101 Hawker Food House

Cereal Prawns

101 Hawker Food House is this small restaurant offering Singaporean cuisine on Urban Avenue, an obscure street in Makati CBD. Before going there, we had to look for it on an online map. It seemed far, but it's really just in the middle of Ayala, Buendia (Senator Gil Puyat) and Pasong Tamo (Chino Roces) Ave. near Makati Medical Center.

We were there in the afternoon and the place was almost empty. I thought it was pretty impressive for them to have a few tables occupied at such an awkward time. The types of people dining then varied as well, from customers looking for a quick meal or a quiet one to larger groups of co-workers. There was even an old lady ordering loads of food in party sizes.

That day, we overdid ourselves. Because we were hungry for practically not eating since breakfast, we had an awful case of takaw tingin again.

laksa

I wasn't going to skip ordering laksa this time just because I have laksa mix at home. 101 Hawker Food House's location isn't exactly very accessible to me so I knew it would take a while before I can go back.

The 101 Hawker Prawn Laksa (Php 150) was pretty good. The soup was rich and a bit thick as I like it. The noodles they use aren't the same noodles I prefer getting from Banana Leaf Asian Café, which I haven't had in a while. We should go visit again soon.

Anyway, although 101 Hawker Food House didn't skimp on flavor, the laksa wasn't spicy enough for us, although I remember telling the server we want it spicy.

Hainanese Chicken

The Hainanese Chicken (Php 160) was rather sad. It was undercooked and quite rubbery. I didn't eat more after the first piece. I don't know if that has always been the case or perhaps it was a fluke. Should I try again?

The star of the night

The highlight of the day was the Cereal Prawns. At Php 375, it's about the same price as the cereal prawns from other restaurants but the serving size seemed bigger.

You can really eat the whole thing because they were all crispy from head to tail, reminding me of the original Wok Inn's crispy, spicy shrimps. Like the laksa, it was flavored really well. The racy and salty crispiness on the exterior seemed like the slow but short climb of a roller coaster before the quick adrenaline-filled fall into the juicy and savory meat inside. Needless to say, we went crazy over the prawns. 101 Hawker Food House's version doesn't use fine, loose oats but each piece was coated well. The dish, which was both comforting and lively, would've been perfect if it were served hot. But we're definitely going back even just for that.

Yey ginger!

As for the service, the owner/manager seemed pretty hands on, manning the cash registry and following up on dishes in the kitchen himself. The waiters attended to everybody well, were polite and knew the dishes. Oh, and the restroom was clean! The hand soap wasn't icky either. There is free WiFi too so it's a great place for working and studying because Urban Ave. is a relatively quiet street on Makati standards, and 101 Hawker Food House a relatively quiet and laid-back  restaurant. There are also al fresco tables where smokers can do their thing.

C and I ate for an hour. We were so full that we didn't have the appetite for dinner. I would love to try more dishes on their menu, especially the Salmon Head Curry. Too bad the quest for really good Hainanese Chicken still goes on.

101 Hawker Food House is located at 101 Urban Ave., Makati City. They deliver through 2121212.