Delicious and Shiok at Shiok!

The rich and exciting Asian culinary adventure does not end in Hong Kong. Back home in Manila, the fennel bulbs have heard from their friends a relatively new restaurant that serves delicious and cheap - in fact their friends were all ravenous about it - Singaporean and Malaysian food - called Shiok! located in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig. Shiok is the Hokkien word for "cheap". But in Malaysia and Singapore, Shiok in general is used to convey a feeling of pleasure or happiness. 

Photo-prints of hawker centres line the walls of the restaurant. Hawker centres are places where one can really find good eats, not just in Singapore or other Asian cities like Hong Kong, Bangkok, or Saigon, but probably right in the heart of Manila. Digressions aside, much of the menu of Shiok!, which offers a very brief, if not limited, selection, is largely hawker-inspired. 

For the appetizer, the fennel bulbs ordered Murtabak (Php85), which essentially is roti bread with minced stuffing. It is served with a brown dipping sauce redolent with the flavours of curry and tamarind. It could stand alone as a moderately heavy snack, or if one is on a diet, it can be a meal in itself. The roti is crisp and a bit flaky on the outside, and soft and hearty beneath its initial layers. 

Next, the fennel bulbs had Char Kway Teow (Php140). This is an exciting noodle dish which one can find anywhere from more up-end restaurants to the humble hawker stalls in Malaysia and Singapore. Flat noodles (ho-fan) are almost always used, and the sauce is just exulting with flavour. Chinese sausage, bean sprouts, coriander leaves, and a mixture of fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and other spices, all make this a very happy dish indeed. 

Next in line is a vegetable dish, which is the Sambal Kang Kong (Php65). The kangkong is sauteed in sambal sauce, and the texture is crisp but not too tough to the teeth. Sambal is a chili paste often used in Malaysian and Indonesian dishes. The hint of sambal is enough to dominate the dish, but not too overwhelmingly chili. The addition of probably soy sauce and vinegar adds a softer aspect to it. 

For the first entree, minced beef with eggplant (Php150) was ordered. The dish is mostly Chinese in nature, the sauce being a bit spicy. However, the servings and the plate leave much to be desired, as it seems to work better on a casserole or a similar earthen dish. 

Last but not the least is the char-siu (Php160). This is a very common dish among Chinese restaurants, and is similar to the Filipino asado. The marinade and the sauce are a tad sweet, and the flesh, however, leaves more to be desired, especially when comparing to similar roast pork dishes in Hong Kong. 

Overall, Shiok! is great value for money, if one is on the prowl for something spicy and uplifting such as Singaporean food. 好之！ :-)