Lido Cocina Tsina

From E. Rodriguez branch of Lido, I received a small feast of classic Chinese dishes two days ago.

I enjoyed most the Sweet & Sour Pork, followed by the savory, Manchurian Wings. I partnered this with a crisp serving of Stir-Fried Vegetables and Fried Rice.

Go ahead and reach out to Lido too, and have a Chinese food treat while we all stay at home for now.

Chinese food is a staple for our family, so I’ve tried out my fair share of restaurants near and around us. But one restaurant that I have yet to try is Lido Cocina Tsina— a restaurant known for their Pugon-style Asado.

A classic that dates back all the way to 1936, Lido Covina Tsina started out as Panciteria Lido, a local eatery with Cantonese roots. Serving classic Chinese dishes— some with Filipino elements interwoven in the food— Lido boasts of over a hundred dishes to choose from. Variants include Pancit Guisado, Mami and Congee.

During my visit with fellow foodies, we were served:
❤️ Manchurian Wings: sweet, salty and tangy chicken wings made with a soy sauce, garlic and ginger glaze akin to teriyaki sauce. Meat is tender and fell away from the bone easily.
❤️ Pugon-roasted Asado: the crowning glory of Lido Cocina that made them famous. Unlike the usual bright red and sticky sweet Chinese Asado variants, this one is more savory and smoky. While tender, I find it quite dry, so I'd prefer an option where they cook it in sauce (which they have in their menu!).
❤️ Yang Chow Fried Rice: a basic among the Chinese, but I have yet to find the perfect kind. While this one comes with tons of meat and veggies, it's still dry for me. If they served it with a soup Hokkien-style, I think it would taste even better.
❤️ Shrimp Foo Young: eggs, shrimp and vegetables make up this Chinese-style omelette. It's flavorful with the notable taste of shrimp and comes with a sauce that adds to the richness.
❤️ Lumpiang Shanghai: my favorite. It's meaty, Crunchy and comes with a tasty sweet and sour sauce.
❤️ Chami Special: or what we call lomi. Thick udon-like noodles, meat, seafood and veggies cooked in a rich soy sauce.
❤️ Spareribs in Salt and Pepper: tender pork, crispy exterior and a dusting of salt and pepper. Simple yet tasty.
❤️ Chunky Pork Siomai: a Dimsum must-have. It's meaty, comes with shrimp and tastes very different from the pre-packaged frozen ones that some restaurants serve.
❤️ Buchi: think crunchy mochi with a sticky monggo filling inside. It's rich, sweet but could use more filling.
❤️ Brewed Coffee: a definite must-have! Rich and strong flavors, much like Barako but without the thick tar-like consistency. I'd compare it to Vietnamese coffee— sweet and pleasantly creamy when you add sugar to it.

Thanks for the invite! ❤️
👋🏻 Flatlay by: Johnbunag

It was a beautiful late Saturday afternoon and finally, after days of looking ahead on this Foodie meet up, a delicious spread was readily served.

Best-sellers and so as my favorites include Chami Special, Shrimp Foo-Yong, Lumpiang Shanghai and Spareribs with Salt & Pepper.

For 80 years now, Lido Cocina has been offering many Chinese classic favorites known to many Chinoys in Metro Manila. Their famous Pugon-Roasted Asado becomes
Lido's signature dish. but since they maintain wide Menu variants, you could always get something you really want or crave for. They have noodles, dim sum, siopao, Pancit, Congee and even serves Breakfast meals as early as 7 am. It comes with a cup of good siphon-brewed coffee.

Other Food served are:
Manchurian Wings - their take on Buffalo Wings, flavorful but not spicy.
Yang Chow - fried rice cooked perfectly. If you want Sinangag, this one's for you! 😍
Lumpiang Shanghai - meaty, crispy and filling.
Spareribs in Salt and Pepper - The best spareribs I've had. I loved the additional chopped green and red chili on top.
Chami Special - this dish will make you forget your usual Pansit per handaan. Move over, Bihon!
Shrimp Foo-Yong - a great dish made of soft scrambled eggs and with Shrimp and vegetables.

Overall, it was a marvelous dining experience at Lido Cocina Tsina. I totally enjoyed everything I ate, with Buchi as dessert and a cup of delicious brewed coffee to end it.

The branch is big and has a venue for special occasions because the second floor can cater more customers and visitors. Service is good.

We got to try several Chinese dishes here at Lido. What marked my tastebuds is the Chami Special. I don't usually like 'thick' noodles but their Chami Special is saucy and flavoful. Noodles were easy to chew, not hard. It has a balanced amount of meat and veggies.

I also like their Shanghai because it was meaty and filling (not airy). Even without its dip, you'll like it.

The Spareribs in Salt and Pepper has that slight kick of spiciness. Their Iced Coffee was not too strong and quite creamy. I find the Asado dry during that time (my opinion only). The ones served is not the one we had in the photographs. The Shrimp in Egg was fun to eat with the Yangchow Fried Rice.

Price range is on the average-higher side but serving portion is big. This is my first time here in Lido and I was satisfied. This is a family-friendly restaurant.

It's been a while since I dined at a restaurant that serves authentic Chinese cuisine, since I've been on a Mediterranean and Korean food cruise these past few weeks (lol), and lemme tell you that Chinese food is considered as one of my comfort foods.

I was lucky enough to try some of their best sellers which includes the Chami Special Pancit Guisado, Shrimp Foo-yung, Lumpiang Shanghai, Manchurian Wings, Spareribs in Salt and Pepper, Yang Chow Rice, and of course, their Pugon Roasted Asado.

For me, the ones that go well with the Yang Chow rice are the Lumpia, Shrimp Foo-yung and Manchurian Wings. Their fried lumpia (which is jampacked with meat, unlike others that is purely wrapper) compliments well with the foo-yung which is a mixture of scrambled egg and other seafoods, served hot! Also the wings, since it's soy glazed-- I absolutely loved it! The type of asian spiced wings I was looking for. Although for me, I expected more flavor from the yang chow.

The Salt & Pepper Spareribs, on the other hand, was too boney (if there's a term like that) but it was good-- while the Pugon Roasted Asado is okay. Maybe it tasted better when it isn't exposed for a long time (bcus we were busy taking food pics hehe) and would definitely recommend to eat it while it's freshly roasted. For the second time around, I liked it! Would definitely want to try their Sizzling Asado soon.

They also have breakfast meals (since all of their branches are open from 7am) which starts at 220pesos, with your choice of protein, carbs (toast/pandesal/rice), scrambled eggs, tomato, and a cup of coffee. And don't forget to try their buchi!