Located at The Verve BGC, on 27th St. and 7th Ave., Wong Place is a casual Chinese comfort food concept whose time has obviously come, given how popular it’s been since its soft opening in mid-August. Brainchild of Grant Teng, his parents, noted restaurateurs Eric and Emelda Teng, were proud and happy to give Grant and his sister the credit for coming up with the concept, deciding on the dishes on the menu, and creating the interiors that are a smart mix of contemporary bar, with traditional Chinese eatery.
What Wong Place offers are familiar dishes, from dim sum to noodles and congee, to main courses, variations of fried rice, and strong drinks from the bar - as the group has invested in creating a strong after-hours profile. And if you peruse the menu, you’ll see how smart it is in making sure a host of practically anyone’s go-to’s and favorites, will be found in the listing. Plus, they don’t go overboard with the number of dishes to be found in the menu. Unlike formal Chinese restaurants that pride themselves on page after page of dishes; Wong seems to divine that the required time for ordering should be as ‘comforting’ as the food. Establish enough options, make certain they’re done well, and inject some tweaks to make old favorites feel fresh and exciting!
The Pork Siomai with Tobiko, the Hakaw, the excellent Beef Balls, and the spicy Pan-Fried Wongtons were our Dimsum choices. The Wongtons was the surprising favorite for me and my boys. I’m not a big fan of Beef Balls, but the boys declared this one as one of their favorites, with the tenderness a definite plus factor.
The Noodles were the Smoked Duck Wonton Noodle Soup, and the dry Sambal Shrimp Fried Noodles. The Smoked Duck really knew how to hit home, Matteo immediately enthusiastic about the broth, which for him is always super-important. The Sambal Shrimp Noodles is what I’d recommend if opting for dry noodles as a replacement for ordering Rice. Not a popular choice here in Manila, but if you’re in that kind of mood.
The Pork Chop Fried Rice was a mild surprise as it comes with literally slices of a whole pork chop sitting on the rice. There are greens as well, but it was surprising as my youngest declared it was a rice topping meal unto itself, and he was happy for that discovery.
When ordering the main courses, do not miss out on the Calamansi Chicken. This early, I’ll proclaim this dish as the most likely to become bestseller. It’s their variation on lemon chicken, and I really loved the calamansi variation. The Mapo Tofu was a good choice for something hot and wet to be among one’s main courses - it’s served in a hot pot.
At this point, we were so stuffed, we didn’t even think of dessert. That’s for our next trip to the Wong Place. It’s certainly the right time to be the right Wong Place. The BGC crowd have welcomed the eatery with a really tight embrace - keen prices, generous portions, high quality, and a string roster of dishes to choose from.