Fook Yuen Food Center

Hidden gem in Banawe. A must try

Banawe is not the same without Fook Yuen! Delish dishes true to its promise. We including the kids loved their Buttered Fried Chicken truly delectable...and also their Chicken with A1 sauce (you'll never go wrong with this), a foreigner friend has been requesting these dishes since they have tasted it. Oyster cake is also sumptuous! And mind you they use Lapu fish as their fish fillet. Two thumbs up for you Fook Yuen! We are an avid fan of your resto!

Clueless on where to take our next foodie adventure, I turned to the internet for answers and Erwan Huessaff just gave it to me. 

Watching his 'HUGE MUD CRAB WITH CREAMY NOODLES Banawe Street Metro Manila' video on youtube and being a frequent diner at the Banawe area, it got me curious on what restaurant he was pertaining to. From the beginning to the middle of the video were restaurants our family frequently goes to and there was only one from the list that we haven't tried yet, Fook Yuen. That video just got me salivating and went to try it out the next day. 

To be honest, from its exteriors (or interiors), Fook yuen doesn't really look that inviting. Don't let that discourage you though. Just like its neighboring Chinese restaurants, they may not have the ambiance, but they serve one heck of a satisfying meal and that's what were here for, the food. 

🦀 Crab with Sotanghon [House Specialty] (Php 2,810) - I'm not sure what the exact name of this dish is, but I believe this is one of their more popular items, so just ask for the specialty with the cream sauce and they'll know what you're talking about. They let you know the different weights of the crab they have available for the day. So since we were 3, they suggested we get the 1.15KG crab. After that, they compute and let you know the price and ask for your go signal before they proceed with punching the order because to be honest, it is not cheap. We were actually quite shocked with the price since we also frequent to dampa for our seafood fix. After that, they asked if we would like to have sotanghon to go with it which surprised us as well because we though it was already included. Just a heads up that there will be an additional of Php 50 for that and they're cash basis only. After going through that, all that's left is the moment of truth. Is it worth it? Trust me, as soon as you get a taste of that plump crab submerged in a huge bowl of cream sauce and sotanghon, for a split second, all your worries will go away. You'll just be enjoying the moment, getting your hands dirty as if nobody's watching and alternating bites between the soft luscious crab and chewy sotanghon. Its a one of kind taste and experience. Definitely one for the books. (🌟🌟Highly Recommended🌟🌟)

🥘 Oyster omelette (Php 290) - It was so-so. Sincerity's oyster cake is still better.

🍗 1/2 Buttered Chicken (Php 180) - The smell coming from the other table made our heads turn and order this. It was the second best decision we made aside from coming here. Such buttery goodness super delish! (🌟🌟Recommended🌟🌟)

From being one of the many restaurants that we just pass by to being our top of mind when it comes to this particular dish, Fook yuen will definitely be our go to restaurants if we wanted to treat ourselves for our crab sotanghon cravings.

Yang chow fried rice, buttered chicken & hot&sour soup. Food for all occasion in our home. That's how good it is. That hot&sour soup though augghhh... to die for.

After struggling the Saturday traffic going to Banawe, we arrived at Fook Yuen around 11:30 A.M. Its a hole-in-a-wall and i’m excited.

Nothing fancy about the ambiance, but I’m quite sure they’ll please my tummy. It has seats good for not more than 25 pax, it has limited parking. The place has no diners when we get in. We are quickly assisted as soon as we are seated.

We had:

Crab with Sotanghon (Seasonal Price) we had 1.6kilo of crabs. It is served in a big bowl. Not the usual boiled, steam , or fried crab that I enjoy. It has this creamy and slightly sweet sauce that is so addicting. I can tell with taste that crabs are fresh and cooked with precision too. I super enjoyed the crab meat! Leaks and ginger are also mixed, that’s why even I used my bare hands, no fishy smell when I washed my hands.

Spare Ribs with Salt & Pepper- Tender meat and flavorful. Best with sweet & spicy vinegar.

Fried Shrimp Rebosado - plump fried shrimps. So good! Its my all time favorite.

Verdict: no wonder why their crabs woth sotanghon is their best seller. Crab meat is fresh and really meaty... must try😊

As lunch was nearing, it was my mom who suggested a name of a restaurant... for the first time. Without any hesitation, I said yes (with my mom, I'm known to be a yes man, yes mom). When she said Banawe to the driver, I got more excited. Why excited? There's a big possibility that we'll be eating at an old, traditional chinese restaurant where every bite is a potential carcinogen, thanks to MSG.

I was right. All elements of a typical chinese restaurant was there. I got fidgety. I was too excited. I let mom do the ordering: Beef Broccoli, Chao Fan and her favorite, Frog legs. I didn't know about that part of my mom. I didn't know that she and dad know the owners from many, many moons back. And I didn't know they used to frequent Fook Yuen at that time when people were still clueless to the spelling of traffic (overpopulation).

Mom and son left Fook Yuen satisfied. Satisfied with the food and yes, from the stories told by mommy as we finished the beef and the frogs.

Both were satisfactory. Both, filling. And definitely, unforgettable.

Fook Yuen is a hole in the wall restaurant you would find in the busy street of Banawe. The place is simple and clean. We were invited by the owners to have dinner there and we were served with Shrimp cracker, Lechon kawali, Shanghai fried rice, Buttered chicken, Bean curd tofu and Oyster omelette.

Shrimp cracker - Classic style kropek to start our meal.

Lechon kawali - It's crispy and juicy paired with its special sauce

Buttered chicken - One of the best buttered chickens I have ever tasted. You could taste the rich flavor of the butter and at the same time it is juicy and crispy.

Bean curd tofu - Vegetarians would love this dish. The sauce has a thick and rich taste and perfectly blends well with the tofu.

Oyster omelette - Loved the way they cooked the dish. It's fluffy (because of the egg) and at the same time it has a generous amount of oyster on it.

Overall, we enjoyed dining in this chinese restaurant. The presentation of the food is not fancy but the taste of it is straight up good. If you are looking for a Chinese comfort food and do not want to spend that much, this restaurant is the perfect fit for you.