Review of Little Asia (Lucky China Town Mall, Binondo)

Two Fridays ago, Mom sent me an SMS telling that they were at Lucky Chinatown Mall and I should come over after work for dinner. Since they had stayed there long enough, I thought they have settled for a restaurant where we would be “pigging out.” But they didn’t.

Where oh where should we eat? is forevermore a challenging question to answer.

Chinese restos were aplenty, of course; we were in Chinatown. Mom favored King Chef. At 9PM-12AM, they offer 50% discount on all dimsum. Another choice was Tao Yuan as featured by ChinoyTV in one of their past episodes.

However, we were fagged in seeing the same food staples on the menu of almost every restaurant. The last things I want to order are: fried rice, noodles and dimsum. Though they may taste a little different from one another—with prices varying according to the plating or food presentation and the prestige of the restaurant, they are still one and the same thing.

My sister and I kept going and located Little Asia at the ground floor of the mall. We read the menu and found extensive “new-to-us” food items of Asian fusion: Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Filipino, Malaysian and Indian ~ all in! I asked the waiter if they also have peso-vegetarian/vegan-friendly dishes. He pointed them out—we counted  

♩♪♫♬ 1 [Little] 2 [Little] 3 [Little Asia], 4 [Little]… ♩♪♫♬

Okay, they had enough. (Here’s the link to their menu, for reference.) And here’s my unbiased take on Little Asia:

Review of Little Asia (Lucky China Town Mall, Binondo)

Ambiance: ★★★★☆

The strip mall location was funky and fun. Little Asia has two doors—one opening from inside the mall and one outside. The outside arena was designed like the one in Bugis Junction, Singapore. I just missed that feeling of being able to visit there during free weekends. Everything in sight was picture-perfect.

Adjacent to Chatime, Little Asia shined with gigantic chandeliers lit on the ceiling. The nondescript beige wallpapers complemented the bold and intricately-designed red cushioned chairs. Tables were tightly packed, with other Chinese families having dinner. The restaurant was pleasantly decorated, making the ambiance classy, intimate and alluring.

Service: ★★★★☆

The waiter graciously sat us. He recommended the best sellers on the menu. When he learned that we’re not exactly meat-eaters, he proposed the idea of taking away poultry and meat from the originally “carnivorous” viands and replacing them with vegetables they had in stock. For the rest of their service, I can’t think of any critical thing to say.

Food: ★★★★★

First in our order list was the Japanese Tofu Steak which arrived hot with pan-fried tofu, shredded chicken, broccoli, mushrooms and kuchay. The sauce was delicious with rice. The tofu was soft and tender. Writing about this makes me hungry. Vegetable substitutes did not compromise the integrity of the dish.

The second a la carte we had was Little Asia’s specialty: sautéed prawns with melted cheese and cream sauce, better known as “Cantonese Prawns.” It’s considered as a classic dish of marinated prawns tasting salty contrasted with a little bit of sweetness. I wasn’t planning on having dairy on a night like this. But small proportion did not do any harm.

Next up was the Mandarin Orange Chicken, another dish that’s well-celebrated in Little Asia. I have long been restricting my diet to zero portions of chicken because of allergies, but this one came out as an exemption. It’s composed of diced crispy chicken coated in fresh bittersweet orange sauce ~ nothing you will hate. Little Asia’s version of the Mandarin Orange Chicken is a lip-smacking delicacy. Other reviews posted on the net tell likewise.

Last for the night was a neat plate of steamed fish fillets wrapped in bacon coated with teriyaki glaze. This food should exceed your expectations. It took 20 minutes to cook, but it was worth the wait! The texture, flavor, and aroma of everything in this dish were immaculate.

Price for Value: ★★★☆☆

I can’t believe anyone would give this establishment any less than five stars for food. The only downside maybe is the price. Quite costly leh…I guess this just proves that dining experience of this pretty high caliber comes with a hefty price tag.

About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco

Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.