‘Pop Talk’ Review: A Food Trip around Asia via LRT 2

Have you ever experienced having a sudden craving for Asian food in the middle of an LRT 2 train ride? The ‘Pop Talk’ team definitely has! That’s why after looking for possible food stops along LRT 1, ‘Pop Talk’ returned to LRT for another satisfying food adventure. This time, we zeroed in on Asian restaurants near the LRT 2 stations.
 

The LRT Line 2, also known as the “Purple Line,” officially became fully functional on 2004. The line travels from Santolan to Recto and consists of eleven stations. To find out which restaurants near the LRT 2 serve the best food, ‘Pop Talk’ host Tonipet Gaba invited Kapuso actor Marc Acueza, food blogger Jill Bantang, and LRT 2 commuter Jay Ann Pinlac-Cruz to join this episode’s panel of reviewers.
 

Here were the three restaurants they reviewed:

 

Big Little Store


 
 

Where to find it: Big Little Store is about three minutes away from Gilmore station by foot. You can find it at the intersection of 1st Street and Gilmore Avenue. Its exact address is 8 Gilmore IT Center, 1st St Valencia, Quezon City
Price starts at: P75
 

A mini grocery that sells all kinds of Asian ingredients is the first thing you’ll see when you enter Big Little Store. Established on 2006, this restaurant specializes in Chinese food but also serves Filipino food. Big Little Store’s menu includes maki soup, prawns, pig ears, tofu, and rice balls. They also offer P75 value meals that could include  roast chicken or ginger chicken,  chorizo and rice– perfect for people who are on a budget.
 

The reviewers loved how affordable the food is. “Feeling mo nasa Hong Kong ka for only 75 pesos,” raved Marc. Food blogger Jill appreciated the menu’s wide variety of Chinese food. She also added that having a mini-grocery in the restaurant is useful. “Gusto ko yung makakapag-shopping ka after. Siyempre after mo kumain gusto mo magdala ka para sa family mo.”
 

Kapuso actor Marc agreed that this place is perfect for the whole family. “Feeling ko babalik at babalik ako dun. Dadalhin ko friends ko dun. Dadalhin ko family ko so pop sa ‘kin food ng Big Little Store.”
 

Final verdict: 9/9 pop points


Yutaka Izakaya


 

Where to find it: Yutaka Izakaya is just a short distance away from LRT 2 V. Mapa station. It also has branches located at Gf 41D Unit-X Aurora Arcade, Quezon City and 2nd Floor Madison Building 2574 Taft Ave. Malate, Manila.
Price starts at: P62
 

Yutaka Izakaya began serving Japanese dishes on 2006. Its name is derived from the name name of its owner Yutaka, and izakaya, which is a type of eating place in Japan. Their best sellers include their tempura, sashimi, and maki.
 

For their Yutaka Izakaya experience, both Tonipet Gaba and Marc Acueza tried to make their own maki together with the chef. How did the final product taste? Jay Ann and Jill seemed impressed. Jay Ann commented, “Itong california maki masarap siya. Gawa ‘to ni Marc eh.”
 

Among the dishes they ate in this restaurant, Jill loved the salmon sashimi the most. “Simple lang yung gusto ko talaga. Yung salmon sashimi, California maki. Yung dalawa yung parang satisfied na ako. And nung na-try ko sa kanila, kahit ‘di ko na i-try yung iba. Sobrang pop na talaga sa’kin eh.”
 

Final verdict: 9/9 pop points

 

Xin Chao



Where to find it: Xin Chao is five minutes away from LRT 2 Legarda station. It’s located at 2149 SSL Building, CM Recto, Sampaloc, Manila near UE and San Sebastian College.
Price starts at: P49
 

“Xin Chao” is a Vietnamese expression that translates to “hello”. Owned by Chef Hasset Go, this restaurant serves Vietnamese food with a Filipino twist. Some of the dishes they offer include the bo kho (beef stew noodles), com ga nuong o (Vietnamese grilled chicken with lemon grass), oc xao (spicy escargot in coconut sauce), and che bap (tapioca rice pudding).
 

The reviewers noted how affordable the dishes are. “Nag source out talaga sila sa local products kaya nilang magawa yung reasonable price na yun. Galing ng menu nila. Talagang kita mo na ‘Ah pwede to.’ Pwede order-in lahat. Affordable. So pop sa’kin, price” Jill observed.

Meanwhile, Jill loved the beef stew noodles because of how firm they were. Host Tonipet, on the other hand, enjoyed the Vietnamese grilled chicken with lemon grass. ”Para siyang pinakuluang manok na grill. Very light lang. Hindi siya maalat, hindi siya matabang. Very simple. Lasa. Gusto ko yung lasa, malinis.”

Final verdict: 8/9 pop points

 

–Lara Gonzales/PF, GMA News