Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant + Bon Chon Chicken @ Ayala Triangle Gardens

Manny Pacquiao defeats Margarito. And Asian cuisine invades the metro. This victory Sunday seemed to be the perfect time to have a first taste of two new international chain restos that are sure to add excitement to Manila’s exciting food landscape.

First, Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant which is an import from Singapore. Am glad to have this welcome addition to the growing list of restaurants offering our favorite Hainanese chicken rice.

I Just couldn’t have enough of Wee Nam Kee’s flavorful chicken rice, ginger-garlic-soy sauce dip and steamed and roasted chicken combination.

Then there’s Bon Chon Chicken from South Korea and America. You just can’t have one because it is tasty and crunchy with every bite. Bon Chon is anchored on the same idea as BBQ Chicken but this newest entrant to the market is probably better.

Since the two restos will be on soft opening stage, I really wouldn’t recommend falling in line here when you’re just on a one-hour lunch break. The lines will surely be long. But try it just the same if you want something good.

I thank God Manila is now truly cosmopolitan with the addition of these restos. And Ayala Triangle Gardens is an unlikely place to build a restaurant row. Still, it’s nice that they came up with the idea since it feels fabulous to dine amid a fabulous view of the financial district’s lush gardens (yes, there’s still some greenery left in the city)

A transparent glass with some hanging chickens give one a preview of the Wee Nam Kee kitchen. Shown in photo (at left) is the WNK representative from Singapore, while the two young chaps on the right are owners Weyser Co and Linfred Yap. They have prior experience with the business, being owners of Jollibee and Chow King franchises in the provinces.

I found WNK’s Hainanese chicken delish, but am not yet ready to give my judgment on what’s the best Hainanese chicken rice in Manila ( Tao Yuan was the first I tasted, and I still haven’t tried Chef Stevie’s.)

But the Wee Nam Kee menu looks extensive and interesting, and there are many items I wanna try there. For example, I wanna have a taste of their hot prawn salad and all that delicious-looking noodles and dimsum.

Their dou miao ( Chinese pechay? ) had the yummiest sauce which I couldn’t get enough of.

Cereal prawns are a staple in Singaporean restos, and it was my first time to eat it at Wee Nam Kee. Think about fried prawns mixed with your breakfast cereal, curry leaves and chili. I have to say curiosity got the better of me in tasting this dish, even though am not a huge prawn fan. 😉

For the full Wee Nam Kee menu, I took screenshots in my Flickr photoset.

Meanwhile, Bon Chon menu is a lot shorter and basically no-frills.

Chicken pieces with your choice of soy garlic or hot and spicy sauce. Choice of white rice, pickled radish, kimchi coleslaw (!!), popcorn chicken and calamari for the sides and appetizers. Bulgogi rice also available.

Here, take a look : 😀

Wee Nam Kee @ Restaurants of Ayala Triangle Gardens
Call 846-8924 for reservations