Baguio is home to a lot of different, diverse delicacies that you can sink your teeth on. There’s that place where you can eat smoked baby back ribs, a place where you can slurp the juiciest authentic Japanese ramen and there’s also that place which gives you a selection of uncooked meat, expecting you to cook it yourself.
With all the choices around from pizza to pita you can find and try, there is one throne that has yet to be taken as a favorite of mine (until now).
Chinese cuisine has been a really complicated place for me to stay and enjoy. For one, there has always been only one Chinese restaurant in Baguio that people go to when they feel it, so there’s not much competition for comparison and improvement.
Other reasons also include the fact that I don’t know a single thing about how a Chinese dish should taste like. I just take it at face value and go along with it.
A few days earlier, we were invited to King Chef Dimsum Kitchen, a dumpling haven, offering an affordable yet handmade selection of dumplings, stir fries and a lot more Chinese cuisine.
Of course, I would never pass on a chance of sinking my teeth in new tastes. So my wife and I went to give it a try.
Entering the place felt like we were somewhere expensive. We were under the impression that it was a restaurant where you come in with a full wallet and empty stomach, then get out with an empty wallet and full stomach kind of situation. I was hesitant.
This might be more than we can afford I said to myself as the accommodating and happy waiters ushered us into our seats. I was restless. I pushed through regardless.
It’s something new, and I really wanted to see what they have to offer so I took their menu and started browsing. Eventually, my frown and uncertainty turned into a smile and disbelief. Everything on the menu was affordable!
I was flabbergasted, I don’t know what that word means but it was the word that came to mind while enjoying every bits and pieces of food on our table.
I personally enjoyed the X. O. siomai, mapo tofu, beef hofan, as well as their hakaw. The wrappers were springy and fresh to the taste giving me the feeling that it was hand-made.
They said that the dumplings are made in-house which is a fancy way of saying they wake up early to make hundreds if not thousands of these. Pretty awesome, eh?
I am a sucker for everything home-made so knowing this gave me a sense of ease. Like a child eating his favorite dish (I swear my feet were swinging back and forth).
Sure you can purchase 4 pieces of siomai for about 25 pesos. But that will never taste as good as the siomai they offer at King Chef Dimsum Kitchen.
They do not hold anything back and that for me was enough to consider this place a new favorite of mine.
Same goes for their rice dishes. Each and everything they offer here is authentic Chinese cuisine.
It might not be as flashy as what you see on YouTube, but I can assure you, the taste is just as amazing.
Aside from those dishes, I also have a sweet spot for mapo tofu (a sweet, spicy and sour dish) that can be enjoyed solo or with rice.
The thing to note about their mapo tofu is the fact that they use potato starch which is leagues better and more enjoyable than corn or even cassava starch.
I enjoyed every slurp, bite and chew with this dish. The small amounts of mushroom hiding behind waves of ground meat really levels out the dish.
All in all, I enjoyed every moment of our meal there. We loved it so much that after 2 days we found ourselves coming back.
So I guess it’s true when they say, King Chef has a way of keeping you coming back for more!
Here are some other menu items that you might want to try.
- Buchi – The best buchi in town!
- Crispy duck wanton – A delicious crunchy, deep fried dumpling with pieces of duck bathed in hoisin sauce
- Soyed wanton – Exceptionally good with rice
- Imperial Blooms – Amazingly delectable jelly with a breathtaking instagrammable design that you’ll have a hard time eating! It’s one of those foods that are so deliciously beautiful you just want to take it home as decor.
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- Buchi
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- Soyed Wanton
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- Crispy Duck Wanton
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- Imperial Blooms
We’re planning on going back to King Chef every once in a while (maybe 2 to 3 times a week! Hahahaha )to try all of their menu and updating our recommended food list so keep an eye out for that!
BUDGET TIP: Go during their happy hour, 2:00 to 5:00 PM and 8:30 to 10:00 PM (starting December 1), to get big discounts on their dumplings and more. You can get P130 dishes for only P80 and P95 dishes at P65!! That’s A LOT of money saved.
Branches
King Chef Dimsum Kitchen
- 2/F 238 Banawe Centre, Quezon City
- The Block Ground Flr., SM City North Edsa
- SM Cherry Shaw, Mandaluyong City
- The Orchard Hotel No. 49 Legarda Road, Baguio City
King Chef Seafood Restaurant
- 2/F Lucky Chinatown Mall, Binondo
- 987-989 St., Quezon City
You can check their website, www.kingchef.com.ph, for more info!
Have you tried King Chef? What did you think of their dishes? Let me know in the comments below!