MASUKI

When we have balikbayans over, I do not take them to classy restaurants which I'm sure they could have in their country. What I always do is take them to restos that would give them a trip down to memory lane. So when Tita Carol (my Dad's eldest sister) came by, I was really planning on taking her to MA MON LUK in Binondo, but since it was sooo far away, we just went to the next best thing... MASUKI -- the cleaner and healthier version of MA MON LUK! The kids really loved MASUKI because I told them it was PO'S noodle house from KUNG FU PANDA. He he he!!! ALL MY SCHEMING worked at the end of the night... hot bowls of noodles, meaty siopao, plus reminiscing about the good ol days! He he he! Everybody had a grand time!!! :)

Some points to remember...

You may proceed reading if:

a) You do not have an aversion to the smell of wet socks...

b) You're willing to paralyze your sense of smell because of letter a) since you're such a FOODIE!!!

Ready?

Here we go... MASUKI!!!

The meynuh! 

Food in MASUKI is simple, satisfying, and VERY affordable!!!! If you're a noodle addict like me, you could have this every single day!

Their soup also smells like wet socks... har de har! But it's kinda worth it... until you go on a date then that'll be a disaster. 

Thor :  "Your smell... I DON'T LIKE IT... gimme ANOTHER girl!!!" 

Har de har har!

I kept little Mati and Andrei busy by bringing some crayons and their coloring books. If not for this, they would be ransacking the whole restaurant like what Godzilla does in the metro.

Oh and they yell the same way Godzilla does.

Kidding! He he he he! But whatever noise they make, it is always music to my ears. 

He he he he!

So with this, it is all piece and quiet. We don't want to disturb the other diners as well!

It's a full house tonight!

My Ate Jit and Tita Carol! Doesn't my auntie look like Tita Duran? For some of you who are not familiar with TITA DURAN, she's the Sampaguita actress who is also the mother of Francis M and the wife of Pancho Magalona.

SHUT UP I'm not THAT old! I just love watching classic movies! Ha ha ha ha!

First to touchdown our table is MASUKI'S WANTON PLATE (P130.00). Each wanton was steamed perfectly and very meaty to the bite!! I would love to have another round of this if I only I had extra room in my tummy. 

Too bad when we ate there, they do not have the usual chili garlic oil in dimsum houses. The oil would have been perfect with the wantons. BUT STILL, we enjoyed this wanton dish even with just MASUKI's chili sauce.

YUM!

Is it just me or our expressions in this picture kinda creepy?

Caption this! Here are the nominees...

1) "Our futile attempt to act sweet".

2) "Ericjaz Foodies with tinga at the side of our mouths"

3) "HHUTTBDMSK - Holding Hands Under The Table But Di Magpahalata Sa Kasama"

4) "I'm constipated and I know it"

ANYWHOO...

Getting ready to dig in to the food...

... Andrei however focused on just having some sauce. 

Matipid na date to.

... and finally our steaming hot ginormous bowl of  SPECIAL ORIGINAL MAMI (P95.00)

I tell you, there may be other cleaner and much pleasant (to the nose) chinese noodles out there but it is ONLY going to be MASUKI or MA MON LUK for me.

Not only do they have the chewiest and tastest noodles out there but a trip to MASUKI is like a time machine for me. I would remember my Dad going home on rainy nights bringing us hot packs of Ma Mon Luk (now MASUKI) noodles.

For some odd reason, his number of take outs are NEVER enough and us 4 siblings would fight over the noodles and siopao like cavemen.

Good thing I have a big forehead. I could just bonk my Kuya's and Ate. BUT I was not able to since my Mom does not tolerate the younger kids fighting with the older ones. 

Even for food Mommy??? Yeeesh!

LET'S EAT!

BUT before you dig in, do NOT forget to spoon over several dollops of their heavenly siopao sauce on your soup... YUP you saw that right. 

MASUKI's legendary siopao sauce is like me... It makes EVERYTHING better...

Oops... did you just bash the monitor in your violent reaction?

Seriously, you cannot experience a true MASUKI meal without putting siopao sauce on their noodles, their soup, heck I even mixed this with their chili sauce to dip my wanton in. It's THAT good and you will be sorry if you do not follow this golden rule. 

That's why when I order MASUKI noodles for take out I request for BAGFULS of this siopao sauce. The waiters would often give me questioning looks as if I have my own siopao joint. 

Aaaah! NOODLES!

Yub is going to slurp away!

I did tell you that Mati is turning into a real foodie right? My little guy also has this HU-UUGE appetite. He insisted on having this big bowl all to himself. Jeez I get full just by looking at it.

Me thinks that it also has something to do with Mati's favorite movie Kung Fu Panda. When I watch that movie with him, I imagine they are eating MASUKI noodles as well! Tee hee!

Ahem... Ms. Photographer! It would have helped if you told us that you were going to take a picture na. 

Unless you love looking at my dry hair...

Sluuuurp!!!!!

Even if we have an angel (aka yaya) with us, Andrei would only eat if I was the one who will feed him. So even if Yub and I want to sit together for some HHUTTBDMSK (refer above for the meaning), we cannot do it because Andrei would sit in the middle.

It's okay. Don't you think he's the CUTEST little patootie there is????

Oops paparazzi!

You would know based on this picture who loves having pictures taken... ha ha ha ha!

Mati slurping away!

Mati oblivious to his crazy Mommy!

Of course, I will save the best for last... MASUKI's SIOPAO! It would be dreadful to have all that siopao sauce without the siopao right?

What I usually do is this... sip some soup.... fork in some noodles in your mouth ... take a huuuge chunk of that siopao.... choke... then have something cold like Coke Zero or water.

Believe me, you will be in Cloud 9... Nirvana... Heaven... afterwards... 

FIGURATIVELY though.

Check out Mati stealing a glance at me while I steal some noodles from his bowl!

This is what you may call the MOM REFLEX. 

Why is it that when we feed our kids, we would automatically open our mouth's wide while they are about to take in a spoonful of the food? Why? Why? Why?

That's what happened here....

... and THIS is what got my angel (aka yaya) fired.

KIDDING! HA HA HA HA!

Empty bowls and empty tables... tee hee!

Some may complain that MASUKI serves a cleaner version of the classic Ma Mon Luk (yes... true foodies would understand how the original smellier one is the better), or that preparation of the food is unsanitary. 

But one thing will remain for me...

MASUKI serves great bowls of noodles and no huffing or puffing from other peeps will change our minds about it. 

And I'm sure... thousands of Filipino true foodies agree with me since it will be here forever and ever and ever.......

LET'S EAT!

MASUKI MAMI RESTAURANT

931 Benavidez Street, Binondo, Manila

Tel. No. 244-07-45, 243-2674

MASUKI MAMI HOUSE

368 Sekai Center Unit 203 Ortigas Ave. cor. Madison Street,

Greenhills, San Juan

Tel # 744-27-21 or 744-27-20