Have you been to Red Onion Café? The Manila-based quick service restaurant known as Red Onion Café serves authentic Chinese dishes in a modern setting. The modern café is a welcome addition to the standout restaurants (and Cotton On) at the newly opened U.P. Town Center along Katipunan Ave. Yeah, the Town Center's the one that replaced the old UPIS.
A Red Onion chef preparing a bowl of shaved noodles.
So according to Red Onion's FB page, Red Onion's recipes were developed in Taipei and Beijing with the help of master chefs. As part of its worldwide expansion, the company decided to launch its brand in Manila. It sounds like a bold move, considering the original plan was to launch in Beijing. But it sounds like good news, doesn't it, for at least we get to try these Chinese dishes ourselves. Wooooo!
Curious to know what sort of unique goodies Red Onion Café currently offers? Check out the text below the pictures, then.
Taiwanese Crispy Dumplings, Php198. Half pan fried and half boiled crispy dumplings.
Red Onion actually offers various dumplings as appetizers. They offer pork handmade dumplings, vegetable dumplings, and even spicy Sichuan dumplings for those looking for a tiny bit of heat. The crispy part of the crispy dumplings is slightly sweet, and it reminds me of barquillos, a crispy desert flute locally made in Iloilo.
Red Onion House Fried Rice, Php188. An order is good for 2-3.
This fried rice tastes a bit bland. If the Red Onion Fried Rice were a person, I'd say this was a very, very shy lady who likes to cover her mouth every time she giggles and usually when she speaks. If that's your kind of rice, then go and order this!
Lu Rou Rice, Php88. A cup of white rice topped with beef. A popular Taiwanese rice dish!
Unfortunately I'm not a fan of this one. Despite the succulent chunks of marinated beef, the well-seasoned sauce and the pickled topping, I could not love the dish. Surely other people will find it amazing, though.
Shi Lin Night Market Pork Chop, Php188.
I'll let you in on another secret: I prefer my street foods greasy. And this pork chop is just too.. elegant. The sauce that I'm assuming to be a blend of hoisin and soy tastes just right. but the pork chop is too lean for my taste. I'm sure this dish could be a knockout with a little bit of kick added to it. And I'm talking about ground chili flakes and cayenne pepper.
Sichuan Mala Chicken: Php198 for single, Php378 for family. It's like Hainanese chicken: Spicy edition.
I like this dish. It's spicy and yet it offers well-rounded flavors that don't try to 1-UP each other. Come to think of it, most of the dishes offered by Red Onion seems to be all about subdued flavors.
39 Spices Beef Noodle (choice of hand shaved noodles or thin noodles): All Meat Php228, Half Beef Half Tendon Php258.
THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE! I would repeat that in all caps any day of the week. I'm not a fan of authentic ramen, but I do like cheap, store-bought noodles, and I like Red Onion's 39 Spices Beef Noodle. I don't know why, but as far as authentic noodle soup goes, this Taiwanese noodle is probably the best I've ever tasted so far. The broth's flavor is complex, the ingredients mix well together, the noodles are cooked well. Everything about it just screams delicious. And the fried red onions are awesome! This dish is what I imagine amazeballs dippes in awesomesauce would taste like.
Stir-fried Beef with Leeks, Php328. Tender beef with freshly cut leeks and green onions.
Here's another must-try. I expected a stir-fried anything with leeks to taste fresh and green, and this dish did NOT disappoint! Crunchy leeks and onions provide provide a good contrast to the slightly sweet beef.
Eggplant Stir-Fry (not sure about name), Php198. Tender slices of eggplant stir fried with a secret blend of sauces. The newest addition to the menu.
I like this stir-fry's nutty, melt-in-your mouth flavors.
Double Fried Sweet and Sour Pork, Php228. This Cantonese dish is a harmonious blend of opposing flavors and textures.
Here's a real crowd favorite. I don't know how they do it, but Asians seem to have mastered the technique of frying crunchy anythings a long time ago. As what you can expect from a sweet and sour dish, Red Onion's Double Fried Sweet and Sour Pork tastes sweet and sour at the same time. But what's amazing is the time and attention that appears to have been spent on each serving! The pork cutlets are uniformly sliced, the sweet flavor blends well with the citrus-y sauce, and each double fried morsel is cooked well.
Walnut Shrimps, Php388. The light and mildly sweet flavors is the hallmark of this dish.
I find this a bit expensive, but I can't really complain because the ingredients do cost a bit. I like that the walnuts are fresh and crunchy (not chewy and rancid, which is quite common at most food establishments in Manila) and the shrimps are sweet.
Taiwanese Mango Shaved Ice, Php 98.
I didn't know Taiwan had awesome mangoes, too?! I'm not a fan of shaved ice desserts, but now I'm making an exception. The shaved ice has the consistency closer to ice cream, and the mangoes taste great (as always) with the sweet, creamy milk. It's not too horrendously sweet, either. A+++ will order again.
"Spiced and Iced" Coffee Latte, Php128.
Cool idea, right? You get a glass of espresso ice cubes and a bottle of spiced milk (with cinnamon one of the spices). I'm not much of a coffee drinker, so I wasn't able to try this, but I imagine it tastes good.
There you have a quick rundown of some of the dishes on Red Onion's menu. Will you be trying any of the dishes soon?
Red Onion is on Facebook at and on Twitter.
Address: Ground Floor, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City Price: Php300 per person Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars (There were a few hit and misses, with only three dishes really shining for me. Although the reasonable prices could have lifted the rating up, the somewhat bland flavors of most of the dishes affected my judgment.)
