Sand Under My Feet: Hap Chan 107th Branch at Robinson’s Galleria with Unli Shabu-Shabu + Buffet

In the Philippines, there isn’t any trace of scarcity of where to get Chinese food; next to the local cuisine, it is one of the most prevalent cuisine there is. And we owe this to hundreds of years Chinese influence in our food and also our culture. A lot of Filipino dishes are highly impacted by Chinese flavors; a lot have been Filipinized as well like the pancit, kikiam etc. Although this may be the case, there is more Chinese food to explore that hasn’t reach the Filipino taste buds.

One of the well-known Chinese restaurants in the Philippines is Hap Chan; to date they have 107 stores across the nation wherein I was able to witness the grand opening of their 107th store at Robinson’s Galleria with my fellow foodies just last week. The ceremony was a mix of religious and Chinese traditional practices which included a Lion Dance that greatly entertained the attendees, especially myself LOL.

Hap Chan has always been committed in offering authentic Hong Kong tea house cuisine and dining experience at an affordable price in a modern and contemporary Chinese ambiance. Thus, ensuring food quality and great service to their valued customers. Its principal shareholder and a cook for the last 30 years, Kwok Man Wah and his team of Hong Kong cooks, continue to study and improve their craft, developing dishes and methods to ensure Hap Chan Tea house remains in the forefront of delighting loyal customers.

Hap Chan Teahouse is a showcase of the superior food quality and friendly neighborhood service of the authentic Hong Kong Tea house. Starting out in 1997 as a small tea house in Manila, and serving only the Filipino-Chinese favorites: Mami, congee and dim sum. It began franchising its restaurant chain in 1999 through Hap Chan Trading and Management Corporation and has slowly grown its menu. Hap Chan has grown a full-blown restaurant offering the Filipino-Chinese favorites and has expanded to different parts of the Philippines reaching as far as General Santos, Tuguegarao and Ilocos Norte. To date, Hap Chan is over one hundred branches nationwide.

Speaking of expansion of menu, Hap Chan has recently embraced the concept of Shabu-Shabu which is the main selling point of their new branch is Robinson’s Galleria. Shabu-shabu is actually a Japanese hotpot dish of thinly sliced meats and vegetables boiled in water. The food is cooked piece by piece by the diner at the table. Shabu-shabu is usually made with thinly sliced beef, but some versions use pork, crab, chicken, lamb, duck, or lobster. Most often, ribeye steak is used, but less tender cuts, such as top sirloin, are also common. The dish is prepared by submerging a thin slice of meat or a piece of vegetable in a pot of boiling water or (broth) and stirring it.

The restaurant also offers Chinese food buffet which includes a lot of savory, familiar and favorite dishes. At the Robinson’s Galleria branch you hit two birds in one stone with their Unlimited Shabu-Shabu and Buffet in one. Which are priced as follows: Unli Shabu-Shabu, Buffet and drinks for only P688/pax and Unli Buffet only, for P488/pax.

I got to try both during the opening. The Chinese dishes were with classic and very familiar taste that I truly enjoyed especially the yang chow and the sweet and sour pork. I also liked the mango sago dessert. The selection is limited but the quality and the taste of food makes up for that. As for the shabu-shabu, there are lots of items that you can throw into your pot which you can just get from the buffet area. You also have two options for your base soup: a classic broth and a spicy broth.

TBH, I’m not a big fan of soups or shabu-shabu but I will definitely consider Hap Chan’s Chinese buffet spread anytime. (the sweet and sour and yang chow fried rice are legit!). But if you are one of those people who love soups, their shabu-shabu will surely bring you a lot of joy especially that they have lots of meats, veggies and dumplings that you can utilize to customize your hot pot. And for that price? I’d say that’s already a steal!