The best Brown Sugar Milk Tea I've ever tasted was Xing Fu Tang in Taipei, Taiwan . It's even called Taiwan's No.1 Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea... And for good reason! The branch that I visited was hidden in a corner walking distance away from Ximen Station. A line of people gathered around the store. Usually, their service is fast so there's not that long of a wait. My family and I ordered a variety of different drinks from Xing Fu Tang... Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea, Brown Sugar Boba Milk, and Taro Milk Tea on two different occasions. I've got to say, I love them all... But the Iced Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea holds a special place in my heart. Their cream is so rich and thick, it's almost like melted ice cream... Actually, scrap that. It's like you're drinking chilled heavy cream. It's good. Their boba is tender and chewy... Surprisingly, despite being fried in sugar it's not overwhelmingly sw...
Hello and welcome to the fourth blog for Wolf Bites!
Today, we’re going to feature something interesting…
Normally when I go on a fight, I just buy chips from a grocery store, go to the airport’s food court and just buy food there.
But I got the chance to visit Philippine Airline’s Mabuhay Lounge because I was flying to Taiwan in business class (2019).
This is the first time I’ve eaten in the Mabuhay Lounge. So I really have no basis of comparison other than this one. The food they served was mainly snack foods since it was neither lunch nor dinner time. To get the lounge, it’s a special privilege you get with miles or if you fly business class…
Recommendations
Here are the food items that I appreciated during my stay there:
First of all I’d like to recommend their noodle soups particularly their
Shrimp noodle soup
It have lots of tiny shrimps and veggies. The shrimps were plump and fresh. The Hong Kong style egg noodles were nice and springy. The veggies were cooked well. The broth is light and quite alright. It’s definitely one of the items I appreciated eating here in the lounge.
Cheese burger
It’s a party slider. Has a slice of cheese on top and an interesting mix of meat.
You should heat it up in their toaster oven before you eat it. It’s quite nice.
Baked Hong Kong Chicken
This was another one of their more memorable items for me. The Hong Kong chicken which was well seasoned. The flavor was quite good but its texture could use some improvement.
Arroz Caldo
Ah! Arroz Caldo a great Filipino classic. It had a good flavor and you could put as many toppings as you liked since they did it DIY style. I highly recommend that you put spring onions and fried garlic with boiled egg. That’s the good stuff right there.
Fresh Fruits
Get their fruits! The fruits served in the lounge were sweet and cool. I just loved the rich natural flavor of the fruits. Mangoes, melons, and pineapples! Premium fruits locally… So sweet! Make sure you get some!
The best thing about this place is their drink bar:
They serve specialty drinks, coffee, and they have so many different canned and boxed drinks! They served sparkling wine… Regular wine… OMG! I loved their tomato juice which was really cool. It was a good brand of tomato juice… I can’t find it in the grocery locally though….
Okay disclaimer on the tomato juice. I used to drink tomato juice on flights when I would fly just to extend my meals and eventually I learned to love it so I just ask for it when I fly.
Items to Avoid
Now with all places to eat there are hits and misses… These are the items that I absolutely would never get again based on my personal experience.
Beijing and Vegetarian dumplings
I’m a huge dumpling fan… Which is why I would strongly recommend you avoid their dumplings. The wrapper on their Beijing and Vegetarian dumplings were were thick and rubbery which was not ideal for a dumpling. Flavor wise the vegetarian dumpling was a huge disappointment while the Beijing dumpling’s fillings were okay… But the wrapper made it a huge turn off for me so I couldn’t really appreciate the filling.
Panini
Their panini was also quite a disappointment. The sandwich’s vegetables and cheese inside I felt was a little bit off…. to say the least. I think they should be more careful with cucumbers and tomatoes because if they sit out for too long under certain conditions, they don’t taste so good anymore and can destroy a sandwich…
I think they should make it DIY or made to order like the other items so the vegetables and cheese can be preserved and you don’t waste food… And the customer can appreciate it more.
But the lounge is DEFINITELY More than just food.
GREAT STUFF IN THE LOUNGE...
1. Their internet is free and you can connect easily!
It’s stable enough for emails, social media, and photo uploads.
But our devices were warning us that it wasn’t a secure network since it was considered as a public wifi… But if you’re a normal person, enjoy the internet speed.
2. They have large screen TVs.
Just ask an attendant to change the channel for you as they have cable and lots of different channels.
3. You can take advantage and read news papers and magazines in different languages.
4. They have a shower room!
I didn’t try it since our flight was near. But their toilet! WAS SO CLEAN and they even had locotaine hand wash and lotion!!!!
5. They have around two or three computers
Where you can work if you don’t have your own which is amazzinnnngggg.
6. They have a dimly lit area for comfort if you wanna nap.
7. You can also read from various magazines and news papers
OH! You can take the drinks from the lounge with you on the flight which I found super cool.
My rubric is different today since I’m reviewed the lounge as a one time visitor and the entire area as a whole.
LOUNGE RATING:
Quality of food: 3.5/5
Look, I’m a food blogger and food reviewer so… I’m gonna be honest.
I appreciated the experience… There were some hits which I enjoyed but the food was generally average. But in fairness, it’s not bad considering that it’s a privilege that you get as part of business class or as a bonus to your miles. Not to mention, food wise it’s quite good if you consider what’s in the airport. The drinks and the fresh fruits were definitely the highlight of the lounge for me.
Ambience: 4/5
It’s cozy and it’s a nice place to wait. There’s not many people in the area which is good.
Cleanliness: 4.5/5
The lounge and its amenities were orderly and clean but there were some minor things I observed that dropped their score by a .5.
Service: 4 / 5
There were only a few staff minding the lounge. Most of the people manning certain stations were gone most of the time since it seemed that they were either in the kitchen or serving another customer due to their limited capacity. But when you did interact with them, they were very courteous and polite.
Value: 4/5
If you have a free upgrade from miles… I strongly suggest you avail of the lounge. It certainly beats waiting in the regular waiting area and it’s a nice place to wait for your flight. There’s a lot of space and the area is quite cosy. Not to mention their amenities are amazing! But in all honestly… Personally, unless I’m flying to a place that has a loooooonnnnng wait time… I wouldn’t avail of the lounge which is why I deducted a point.
Over all score: 4/ 5
Now let’s go to the business class seat and inflight meal!
They ran out of the item I wanted which was the Atlantic Cod in Pimiento and Smoked Chili Veloute.
So I got the Pinoy Chicken Barbecue…. Coz how could you go wrong with that right?
Bread
Okay, their bread was alright. It’s bread. What can I say? I was stuffed silly. It was okay but... A little bit hard for my taste.
Appetizer
Their appetizer was good! The salmon I got was surprisingly fresh and firm. The mayonnaise and the vegetables were well cooked and the natural crunch and sweetness were right there. Really good appetizer!
Although I have to say I got lucky. Since my bro hates mayo he gave his bowl to me as well… Can’t waste food right? The cucumber and onions on his bowl started to change already on his so I picked them out… So it wasn’t as excellent as what I had. But it was still the better portion of the meal for me.
Main Course
The Pinoy Chicken Barbecue was… salty which is normal since the air pressure in the cabin changes your taste buds. I felt it heavily lacked sweetness coz I like sweet Pinoy Barbecue. The portion size was also quite small…. And the texture wise was kinda disappointing especially the rice since it was crazy dry. I was confused about what I was eating when I was eating the rice. I was not a fan of the rice. I couldn’t finish it… And not because I was full. It was… Sad.
Dessert
Now the star of the show was the dessert! CARMENS BEST ICE CREAM! I got the Madagascar vanilla!!! SO FREAKING DELICIOUS! Delicious flavors are their chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. I know because my travel companions didn’t wanna eat theirs… Bwahahaha! More ice cream for me!
Over all review:
Quality of food: 3.5/5
I have to admit it’s hard to rate it since the main course was mediocre while their appetizers and dessert was so good. So it’s 3.5!
Comfort: 5/5
It’s cozy and comfy.
Cleanliness: 5/5
Very clean and the area smelled decent.
Service: 5/ 5
Excellent and attentive service. They treat you like royalty.
Value: 4/5
If you have the money, spend on it or the miles, it’s a good upgrade. You also get priority while queuing. But I think you should probably go business class for long flights like Manila to America… Coz it’ll make the value so much more worth it.
Total business class seat score: 4.5 / 5
OVER ALL SCORE of the business class experience: 8.5 /10
Well, that’s my review of the Philippine Airline business class. I think it would be more worth it if you were traveling to America or some long overhaul flight because that was really a comfortable seat and you get the royal treatment. Not to mention they feed you really well and its service deluxe.
Business class is definitely a great option if you have the cash or miles for it.
Hope you enjoyed my review.
Enjoy my fellow travelers!
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