Awesome egg tarts and more at Honolulu HK Cafe

One of the malls I frequently visit is Robinsons Place Manila because it is near our church and I would go there either before or after worship service. I love this mall for the dynamic dining experience it offers not just for the diversity in cuisine but also for the fact that it has restaurants you can't find in every other mall.

This year, two new restaurants opened that have become my favorite and one of them is Honolulu HK Cafe. It's a franchise from Hong Kong, where the first store opened 
in 1940. I tell you, their coffee and egg tarts are to die for! 
But aside from these, there's a lot of other things to love this resto for such as their savory rice toppings, noodles and meat-filled buns. 
So far, these are my favorites:

Egg tart
The outside is flaky while the golden yellow center has the texture of panna cotta - smooth and soft and is just mildly sweet. I swear, this is sooo good! On some days, the egg tarts are history by 6 p.m. so better come earlier 
if you wanna try these fantastic treats. 

Roast Pork Bun
Flaky on the outside, soft on the inside. With really good saucy roast pork filling. 
This bun is perfect for merienda with a steaming cup of coffee. 

Chicken and mushroom casserole
Tender pieces of chicken with slices of mushrooms covered in a bit of delicately flavored thin sauce top steamed white rice. The serving is huge and 
the topping's sooo good! Two thumbs up!

Fried noodles with pork
I am such a sucker for pancit so this was the very first dish I ordered at Honolulu HK Cafe. The only thing that made me a little disappointed was that the noodles weren't crunchy anymore. Flavor-wise, the dish was a bomb, though, really flavorful. And you would love to munch on the slightly toasted pork slices as you gobble up the noodles. Delish! 

Soy chicken
The meat was really tender and the soy didn't go overboard in its saltiness, thankfully. There's also a hint of sweetness, thus a balance in flavors. I loved this as well, though I wished there was more of the chicken just like in the casserole. 

Hong Kong style coffee

They serve brewed coffee with some milk already and for me, the blend is nothing short of perfect! Still strong, but not too much. I find myself always 

craving for this cup of joe. 

An assortment of bread and pastries

Menu

Interiors

Compared to most Chinese restaurants, Honolulu HK Cafe's interiors has a more contemporary and laid-back look with bright colors and modern lighting fixtures.

Honolulu HK Cafe at the ground floor of Robinsons Place Manila

Honolulu HK Cafe is a great place for lovers of Chinese cuisine. I always leave satisfied after dining here because the main course, dessert and coffee are superb. I haven't had anything that I didn't like. The crew are also welcoming and happy to serve -- another plus! Try Honolulu HK Cafe, folks.

 I highly recommend this place. 

Happy eating!

Finally, Popeyes!

After months of long wait for lines to go short, finally, we were able to try Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. This American chain of chicken fast food restaurant is the next big thing to KFC, with more than 3,100 stores in 30 countries. I was so excited when I learned it was coming to the Philippines! But I had to have a lot of patience from the time the first branch opened in Pasig last May and the second one closer to home in SM San Lazaro last July. I heard people had to line up for two hours! Uh-oh, I'm old, I sometimes have a bad back and knees, so I didn't want to queue that long. Every time I went to SM Lazaro, I would take a look at the lines at Popeyes, 
cringe and go, "maybe next time". 

Last week, at the newer Popeyes branch at SM Manila, I was happy to see short lines but alas, couldn't find a vacant table. And then, finally, last Saturday, I had the best of everything: no long lines and a vacant table to boot. Wow! I finally tasted the chicken everyone seemed to go gaga about. Did I love it? Well, I came back the next day, if that's enough proof that I did, tagging along my youngest child. 
What I/we had:

One-piece chicken with spaghetti, biscuit and drink, P145.

Honey biscuit

Two-piece chicken with rice and drink, P167.

Chicken French Quarter Burger with fries and drink, P165. 

Spaghetti (a la carte), P49.

 Menu

At Popeyes-SM San Lazaro

Popeyes fried chicken is really good, no doubt about it. But it could be a bit too salty for some people coz truth to tell, it is a bit salty. In fact, I almost finished a piece before I remembered about the gravy. The chicken, by itself, is already packed with flavor. And I loved the crunchiness of the skin! 

On the other hand, the spaghetti is much like how Pinoys love it: sweet 
and with bits of hotdog. My boy and I loved it. 

The chicken sandwich was so good, as well. Aside from the crunchy slab of boneless fried chicken, there's also bacon and lots of lettuce and tomatoes! What's not to love? 

Finally, the biscuit.. This made me no less happy. In fact, Im craving for it as I write this post. It's yummy: flaky on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. The texture is close to our very own "hopia". It's not too sweet though and it's firm, so it could be filling on its own. I imagine having this biscuit with a steaming cup of brewed coffee. Uhmm.. Divine! Now I'd be wool-gathering about that till my next visit to Popeyes. Haha! 

Today's Word: Psalm 46:10

(Thank you, Digital Bible for this photo) 

Life sometimes is rosy, but other times, it could be hard. Everyone goes through phases. And each phase unfolds different circumstances that are either a breeze or painstaking. When we go through hardships, most of us tend to be anxious and worry too much. Though I'm a Christian, I sometimes fall into that trap. Thankfully, when I pray and read the word of God, He reminds me that He cares about everything 
that concerns me and that I can count on Him to help me in times
of trouble. I just have to remember that the Lord is in control!
I have to cast my cares upon Him and allow Him 
to teach me how to work out solutions. 
Sometimes, only God can resolve a problem so all we have to do is pray and let Him handle the situation. I remember one night some years ago, I was crying out to the Lord when He spoke to me through this verse: Psalm 46:10 which made me understand that I had to stop worrying and let Him handle 
what I was anxious about. I had to let God be God! 
If you're going through a difficult time right now, I want to tell you, God loves you and truly cares for you. Whatever it is that's weighing you down,
you can lean on our Lord and let Him help you. 
All glory and thanksgiving be unto God!