Mastercook - DAMPA, Macapagal Ave

There are a lot, and we mean a lot of cooking establishments in Dampa, some full of people, some empty as a desert.  There are a few that we have tried and really like, like Aling Tonyas.   This place was jampacked, and when there’s a lot of people it could mean there’s good food.  Located at the back of the complex near the parking, the executive chef of this place is said to be from hongkong. Lets see how their food fares.

Clams in Taosi –

Cody: The clam dish was the first dish to arrive,  steaming hot, the taosi sauce wasn’t  salty unlike the other taosi I have tried at other restaurants. The clams were cooked beautifully, just right, it wasn’t chewy.

Elle: It tasted really good.  Not too salty as other taosi dishes. 

Sweet and sour pork-

Cody:  believe or not, I like their version ,  the sauce was more on the sweet side than sour, the consistency was very thick so each piece was coated with it. The pork pieces were lean with a minute bit of fat, however I didn’t like the way they sliced it since it was too thick.

Fried Chicken-

Cody: another surprise,  the breading was indeed flavorful,  and the chicken was fried to crispy perfection, the breast meat was still moist…

Elle: It was okay.  I was not really a fan of this version of fried chicken but it kinda resembled Chickenjoy.  It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.  Chicken juice was still dripping from the meat.

Fish Head soup with tofu and vegetables- 

Cody: the soup was essentially the essence of the fish, the tofu was very firm, the vegetables were cooked just right.

Elle: Cleanses the palate after every sip.

Chili Crab-

Cody: not as red as the version of other restaurants. And the spice factor was at the low side, well, I still liked it.

Elle: I didn’t like this version of chili crab cause it wasn’t spicy enough and I kinda felt the sauce was too watery.  Although the crabs were very soft (including the exoskeleton) and the meat tasted sweet .

Prawns w sotanghon—

Cody: this dish is great, the sotanghon absorbing the flavours of the prawn plus the condiments used in cooking it. Prawns were cooked just right, plump, moist, crispy that tell the freshness of the crustacean

Elle: One of my favorite dishes.  I liked the way the sotanghon absorbed the sauce of the prawns.  It was a unique noodle dish in the sense that it wasn;t your regular birthday noodle dish.  It looked like it was cooked in soy sauce but of course it wasn’t.  It had that seafood taste I was looking for.

Crab Rice-

Cody: the dish would look like a bland brown rice, but 

to describe it truthfully,  it is more like a semi wet risotto, served steaming hot,  this is very good. Each morsel very tasty and having a hint of crab flavor.

Elle: I agree. This dish was very good.  The rice was moist but the grains weren’t sticking to each other.  Very “crab-y” .

Stir Fried Squid with Celery-

Cody: quickly cooked squid tossed with fresh celery that was cooked yet still crispy and tasted very fresh. Seasoned very well.

Elle: Squid wasn’t gummy, celery wasn’t overcooked. 

Steamed Whole Fish-

Cody:  the fish was definitely fresh, as you  can see in the position of their fins,  the flesh was flaky and was indeed cooked through. The sauce was the usual sweet soy sauce we are used to in Chinese banquets.

Elle: I noted that steamed fish tastes pretty much like the others served at other restaurants.  Nothing unique about the dish but nevertheless the fish was 

very fresh.

Great food, the bad thing here was the service, too slow, they lack waiters. Anther thing is that customer have to buy their own seafood unike in other restos where if you are lazy you can just tell them how much of a seafood you want and what kind.