Shantung Chinese Restaurant

the best chicken i ever tasted. Shantung was introduced to me by my husband and his family in our early days as couple. When they were still in C. palanca. Since then, we always have a good eat whenever we eat in their restaurant. now that they are in west ave quezon city, we still find our way to eat there even we are in las pinas. ��

Shantung has that taste that you'll always crave, even in quarantine. No matter how much homecooking we do, we still indulge in Shantung's Chinese food once in a while. This restaurant is definitely one of the places we'd first visit once it's safe to go out.

Getting to know the legendary Shantung...

Foodie friends described it as legendary or part of their childhood memories.

There is something about restaurants with decades-long-history that intrigues....

Shantung has been around for more than 60 years but moved locations thrice, this West Avenue branch being the latest one. I haven’t been here in yearsss but let me start off by saying that it’s not my first time here in this branch and nor in the previous location from decades ago because Shantung is a childhood favorite of mine and I am so glad to be back here after so long. So it wasn’t surprising that I truly enjoyed the feast they had prepared. The food is still how I remember them to be - delicious classic Chinese comfort food.

We tried so many dishes but let me highlight my favorites although everything was delicious and each person in our group had our own favorites which if you put together would be everything they served!

My favorites are:
The crispy fried chicken with red (sweet & sour I think) sauce, it’s the only fried chicken I eat sweet & sour with, it just works and it’s how I’m used to eating it ever since I was a kid. With other fried chickens though it has to be ketchup or gravy, only either of the two.

I also loooove the fried shrimp balls. Soooo goooood! Hot and freshly fried, these balls are prepared by them with no extenders, sometimes even freshly rolled for frying just upon receiving the order from the customer. This one is a must order and together with the fried chicken and some fried rice, I’m all set!

But wait, if you could squeeze in the classic Hot & Sour soup too, it’s another must-order (their version is my fave, not really as sour nor as spicy as others I’ve tried, just right and just the way I like it).

Their Pata Tim is ultra tender and perfecf with rice but even better with their steamed bread or mantao. Warning though, their mantaos are huge!!!! And I mean that in a good way hehe.

The Szechuan Shrimp is another favorite of mine, ca’t get wrong with well cooked spicy, saucy shrimps. Extra rice please! Yum!

Their buchi is soft and chewy and packed with delicious filling. Thinking about it now is making me crave and sad at the same time because I was only able to eat one since I was too full already, wish I had eaten more now that I look back or should have had some for take out LOL.

Lastly, we ended the meal with ultra refreshing lychee almond jelly. It really is the perfect ending after a very tasty meal. It has a clean fresh taste. To tell you honestly, I’m not too fond of almond jelly (I’m a mango sago person) but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it. And even moreso when I learned that they make the jelly in-house too.

That’s what so impressive about Shantung, they were able to continue the recipes / dishes we loved from decades ago and still maintain the quality. We were told that dishes are all cooked upon order, nothing frozen or reheated and they make even their own dumpling wrappers and brew the iced tea themselves.

Just a warning though, don’t expect the ambience of Shantung to be chic or elegant like those of the bigger and pricier and/or new Chinese restaurants. It is smaller and their interior is less modern but I think that’s part of their charm. Makes you feel nostalgic eating here especially if you’ve loved them too from decades ago.

Shantung is family-owned and the owners are very hands on and Justin, who assisted us, is very friendly and knowledgeable in the history, operations and offerings of the restaurant. They do delivery within the area (via Food Panda and/or grab food if I’m not mistaken, don’t quote me on that though, best to inquire with them directly) or you can have your orders picked up (ex. thru lalamove) plus they offer catering services too.

I'm in my 50's and I could say that I know Shantung. To be more precise about it, I grew up with the brand. I remember dining with my family in the same restaurant, ordering the same food and enjoying the same Chinese feel. 

However, one can see the age of Shantung peeping through. The Chinese restaurant  is old. Really old.  Shantung needs a renovation. A major one. To bring back the old vitality, the old pizzazz. As they say, to bring back the glory days. 

But glorious food never left. We tasted the old Shantung touch in every dish served. And my favorite? 

The Shrimp Balls. Textured pieces with shrimp flavor with every bite. I just love it. 

Of course, the Pata Tim. I remember that no lunch or dinner at Shantung can never be complete without this very tender pork leg with dark sauce. 

Another staple in our table is the Shantung Fried Crispy Chicken which can be eaten as is without the sauce or catsup.  

The Yang Chow is another must-have (look, I grew up thinking that a Chinese feast will never be enjoyed with plain rice!) that I set aside Intermittent Fasting for awhile and just gorged. 

Steamed Dumpling. Do I really need to elaborate? 

And for dessert, Butsi and/Almond Gelatin with Lychees. Perfect with hot tea. 

My Shantung revisit was an unforgettable one. Couldn't help myself recounting the old days with my millenial foodie friends who listened patiently. Will be back, Shantung, and this time with the family.

Visited this restaurant on the 15th of March 2019 with Glenn Joseph | Jogpen and was able to meet other food enthusiasts. One thing I liked about Shantung is that it is accessible via MRT so getting there is not a problem even with a short notice.

Foodwise, everything is great! This place is totally one to visit if there is a family event or simply dine in for comfort food. I fell inlove immediately with Patatim and Crispy Fried Intestines! I guess the strongest point that this restaurant possess is their consistency in keeping the flavor intact and authentic since it started more than 60 years ago. If you are looking for heirloom chinese cuisines then this is a place to go to. Their price range is both reasonable and affordable.

Customer Service is good, they are attentive and they are knowledgeable about their large menu. If there is an improvement that I will look forward to is their ambiance, the interiors needed an upgrade but as for now it is functional so I don't really mind.

Personal Favorites:
🥢 Patatim
🥢 Shrimp Balls
🥢 Fried Intestines
🥢 Fried Chicken
🥢 Steamed Dumplings

Taste: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5
Customer Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5
Ambience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5
Value for Money: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5

The place is spacious and it's fit for family gatherings, and other private occasions and celebrations. Service is excellent. Parking is available. The ambiance is very private.

I won't forget their Patatim, it was so tender and savory. Because of that, I paired it with the rice The meat was gelatinous. It is one of my favorites.

The crispy pancit was made saucy because the serving of the sauce itself is big enough. It was salty, but I like it!

Shrimp Balls - they used real shrimps, it has a crunchy texture on the outside but soft and flavorful inside.

Dumplings - if you like the soft and light dumplings, go for the steamed one. The fried dumplings were crispy in texture. I enjoyed eating it even without soy sauce.

Fried Intestine - one of my favorites. At the very first bite, you can easily figure how tasty it is. They can make it more tender.