Tucked away inside the busy and crowded streets of Salcedo Village in Makati is a new hidden gem that will surely light a fire on your taste buds with its modern interpretations of Chinese and Asian cuisine combined with a flair for plating and presentation to satisfy this generation’s discerning diners. Forget about the old boring dimsum, noodles and rice bowls because Sup? Chow gives these Chinese favorite a whole new beautiful upgrade.
Sup? Chow is a playful and casual dining establishment located on the second floor of Antel Corporate Tower along Valero Street, right in the heart of the Makati commercial business district. Those who are not familiar with the streets of Makati might have a difficult time finding this restaurant, but people living or working near the area are starting to make a buzz about its cozy ambiance and its unique take on delectable Asian cuisine with a modern Western spin. Trust me, the hunt will be all worth it.
I visited Sup? Chow a few weeks ago with my friends to celebrate the upcoming long weekend so it was a perfect venue to catch up over colorful cocktails and appetizing plates. The restaurant is open from 11:00am to 10:00pm on Monday to Saturday to provide a comfortable respite from the stressful workplace. The menu is also quite affordable, with dishes at just around P200 and above.
The spacious dining area has a modern industrial theme, with quirky lighting fixtures and playful artwork decorating its walls. You can take a seat beside the windows overlooking the busy streets of Salcedo Village, or just sit on the long wooden tables for a great night out with friends.
Sup? Chow is owned and operated by Chef Francis Lim who also handles the kitchen at NAV Modern Thai Cuisine and Tipple & Slaw. Being half-Chinese, Chef Francis envisions offering Chinese comfort food which he remembers from his childhood, redesigned with a modern twist.
We chose to sit somewhere near the bar since we came in a bit too early for dinner. So why not enjoy a few rounds of drinks and cocktails while waiting for the others to arrive?
The beverage menu comes with an interesting lineup of drinks like their Frozen Thai Milk Tea, but it was the cocktail list that I was really curious to try. The Suntory Sour (P220) is a mix of the popular Japanese Suntory Whisky together with lemon and sugarcane syrup. The strong whisky blend is balanced by the sweet and sour notes from its other ingredients.
The pretty Mango Margi (P220) is a mango margarita made with tequila, mango rum liquor, and lime juice then filled with bubbles of fresh mangoes that pop in your mouth. On the other hand, coffee lovers will want to try the Intramuros (P220), a coffee-based cocktail made with rum, cacao, coffee liquor and peanut butter.
We also started with a few appetizers like their signature Mapo Tofu Wantons (P250). These crunchy wanton shells are topped with mapo pork, soft tofu, chili threads, leek sauce. Mapo tofu is usually very spicy, but these are just about right with just a little kick.
This colorful culinary creation is called the Birthday Misua (P180). Unlike the traditional misua, these noodles are rolled in soft rice paper with brocolli leaves and vegetable puree. It also comes filled with char siu pork so even non-vegetable eaters will enjoy this healthy treat.
Another option is the Sichuan Fried Wings (P330) which are served with mapo chili on the side. The crispy wings go well with the refreshing cocktails, but even more so when you dip them inside the mapo chili.
The Cong Yu Bing Fried Chicken (P220) or Scallion pancakes is a specialty at Sup? Chow. This is a Chinese savory flatbread cooked with oil and minced scallions. The soft taco shells come with miso fried chicken plus nori, burnt leek puree and pickles.
Other Cong Yu Bing variants have them topped with Mushrooms (P185) or with Braised Duck (P185) instead. These are definitely not the usual Cong Yu Bing we see in Chinese restaurants and stores.
Chef Francis flexes his culinary mucles further with the Hot and Sour Laksa Soup (P350). This combines two of my favorite Asian noodles, the hot and sour soup from China and the laksa soup from Malaysia and Singapore. The flavor combination actually works and you wonder why no one else had ever thought of doing this. The laksa style soup, which is the predominant flavor, comes with shrimp, sweet potato noodles, ramen egg and sprouts.
Another unique dish is the Beef Rendang Bang Bang Noodles (P250) which turns the popular beef rendang into a noodle dish. The homemade rice noodles are cooked with curry paste and curry leaves while the beef rendang gives it a meaty and savoury component..
More noodles come your way with the Tan Tan Misua (P250). I do love tantanmen ramen so this deconstructed version is another way of presenting this popular dish. It uses salted misua instead of ramen noodles and comes with tan tan sauce from peanuts, minced pork, shrimp, and toasted sesame creating a medley of ingredients that all come together nicely. This is Asian comfort food at its finest.
Sup? Chow also offers several rice bowls for those quick lunch gatherings or for the heavier dinner setting. The Char Siu Grilled Chicken (P235) has perfectly grilled chicken on a bed of steamy sesame rice. It also comes with ramen egg and sambal bokchoy.
One Asian dish that Chef Francis loves and remembers from his childhood is the Korean Beef Stew (P280) so he incorporated it into the menu. It is not necessarily a Chinese dish but its Asian flavors are still very familiar. It comes with kimchi rice, scrambled eggs, and toasted sesame.
I also love to eat roasted duck so the Duck Rice (P280) is another good option if you want a filling and satisfying rice bowl.
Sup? Chow also has a Duck Curry on its a la carte menu but this one is for the expert spicy-food lovers because it really has a strong spicy kick. There is also the Roasted Pork Belly (P350) with its crispy skin plus its juicy and savoury pork.
For desserts, you must try their Masachi (P150) which is a mochi ball filled with white chocolate goodness inside. It also comes in a black sesame variant which swims inside a cold ginger milk broth. This is different from the usual Chinese way of serving it inside a hot bowl, and I do believe this version is better.
We would like to thank Chef Francis Lim for hosting our small dinner get together that turned into a long night filled with stories and laughter, made more memorable with his excellent food and cocktails. Make sure to visit Sup? Chow when you are in the Makati area. It’s colorful and affordable menu will surely make you come back for more.
Sup? Chow
Unit 203 2/F Antel Corporate Center, 121 Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati
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