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SuZhou is located off the beaten track on Mabini Street in San Juan. I needed driving directions to find it, and even missed my turn with the specific instructions I was given. In fairness, it was dark when I went there the first time! SuZhou is on a corner lot and used to be a residence before they converted it into a restaurant. The owner kept the original almost rundown look of the house, which I think contributes to the authenticity of the place.
The interior was kept simple by choice. The chairs are deliberately mismatched to convey a sense of homeyness. The walls are painted a cheerful green and the Japanese paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling provide the only touch of modernity in the place.
SuZhou's specialty is their Xiao Long Bao, but I always order this dish whenever I come go there that when I went with Martin last Sunday, we decided to try something different. We decided to order the Tofu with Century Egg and Pork Flakes because it looked healthy. This dish was ou favorite of this entire meal! The tofu was silky soft and cold, perfect for the very hot days we've been having lately. Topped with the century egg, pork flakes, and what I'm guessing is oyster sauce, the contrasting yet complementary tastes of this dish slid smoothly down our throats. Martin has actually been bugging me to go back just to order this dish again!
Of course I didn't want my brother to eat only this for lunch, so he also chose the Special Taiwan Beef Boodle Soup. I had a little taste, and the spiciness level of this soup was just right. You can definitely taste the heat on your tongue, yet it's not so spicy that you need lots of water to wash it down. The beef could have been a bit more tender, but it was tasty.
The main reason for eating at a Chinese place was because Martin had a dimsum craving, so of course we had to order some dimum despite being stiffed already. We decided to just bring home the leftovers. I remembered the Pork and Kuchay Dumplings as being delicious, so that's what we ordered. This again felt like a healthy dish because it was absolutely stuffed with greens. i took a picture but it didn't turn out very well, heh-heh.
Martin saved some room for dessert because he spotted one of his two favorite Chinese desserts on the menu -- the Sesame Tang Yuan (Sticky Rice Balls). I think there were 6 sesame ball in the dish. The surprise to me was that it was served in the water it was boiled with. For some reason I thought it would be some kind of sweet soup so you can imagine my surprise when I took a sip and tasted water, haha!
The inside of each ball was chockfull of black sesame filling. It was hot, sweet and nourishing. It might look a bit gross, but I promise you that it's very very good!
Despite its hidden location, everytime I've been to SuZhou, there's always been a steady stream of people who come in to dine. I guess a sign of the authenticity of its cuisine is the repeat visits of Chinese people from China and Taiwan. On our visit, there were two Chinese girls speaking Mandarin, and I knew from their outfits and their accents that they were not from here.
Aside from their dine-in service, SuZhou also does a brisk take-out business, which I am assuming is from the surrounding residential neighborhoods. They have a little freezer against the wall in the restaurant where you can choose your take-out items from. They do sell their xiao long bao, pork and kuchay dumplings, and even the sesame tang yuan frozen. I can't remember now why i didn't buy some frozen sesame tang yuan to take home. My entire family loves that dessert!
Aside from their dine-in service, SuZhou also does a brisk take-out business, which I am assuming is from the surrounding residential neighborhoods. They have a little freezer against the wall in the restaurant where you can choose your take-out items from. They do sell their xiao long bao, pork and kuchay dumplings, and even the sesame tang yuan frozen. I can't remember now why i didn't buy some frozen sesame tang yuan to take home. My entire family loves that dessert!
SuZhou is a unique gem hidden in San Juan that a lot of people seem to be keeping their own little secret. It's a great addition to the neighborhood, and it's convenient for all the residents of the surrounding villages to drop by anytime they want in their casual clothing. I often see people I know but haven't seen in a long time whenever I go here. Last Sunday, I ran into Father Leon, the parish priest at Mary the Queen, and I can't believe he remembered me! It's been years since I went to high school, haha! Okay, this is off-topic, so let me stop by saying that SuZhou has opened another branch at Promenade in Greenhills and they also deliver!
SuZhou Dimsum
A. Mabini cor. Araullo Street
Mandaluyong City
632.721.6105
SuZhou Dimsum
A. Mabini cor. Araullo Street
Mandaluyong City
632.721.6105
April 24 2007, 19:23:05 UTC 5 years ago
My favorite food there has got to be the oily noodle something. It has spareribs where the meat just falls off the bones and the taste and smell of the noodles is distinctly Hong Kong. Don't let the name of the dish turn you off. You have to try it!
The Xiao Long Bao aka Shao Long Pao in other restaurants are miniature sio paos (as if sio pao weren't miniature versions of tai pao already) are also popular in the Malate branch. There's also this big round flat thing my friend and I call the Chinese pizza (made of egg?) which is also great. :)
April 24 2007, 19:26:00 UTC 5 years ago
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