It was a lazy Saturday evening, perfect for a dine out.
Friends and I earlier embarked on a trip to the City of Love for a restful
weekend. I was actually bound to Cebu but a week of illness made me decide
against it. I planned to spend the weekend just at home but I was urged by the
honeymooning couples to go with them, so I caught the trip to Iloilo after
lunch. We checked in at Madison Hotel, a new and really comfortable hotel at
Delgado Street, just stones throw away from SM Delgado. After taking a nap, we
checked out the nearby Marymart Mall for some affordable clothes. But what I was
really excited about was dinner.
We headed to Atria, but since it was a
Saturday, the restaurants were quite full. Good thing Asian Spoon has some unoccupied tables so we headed there for
dinner.
Asian Spoon prides of offering authentic Asian cuisine. I find the ambiance inviting and conducive for solo dinner or group dates. But I suggest coming here with a friend or two because the place is so nice enough you have to share it with your loved ones. I am not really familiar of other Asian cuisines and not wanting to think so much and ask the wait staff a lot of questions, we decided to go for the set meals with Chai Gio, Hu Tieu Nam Vang, pad thai, thit ga thien, rice bowl and cucumber & lemon cooler.
Chai Gio is Vietnamese spring roll. It’s literally “minced
pork rolls.” Its local equivalent is the lumpia.
They have this scrumptious version because it’s loaded with pork and is
served with fresh and crispy veggies.
If we have the batchoy here in the Philippines, Vietnam’s
staple noodle soup is Hu Tieu Nam Vang. Hu tieu originally came from “kuy
teav.” The soup is made from boiled pork bones served with shrimp, pork meat,
Chinese cabbage and rice noodles.
I find their Pad Thai delectable for my palate. I’m a fan of
our local palabok but Pad Thai is
already my favorite. It’s a popular street food in Thailand prepared with rice
noodles. The rich taste comes with the combination of shrimp, eggs, fish sauce,
garlic, chili pepper, palm sugar, lime wedges, chopped roast peanuts, and, of
course, the fresh and crisp bean sprouts.
Thit Ga Thien is just like any other deep fried chicken.
Crispy but dry, though. But the family size serving was a good thing.
For the service, they have friendly wait staff, which I
noticed were always smiling every time they approached us. They were quick to
attend to our needs and they were courteous and polite. Food was served around
10-15 minutes, which I think was faster than other restos in town. My standard
in eating is fairly simple. If it fill me and it tastes delightful to my palate
and if the service is great and the ambiance is nice, I wouldn’t hesitate to
come back to the place and recommend it to friends. So, for the relaxing
ambiance, tasteful cuisines, and value for money service, Asian Spoon is a
go-to dining destination when you’re here in the City of Love.
