much to the character and allure of the place.
The restaurant specializes in Hunan Cuisine. Hunan province is beside Szechuan province, hence the similarities in the cuisines. While both cuisines use chili peppers and spices liberally, Szechuan is know to be more bolder using more pungent flavors.
The Hot-Pot Duck was just extraordinary! The way it was cooked and its flavor was not ordinary (at least for me). The dish was very bold. The pieces of duck was swimming around lots of pieces of dried chili, bay leaves, garlic and ginger. At the end, i was going trough the pot with my chopsticks looking for more duck goodness. The pig's intestines and the cold pig's ears were so soft and flavorful. The kangkong and the Mapo Tofu was slightly oily but I assume this is the way its cooked using lots of chili oil. Mapo Tufu is one of my favorite dishes and this Hunan version (the dish is Szechuan in origin) was different with that chili oil adding another kick. The twice cooked pork with tofu is another excellent dish. Nice firm pieces of tofu that had a texture that is similar to fishcake (I wonder where I can find that). The fried noodles, which is not on the menu, was also bursting with flavor but oily. There is something strange in the oil, I don't get that greasy feeling which you get from oily fast food. Maybe its the kind of oil or maybe it is not lard but vegetable oil. Either way, no dizziness or headaches from the food.
Beneath all that spice, there was a subtle and/or complex flavor in all the dishes. To use a music analogy, the food is very much like 'Psychocandy' by the Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine's 'Loveless', using sweet melodies (subtle flavor) amidst noisy feedback (spice).
The Hot Pot Duck before and after
Mapo Tofu
Gang-Bao Chicken
Cold Pig's Ears
Fried Kangkong
This restaurant experience is really an adventure; finding it and eating the food. Going through the pieces of chili, the sensations of the chili and the chili oil exploding in your mouth, eating something unexpected, going through the unknown, yes, it's a real adventure and if you are not adventurous and don't like spicy food (BORING!), don't even think about coming here. One great thing about this adventure is that it is not expensive.
As we were about to finish our meal, the restaurant was full and a Filipino couple arrived and they had to wait for a table. The word of mouth is spreading fast. Somehow I want to keep this place secret and not tell anyone about it. Keeping it secret will contribute to the allure and having too many non-Chinese customers might just ruin it. At the same time, how can i keep something so good so secret? Let's just hope the success will not ruin the quality and here's hoping a similar restaurant serving authentic cuisine opens soon.
The Hunan Restaurant With No Name
6404 Camia Street,
Makati City
Philippines
Tel: +63 915 425 2972
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