Next dish, please

I had such a wonderful time dining at Lan Zhou La Mien that I asked Carlos if we could go back to this Chinatown restaurant. This time, Ate went with us. It was fortunate that we were able to get a good table inside the restaurant on a weekend. After exchanging pleasantries with the owners, I then ordered what easily became my favorites - Chicken Chop Noodles and their fried tofu dish. Carlos then ordered their version of pata tim (I actually can’t remember what it’s called).

When the dish arrived, I was a bit apprehensive. You see, although I love pork dishes, I hate pata tim. There’s something about gelatinous pork fat and skin that makes me want to barf. Plus, I’m not really fond of that Chinese sugary star anise taste.

The hostess soon plopped a bowl of what looked like braised liempo cuts floating in broth. I stared at it for a while and looked at the fat, which was staring back at me. People who know me know that I usually take the fat out of my pork dishes, unless it doesn’t look like fat anymore. Barbecue, sinigang, lechon kawali, adobo. Their fat portion all have to go. And this dish was no exception.

But Carlos told me to just get one piece and eat the whole thing. Which I hesitantly did. And OMG, it was absolutely fantastic! The pork fat literally melted in my mouth and the meat crumbled easily. The flavors of the dish were elegantly sublime. And for the first time, I can truly say I enjoyed something cooked with star anise. It was divine. Haay sarap.