Weekend Food Trip at: Tian Pao Wan

Happy Sunday everyone!
I received a couple of feedback from AMW readers/fellow-food lovers who are sharing their excitement on my weekend food posts!  To be honest, I'm ALWAYS excited to EAT and share my experience dining in a restaurant especially if it is a first time experience for me.

Just like at Tian Pao Wan.

I've heard about the restaurant  from my mom and dad-in-laws a couple of times as they went to this restaurant a couple of times spending great nights with friends and good food.  After inviting us to dine with them so many times, our schedules finally matched and we finally made it last Sunday night! 

Tian Pao Wan could be difficult for most of you to remember (especially non-Chinese readers) so for easy reference and for my ease of typing...let's call the restaurant TPW temporarily!  *lol*  You can't blame me for being lazy, you know where AMW came from! :P

Anyways, back to TPW, Mr. AMW and I are thankful that we spent our dining experience with our family friend who happily did the ordering, me and my husband are both lazy when it comes to menu ordering, the more choices we have in front of us, the longer we'll get to eat as we can't seem to make up our minds! 

Pumpkin Seafood Soup

Php384.00

I actually requested for this as I've always been a fan of Pumpkin soup!  The seafood part was an added bonus and I just have my anti-histamine on hand as I believe my family prefers to have some seafood "bits" on their soup!  So far, I'm glad the soup served has a good texture, not too thick nor too runny. The taste?  It definitely has an added note of sweetness (but not too much).

 Special Steamed Pork Xiao Long Bao

Php168.00 for 8pcs

You can also opt for 6pcs at the price of Php128.00 but seriously, why would you go for 6pcs?  Xiao Long Bao may be a "forgotten" dimsum as most Chinese restaurants offer them and you may feel they all tasted the same!  TPW's version is very "soup-y", you get a good amount of "soup" that literally squirts out on your first bite, so be very careful as it is piping hot!  

How's the taste you ask?  Sorry, can't tell!  I burned my tongue!  *laughs*  Just joking, well the burning is not a joke but I definitely can tell that this Xiao Long Bao can give Crystal Jade's Xiao Long Bao a good competition :)

Tian Pao Wan Fried Rice

Php388.00

The first time we had our fried rice wrapped with an "egg blanket" was at Hanobe , their version is called Hanobe Global Fried Rice (their version is creamier) it was Mr. AMW's favorite and again, we are so unlucky to learn the restaurant closed down!  It was perfect for Tian Pao Wan to create their Fried Rice wrapped in...yes, you guessed it right, a blanket of egg!  I was expecting this rice dish to be dry but I got a lovely surprise as the texture is quite close to "machang" but lesser the thickness. 

Dragon Ball

Php368.00 for 6pcs

I crave for Bok Lene's Dragon Ball for so long and it broke my heart to learn the restaurant closed down.  I haven't seen a restaurant who can serve a good Dragon Ball until that night!  Finally, Keith and I can go to TPW for our Dragon Ball fix!  

By the way, feel free to let the waiter know how many pieces you want as they can go beyond 6pcs.

P.S. can you spot the 3 cute bunnies artistically created by the use of quail eggs?

Fish Fillet in Thai Sauce

Php368.00

Okay, in most Chinese restaurants, you get Fish Fillet in Sweet and Sour Sauce.  In TPW, you have a choice of ordering "fusion" dish called Fish Fillet in Thai Sauce, with the presence of mango, this definitely can pass a Chinese/Thai fusion dish.  Thankfully, the mangoes used aren't sour so the dish came off quite sweet, the dish still tastes like Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet for me with the added crunchy slices of vegetables giving the dish a unique twist.

Patatim

Php518.00

Everytime I see Patatim dish, I always wish for a Cuapao beside this!  But for tonight, I'm glad Cuapao wasn't around as my waistline won't be happy!  To those who doesn't know what a Patatim is, well, I call this a Chinese "Paksiw".  Patatim is a dish made out of slowly braised pork leg served with thick sauce that's sweet and salty.

With the texture of TPW's Patatim, I have a feeling this dish was slowly braised for more than an hour almost 2 hours for sure!

Salt and Pepper Squid

Crispy exterior, juicy in the interior, that's how I like my squid to be! I believe baby squids are used as they aren't tough as compared to other squid dishes I've tried in other restaurants. 

 Szechuan Spicy Scallops

Php708.00

I've had authentic Szechuan dishes when I lived and worked in China so when I saw this dish served right in front of me, I had an inkling feeling that this dish will put my tongue on fire and numb it like it was injected with anesthesia.  Thankfully, the TPW's version is quite friendly to most tongues!  The scallops are huge and very tender!  

Cold Prawn Salad 

Php508.00

 I used to skip anything with shrimps and prawn, but because I was quite adventurous that night and I want to say something for review, I took a small bite on this dish and I find this quite tasty, not the creamy, very sweet type of Prawn salad dish but the mix of prawns and fruits goes so well you get to taste each ingredient without one overpowering the other. 

If you find it weird to eat "cold" dish, feel free to go for the Hot Prawn Salad dish!  They also have that available!

Sizzling Beef Tenderloin with Black Pepper Sauce

Php568.00

Sizzling Beef Tenderloin has always been my favorite in any Chinese restaurant I visit, but when you put Black pepper in it's name, I usually go to the other route.  Obviously, I'm not a fan of pepper-y dish, surprisingly, TPW's version is subtle, you may see pepper chunks clearly even on photo, it definitely didn't taste as strong as it gets blended well the the flavors of the sauce.  It was a wonderful bonus that the beef tenderloin were sliced perfectly and it is very tender and easily melts into the mouth!

Buchi 

Php80.00 for 3pcs.

I'm sorry but I'm really not a fan of Buchi so I gave this a skip!  But judging by the look on Buchi-vores :P  They are obviously happy with the "muffin" sized dessert!  I was told it isn't too sweet.

Almond Shaved Ice

Php238.00

The highlight of the night!  I've had shaved iced in Taiwan so many times and they never made me happy (just cold).  I was expecting this to look pretty and just remain to be a pretty, picture-perfect sight but boy was I wrong!  This was the best shaved ice I've tried in my entire life (I know I haven't tried many locally) but ths one won my heart!  Even Mr. AMW who's not into desserts like this finished his portion!  By the way, looks can really be deceiving, this dessert can make 6-8 people HAPPY!  Cold ..yes...BUT contented!

Our private room

 Located at the second floor of the restaurant

The overview of Tian Pao Wan's first floor

The restaurant has a modern, casual-dining feel.  

The restaurant is very clean and their air-conditioning system is working properly!

Overall, I had a wonderful experience dining in this restaurant.  I actually enjoy checking in at FourSquare especially when I visit Restaurants as I like to read tips from customers.  I have read a couple of recommendations for Tian Pao Wan (ex. Pork Chop Rice) but I was told the restaurant did a major change on their menu!  The owner actually showed me their old menu and I get to compare it  with their current one.  Personally speaking, I'm glad I visited the restaurant at the latter part because they definitely have more dish choices, food tastes way better today (according to my in-laws) and so far, I can see the restaurant quite packed considering they just started late this year! 

Will I go back?  Definitely!  I have a long list of what I will try next so don't be surprise if there will be a part 2 for TPW!

Tian Pao Wan

N. Roxas (near Banawe Ave.) Going to Biak Na Bato

Have you tried dining at Tian Pao Wan?
Which is your favorite dish featured in this post?

Please LIKE AskMeWhats on Facebook 
Follow AskMeWhats on Twitter  
Get "photo-updated" on Instagram (search "AskMeWhats")

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!