Way back in college, our barkada used to eat in a small carinderia located in Intramuros near Manila Bulletin. Their specialty is tocino which we are looking forward to everyday. Aside from the delicious taste of their tocino, their meals are very affordable. So students from all over the place gather here for lunch and most of them, like us, also orders tocino. No wonder this place grew and it’s all because of the tocino.
But one day a rumor spread to all the students that eat in this place. It is said that the food is not safe to eat because it’s not clean. Some students say the proper handling of food is not observed and the staffs are unhygienic. Since then the number of students eating in this place decreased until almost gone. The long queue during lunch break vanished. That made us think that it could possibly be true. So we seek for other eatery that will provide us delicious meals, that is safe and of course affordable.
But one day a rumor spread to all the students that eat in this place. It is said that the food is not safe to eat because it’s not clean. Some students say the proper handling of food is not observed and the staffs are unhygienic. Since then the number of students eating in this place decreased until almost gone. The long queue during lunch break vanished. That made us think that it could possibly be true. So we seek for other eatery that will provide us delicious meals, that is safe and of course affordable.
We hate eating at the school cafeteria because the smell of the food will stick in your shirt. That’s why we preferred dining outside the school. But one time a long queue at the school cafeteria caught my eyes. A long queue will definitely mean something new or something delicious. So I've joined the line of students and forget about the “smell on shirt” issue. That was my first encounter with Paotsin.
At first I thought it was something expensive because of the name. But all the meals that time are PHP 40 – 45something (now PHP 50 - up) so that’s definitely okey! The next problem I've encountered is what to order. So I asked the vendor to serve me their best seller. She said it was shark’s fin. Then, she asks if it was steam or fried, sweet chilli or toyomansi sauce, Hainanese or plain rice. I said fried, sweet chili sauce and I’ll try the Hainanese rice.
At first I thought it was something expensive because of the name. But all the meals that time are PHP 40 – 45something (now PHP 50 - up) so that’s definitely okey! The next problem I've encountered is what to order. So I asked the vendor to serve me their best seller. She said it was shark’s fin. Then, she asks if it was steam or fried, sweet chilli or toyomansi sauce, Hainanese or plain rice. I said fried, sweet chili sauce and I’ll try the Hainanese rice.
The only dumpling that I've ate so far is pork siomai. I’m not really a fan of Chinese foods so it makes me wonder how this dish would taste. The term shark’s fin made me think twice if I’m going to eat it or not because I haven’t heard that sharks are edible especially the fin. Sometimes Chinese prepares bizarre foods and it makes me wonder if this is one of them. Eating something unfamiliar with rice that has a green color is really something weird.
Shark's Fin with Hainanese Rice and Sweet Chilli Sauce
But anyway at the back of my mind says that it won’t be here if it’s poisonous or deadly. The long queue might suggest that it’s something worth buying. So I sliced the shark’s fin, examined what’s inside, dip it in sweet chilli sauce, scoop rice and munch it. The only thing that I uttered is that, "oh boy it’s really delicious." The sauce really compliments with the shark’s fin. It has the exact sweetness and the kick that I want. The dumpling is somewhat like a pork meat. I wonder if it’s really a shark’s fin or if it is a shark’s fin-flavored-dumpling. Everything complements with the Hainanese rice. Affordable, delicious and surely it’s clean, what could you ask for? Before it was like, “one order of tocino and one and a half rice please.” Now it’s, “shark’s fin fried, Hainanese, and sweet chilli please.”
But anyway at the back of my mind says that it won’t be here if it’s poisonous or deadly. The long queue might suggest that it’s something worth buying. So I sliced the shark’s fin, examined what’s inside, dip it in sweet chilli sauce, scoop rice and munch it. The only thing that I uttered is that, "oh boy it’s really delicious." The sauce really compliments with the shark’s fin. It has the exact sweetness and the kick that I want. The dumpling is somewhat like a pork meat. I wonder if it’s really a shark’s fin or if it is a shark’s fin-flavored-dumpling. Everything complements with the Hainanese rice. Affordable, delicious and surely it’s clean, what could you ask for? Before it was like, “one order of tocino and one and a half rice please.” Now it’s, “shark’s fin fried, Hainanese, and sweet chilli please.”
Prawn Puff with Hainanese Rice and Sweet Chilli Sauce
(I was addicted too with their Prawn Puffs. So if it's not Shark's Fin it would definitely be Prawn Puff)
Paotsin can be found not only in our school and that’s good news to me. So whenever I crave for shark’s fin, I just drop by to a nearest SM supermarket. Surely there is a Paotsin stall out there. In fact, whenever my wife and I visit SM Pampanga to buy grocery, it’s always automatic to visit Paotsin. The only problem with food stalls at the SM supermarket is that you have to stand while eating. I wonder if there is a bigger Paotsin outlet because I haven’t seen one yet. Anyway, I’m craving for their shark’s fin right now. Too bad it’s too far from where I live. But I will
(I was addicted too with their Prawn Puffs. So if it's not Shark's Fin it would definitely be Prawn Puff)
Paotsin can be found not only in our school and that’s good news to me. So whenever I crave for shark’s fin, I just drop by to a nearest SM supermarket. Surely there is a Paotsin stall out there. In fact, whenever my wife and I visit SM Pampanga to buy grocery, it’s always automatic to visit Paotsin. The only problem with food stalls at the SM supermarket is that you have to stand while eating. I wonder if there is a bigger Paotsin outlet because I haven’t seen one yet. Anyway, I’m craving for their shark’s fin right now. Too bad it’s too far from where I live. But I will