I wrote about Mandarin Sky a few weeks ago. But until now, I still crave for their specialties. So I recently headed to the newly opened Panay Avenue branch called Mandarin Sky Wok.

According to the owner Jaykie Peñaflor, an architect and contractor, and one of his partners, Paolo Castro, an interior designer, the whole idea for the restaurant is to give customers a feel of China’s rich culture.

Hanging from the ceiling are beautiful Chinese lamps and gold birds inside golden cages. On the walls are blue and white plates and paintings of Chinese ladies on wood. At the end of the room are two tables that can accommodate 10 guests, each one with a hot pot induction cooker to give diners the liberty to partake of their broth of choice: double soup stock, sate, superior, pork spareribs, assorted mushroom, clam, century egg with wansuy soup or chicken with wine.

The Panay branch is also the home of Singaporean chef Lee Tin Loy.

We savored every morsel of his sotong squid, which was capped generously with what our palates surmised to be egg threads laced with coconut milk and salted egg. Each bite was rich and complex, yet subtle.

I found his fish head curry to be well-executed. The sauce was a perfect balance of tastes. The tomatoes, eggplants and okra cooked with the fish head were surprisingly delicious. The sauce and vegetables over rice were already a treat. Add the fish head to that, and you can imagine how much we enjoyed the dish.

Play of textures

Joey Horato, the gracious and efficient restaurant manager, was around to assist us with our orders. He had us try seafood and bamboo pith soup. It was a play of textures on the mouth. The bamboo pith was like loofah, delightfully spongy to the bite; the light clear soup with minced bits of shrimp, fish fillet and squid was flavorful.

Jaykie also presented us with dishes from his other restaurants. It turned out all the eateries inside the complex belong to him and his partners.

Next door to Mandarin Sky Wok is Artsy Café. And like Mandarin, it is another well-thought-out concept—playful and whimsical with a homey feel. It has a garden on the ceiling from where flower lamps hang. So cute!

The menu was designed to cater to Maginhawa Street diners, where the first Artsy Café is located.

I was quite impressed by how soft the huge T-bone steak was, and all for P290! It is sure to be every growing schoolboy’s favorite on the menu. The Herb and Spice Bangus Belly was delicate, citrusy, aromatic and fresh. A spin-off of Thai steamed fish with lime and garlic proved to be a no-frills but spectacular dish.

The cheesecake crumble is vanilla ice cream topped with crumbled chunks of cheesecake, cereal for crunch and a generous slathering of blueberry filling. We never thought it would all come together as it did. The lemon basil drink, meanwhile, was refreshing.

Regional cuisine

Komedor is Artsy Café’s neighbor. It specializes in Filipino regional cuisine, with emphasis on Pangasinense (Peñaflor’s hometown) and Ilocano fare.

Peñaflor had us try a very simple dish—Pinatisang Bangus Soup. The only seasoning used for it was patis.

It looked so plain—a palayok with clear stock, floating bangus and some ampalaya leaves. A spoonful of broth, however, showed it had the sweetness of the bangus, the saltiness of the patis and a tinge of bitterness from the leaves.

The crispy bangus with sautéed leeks, onions and tomatoes was also good. The fish was pristine, the belly firm and meaty. Only fresh, first-class bangus can produce tasty dishes with such refined flavors.

We took notice of the many ways milkfish is prepared at Komedor and Artsy Café. The secret to their delectable bangus offerings is John, Jaykie’s brother, who pond-raises the fish himself in Pangasinan exclusively for the restaurant. John also created the recipes for it.

My favorite from Komedor is the tortang talong—two large eggplants stuffed with oysters, onions and tomatoes. Simple but delightful. Sarap—with or without catsup!

At Komedor, I could take a sip of santol juice while listening to kundiman, and be happy for Jaykie and his partners, for brilliantly putting together dining concepts that delight not just the palate but also the senses.

Mandarin Sky Wok is at 23 Panay Ave.,

Brgy. Paligsahan, QC; tel. 9217615

Artsy Café tel. 9216849 Komedor tel. 9216841