6.055 TEITY, The Penultimate

Cycle 6 – Item 55

1 (Fri) March 2015

TEITY, The Penultimate

2.0

from Tao Yuan [takeout]

in my apartment

-Ermita, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines-

solo

TEITY (see Try Every Item at Tao Yuan) (Visit 35) (Items 206-218). Eating my way through the restaurant’s entire menu: all 222 items.

From what I’ve seen so far, it would seem to be one of the best in the neighborhood, solid on all counts: taste, quality, variety, service, vibe, proximity, maybe price. Once I’ve tried everything, I’ll know exactly what to get, depending on the circumstances, whether it’s for a quick bite on my own, a casual night out with friends/colleagues/family, or a formal occasion hosting bosses/VIPs. That kind of certainty, in the unpredictable culinary landscape of Manila, will be invaluable.

13 new items tonight, total 218 down, 4 remaining, averaging 6.2 items per visit (as of tonight), on pace to finish at TEITY 36 – only 1 more to go!

I finally brought over my Snow Peak IGT (Iron Grill Table), which I probably won’t use so much for camping here…

…maybe to entertain friends at home on occasion.

Hotpot, again via takeout (see previously 5.322 Shabuki), this time alone.

Try as I might, I can’t seem to finish off the ick (see for example 6.009 Awful). Tonight, I’d intended to get through all the weird items once and for all, taking the burden upon myself, within the privacy of home, where I could suffer at my own pace, but I discovered after unwrapping everything that I had neglected to order the pork liver or they had forgotten to include it (the receipt wasn’t itemized). Either way, despite the valiant effort, I’m still an organ short.

1/2 Chicken with Wine Soup in Pot (3.0): crisp and clear, delicate fragrance from the herbs and wine; maybe the best of the stocks so far (one remaining); hopefully, it is available without the chicken.

Special Tao Yuan Sate Sauce (3.5): not the peanut-flavored dipping sauce that is sometimes served with satay skewers, but a spicy chili sauce with hints of five-spice + Wansoy (1.5): never seen a restaurant that charges for cilantro/coriander.

Pork Tito (0.0): part of the stomach; couldn’t take it.

Beef Goto (0.0): part of the stomach; couldn’t take it.

Sea Cucumber (0.5): crumbly and mushy in texture, fishy in flavor, yuck (see also 5.305 Braised Fish Maw with Sea Cucumber), definitely a different kind than the ones in Korea or the States (see for example 3.075 Sautéed Sea Cucumber).

Imported Fat Beef (1.0): I was grateful for anything ordinary, even if it was brown around the edges.

Crab Sticks (1.0): the locals love this stuff.

Dotted Lapu Lapu (1.0): unpleasantly fishy, even though it had come straight out of the tank; expected this to be the evening’s highlight, having paid a whopping 2,700 pesos for it, what a let down, and waste of money.

Despite the food, I enjoyed the meal nonetheless. Hotpot would seem to be more of a communal thing (see for example 6.031 Fried Fish Skin), but I found that doing it on my own was quite nice, especially while watching a movie and having a drink, as I could eat whatever whenever without worrying about others, like do-it-yourself on-the-spot anju.