Tuan Tuan Chinese Brasserie, Greenills Promenade

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

As the first Chinese Brasserie in the country, TuanTuan Chinese Brasserie is Hong Kong's comfort food with a French Flair. Captivated by the Chinese fascination with the circle, the idea of union is the meaning of TuanTuan - round and round, also gathering things together. At TuanTuan, they create a distinct dining experience by cultivating Chinese culinary tradition within a sophisticated yet cozy French inspired ambiance. At heart a brasserie, they serve food that is delicious, quick and authentic.

The story of TuanTuan begins in the early 1960’s in Hong Kong, a period of dynamic foreign influences and economic growth. Family-run restaurant, Mui Garden, was popular for serving quick Hong Kong comfort food that was both hearty and accessible, the most famous of which was their special curry & noodle soup.

After emigrating in the 1990’s, the Mui Garden family successfully replicated their expertise in Canada and even opened another store called Deer Garden that is known for their Halibut Noodle soup. Led by son Gordon, their special brand of Hong Kong comfort food has been lauded many times over. The famous Mui Garden curry is decadent, rich with the perfect blend of choice spices and creamy coconut milk.

The multi awarded Signature Halibut Fish Soup from Vancouver is a distinctive experience: luxuriously milky yet light, silky, alive with the rich, delicate flavors of the sea. The soup base is made from specially chosen fresh Pacific Halibut that can only be found in Canada. The famous Hong Kong style curry is decadent, rich with perfect blend of choice spices and creamy coconut milk.

Recipes that have been passed on from generation to generation. It is with much pride that we bring you these multi-awarded dishes steeped in decades of history, the same recipes that has satisfied countless diners in Hong Kong for over fifty years.

[Source: TuanTuan Website]

Crispy Barbecued Pork Snow Buns

₱

148

On Valentine's Day (2018), my boyfriend and I spent our dinner date at TuanTuan Chinese Brasserie. It's located at Greenhills, Promenade. We weren't planning on eating out that day because we only planned to watch Black Panther and agreed to spend our Vdate on a different day. Being both foodies, we can't help but have a decent dinner on this special occasion. We were just craving for good food so he brought me to Tuan Tuan.

I've never heard of this restaurant before and I was even surprised that my boyfriend knew about this place. This restaurant had been around in GH for quite sometime now but it's not as advertised & not as mainstream compared to other Chinese restaurants like Tim Ho Wan & Din Tai Fung. The restaurant creates a distinctive dining experience by refining Chinese culinary tradition within an urbane yet cozy French inspired ambiance.

FOOD

Crispy Barbecued TuanTuan Snow Buns ₱148

Think crispy and fluffy at the same time. Toasted underway and heavenly soft on the inside, this bun knows how to tease and sweetly satisfy a craving palate.

I love pork buns and the only buns that i've tried so far were from Tim Ho Wan's version before going here so it's my only point of comparison. TuanTuan Snow Buns are probably the best pork buns i've tried ever! Yep, even better than the THW!

Their buns has a crispy coating on top that doesn't fall apart easily. It's not flaky and it's not as sweet as Tim Ho Wan's! Their buns are more compact and has a toasted texture at the bottom which reminds me of toasted siopao. The meaty asado filling has the perfect balance of sweet and savory. ₱148 is a pretty good price point for the quality of the buns. I would love to take this out and probably eat this all day!

EAT IT WHEN IT'S HOT! THEY'RE FRESHLY MADE & SERVED!

Halibut Noodle Soup

Halibut Noodle Soup

Mix: Original Fish Soup, Sliced Beef, Pork Balls, Fresh Ramen Noodles

Their signature Halibut Fish Soup gives a hearty experience that is both appetizing and healthful. The dish takes pride on its luxuriously milky yet light, silky, alive with the rich, delicate flavors of the sea – from the deer garden broth that harkens from clean, cool waters of Canada to the halibut that is imported for supreme quality and taste.

This one is a top reco of many foodies and also a best seller on their menu so I ordered it to give it a try. First impression: It had an awkward taste because of the cilantro. If you don't like cilantro, you might not enjoy this dish. It's not love at first taste but it's something you'll learn to enjoy once you keep digging in. The noodles were al dente and perfectly cooked! My boyfriend really liked it because he's very particular on how noodles are cooked on soup dishes and this one passed his expectations. The soup is very comforting, very savoury and all the meat tasted well together in my bowl. I actually expected that there will be a fishy taste but it didn't have any. The overall taste is quite herby which I think might not be appreciated by everyone. Its either you love it or you don't. Plus points for the BIG serving, one order is meant to be shared by two people.

House Special Trio P428

House Special Trio

House Special Trio is like a unique version of chao-fan. It's baked fried rice topped with three flavors: baked seafood in white sauce, wild mushroom in pesto sauce and porkchop in tomato sauce. This is best for those who can't decide!

My favorite among the three would be the wild mushroom in pesto sauce! The strong pesto aroma & taste boosted my appetite. I didn't want to eat this anymore cause I was happy with my Halibut soup already but it was just irresistible. This is a must try if you are a rice lover like me. The dish is something new & different from the usual PH & Chinese resto rice dishes, this is something that cannot be tasted elsewhere! I believe this dish is common in HK but i've never really explored their food so I hope i'll get to try authentic unique rice dishes there when I go back.

HK Milk Tea & HK Coffee P98 | P48 when added with noodle dish

Nai Cha and Yin & Yang

Silky smooth, with just the right amount of milk – the key to the perfect Hong Kong style coffee & tea seems to be instinctive at TuanTuan. It uses the ingredient that only the most reputable tea masters in Hong Kong use – Black and White Milk. Their Nai Cha is one of the most authentic HK Milk Teas i've had in Manila. It's so refreshing, light and very tea to taste. The cold drinks are served in a stainless steel mug to keep it cooler for a longer time.

Overall, it was a great experience dining in Tuan Tuan. It was a good call for the boyfie to bring me here for Valentine's which made our dining experience extra memorable. I will definitely be back to try their custard buns and other noodle soup!