"Divinondo": A Foodcourt Experience

Su zhou Shrimp Dumplings
Php90
Tuesday I spent the whole day in Divisoria and Binondo. Mostly, I just followed my sister around so I did not know exactly what part I was in at any particular point in time was there. But I was pretty sure we started our "Divinondo" adventure by puttering around Lucky Chinatown Mall. The last time I was in Divisoria, this mall was not yet in existence, so that was pretty exciting for me. It reminded me of Newport Mall and Eastwood Mall, and it was by far the most high-end of the malls that I had been to in that area.

168 Mall Food Court
From Lucky Chinatown, we crossed over to 168 Mall, which is in stark contrast to the former. 168 Mall is densely packed with stalls that sold merchandise that give you more bang for the buck and equally packed with shoppers that tended to cause traffic along the narrow aisles. Nevertheless, we combed through that place like there was no tomorrow, zigzagging through the many pasilios as methodically as possible to make sure we did not leave any store unturned. I was mesmerized by all the unusual trinkets and mind-blowing bargains being offered by merchants at every turn. And you kind of lose track of time there. It was lunch time when we finally decided to move away from the shopping area and into the food court.

Su zhou Beef Noodle Soup
Php75
While there are a couple of big-name food establishments that set up shop there, I was relieved to learn that the 168 Mall food courts (yes, there is more than one) have markedly different vendors from those that I am used to. There are more authentic Chinese food vendors, for instance, which was perfect because I was sure as heck that I was not going to have a burger for lunch in Divinondo. Among those we bought lunch from was Mitzi's and Su zhou. Mitzi's has very good siomai (Php60 for 4 pieces), which are bigger than say Chowking's or Henlin's. At Su zhou, we ordered beef noodle soup and shrimp dumplings. We had to wait for a while for our food here because they are cooked upon order, even the steamed shrimp dumplings was steamed on the spot, to make sure you get your meal fresh and hot. Su zhou's steamed shrimp dumpling is different in that it is not simply a shrimp ensconced in starch wrapper. Su zhou's wrapper for one, is not translucent unlike the usual steamed shrimp dumpling (hakaw) I know of. Secondly, the filling seems to be a combination of some ground shrimp and some fish mixed in rather than a whole piece of shrimp two. It is really quite interesting and something worth trying when you are in Divisoria.

Comments

pinoyadmin said…
These are nice delicacies and I want to learn how to prepare that.