Rediscovered: Mr Poon Chinese Restaurant

 

Mr. Poon restaurant has been there even before I was born. This year, they've been open for  four decades now. It might not be the top choice for kids as they always want fast food type of food like chicken and spaghetti but those who know how to enjoy good food, more or less have tried dining here.

I always see Mr. Poon branches around but haven't dined in one yet as far as I can remember. We usually get to eat their dishes via to-go (locally known as take-out) and sometimes, it was hard to identify which ones came from Mr. Poons unless you see a fish with a special sauce. It wasn't until I kept seeing the posts of our talented wedding host Ms. Eva Poon that I decided to dine in the restaurant to get the whole experience and try it out.

One lunch, me and my brother went to Mr. Poon Banawe branch. Since the parking slots were full, we decided to visit again another day. A few days after, we tried again and this time, we were in luck! As we entered their restaurant, you'll immediately feel that this restaurant is a classic restaurant. No gimmicks, no fancy stuff -- just the quality food that has been served to all their customers for four decades.

Since it was only the two of us, we ordered rice toppings (rice + viand). Here's what I got:

Asado Rice Topping | P160

Garlic Rice | P60

At first, I was like, "Wow. This is small (pertaining to the entirety of the dish I ordered)." As I eat my way through it, I realize one thing. It looked small but the amount of the viand is more than what the rice can handle! I needed to order extra rice! This was the first realization I had. Unlike other restaurants where they give you rice toppings that is about 90% rice, Mr. Poon had generous amount of viand.

For the taste, the Asado was not juicy (better than super oily asados) but it was fragrant. Not sure if the asado absorbed the sauce or if they put something on it but it was good. I didn't say great lest I will be exaggerating. I've tasted better asados. BUT.. I was surprised on how GREAT the garlic rice was! I loved it. Not sure if they added butter on it but I enjoyed the rest of my asado with my extra garlic rice!

The story didn't end there. My brother and I were very curious about the fish with special sauce which is their signature dish and we cannot remember how it tasted like. It would be too much if only the two of us would eat one because we usually want a meat dish. So, that weekend, we went back again but this time, with my parents and sister so we can try more kinds of dishes.

Here's what we ordered:

Lapu - Lapu with Special Sauce

Pata Tim | P510

Fried Shrimps | P390

5 orders of garlic rice

Salt & Pepper Spareribs

First dish to arrive was the Spareribs. Good thing that it was the first because we never expected the fish to  overpower it. The spareribs was just okay but the thing I want to mention is that it didn't contain much fat. I've this one Chinese restaurant that I frequent and they have great spareribs. Problem is, it tasted so good because the spareribs itself contained a lot of fat. Not that healthy after all. This one had just a few and the taste had great balance.

When the fish arrived, me and my brother excitedly tried the sauce. We had different reactions. He didn't like it but I loved it! I loved it so much that I was eating a lot of fish that lunch. Normally, fish is the last dish I will touch because it was never my favorite (unless in Japanese form). I ate a lot. The sauce was somewhat mushroom-y and some nice tasting flavors which I cannot identify but not MSG-sweet so I guess they don't put or use a lot of MSG here? Here's the aftermath:

Yup. I'm guilty. Finished it.

I was just so full but if not, I would have ordered steamed rice and spread the remaining sauce all over it. Highly recommended if you are revisiting Mr Poon or trying out Mr Poon for the first time. For the shrimps, it was just okay. We find it a bit pricey for the taste and you can do without it so you'll have more room to order other specialties. The pata tim is also okay. It's the type of classic Chinese pata tim that you expected. And of course, the garlic rice! My brother and I promoted it so much that nobody ordered steamed rice that lunch.

My second realization that day was, maybe their food has less or no MSG at all? That might be the reason why some food tasted so-so and our taste buds were constantly deceived by dishes that is full of MSG from other restaurants? Well, one thing is for sure. If you are looking for Chinese food prepared home-style cooking? This restaurant is the one you are looking for. Thank you achi Eva for constantly posting Mr Poons dishes. We rediscovered a hidden gem that we've been missing out or might have missed out in this lifetime if it wasn't for your food photos!

It was a great relaxing Sunday Chinese lunch that we had. Just like how the dishes were prepared -- Home-y.

Here's Mr Poons Menu:

Mr. Poon Banawe
819 Banawe St. Corner Sta Catalina Quezon City
7423433
09178297996

Mr. Poon Malate
1630 Luis Maria Guerrero St Manila
5255555

https://www.facebook.com/mrpoonrestaurant

Cheftonio
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