Busy Streets

My officemates and I have discovered a great place to eat at: MegaStar Seafood & Hotpot Restaurant located at 512 General Malvar St., cor. A. Mabini Street, Malate Manila. It is near the vicinity of Pan Pacific Hotel.

Why is it a great place? The food is good. The prices are reasonable. Service is friendly. What else might you be looking for?

The restaurant is popular with office people near the area as it offers budget meals. For P85, you get a healthy serving of rice, one viand (e.g. soy chicken), buchi (sticky ball covered with sesame seeds), and iced tea.

Yesterday, seven of us trooped to the restaurant and ordered the Set Meal/Menu for 6 which costs P699 (would you believe?). We were served by Mr. Eddie Yu, the friendly owner, who always has a smile for customers. My boss asked about the Set Meal for 6 and included there was chicken cooked a certain way which we were not too familiar with. We asked if we could change it to lemon chicken and the owner said: “Puwede. Basta kayo, puwede.” (”It can be done. For you, it’s possible.”). My boss also asked if the set menu for 6 was enough for 7 people. Mr. Yu suggested adding one more dish — kung malakas kumain baka kulang. (If you eat a lot, the Set Meal for 6 might not be enough.) We ended up adding a fish fillet dish (which costs about P300) so our total bill was a little over P1,000. Still not bad. =)

The dishes took some time to come (but not too long). Mr. Yu dropped by our table to say: “Sandali lang ha? Mga isang oras na lang…” (Just a little while more… about an hour). He was joking of course. Then, he continued: “Pag wala pa ng isang oras, wala na kayong babayaran.” (If your meal is not here in an hour, your meal is free.)

The meal did come in awhile and it was all simple, no-nonsense, great tasting food. We had: hototay soup; sweet and sour pork; lemon chicken; pancit canton; fish fillet with asparagus; and beef with broccoli.

After wiping everything out, one of us in the group asked the waiters if the meal came with any free dessert. It didn’t but we were still given some fresh fruits. Watermelon and pineapple — and they were sweet.

We left the restaurant feeling happy as Mr. Eddie Yu smiled and waved. I guess we shall be back.

You may call to inquire or reserve at 522-7009. They also have function rooms by the way. Happy eating!