Foodie moments are always fun. You get to meet again people
you may or may have not seen for a time or meet new ones instead. My foodie moment with the “new” Ersao Restaurant was a fun.
With their grand opening last November 23, ERSAO
TEA MOMENT at SM Southmall was born. The concept of the tea moment has
taken roots when the managing family decided to step-up the usual joint. From the standard fastfood place it is now
elevated to a place where you can dine in style and comfort with family and
friends. Aside from dining in comfort
and style, Ersao Tea Moment assures you of food flavor that you would love
and enjoy in every visit; simply being true to the thrust that they have
committed to themselves and to the consuming public.
What does ERSAO TEA MOMENT has to offer?
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| Taiwan Black Tea |
Being true to being Asian and real Asian dining, I strongly
recommend the Taiwan Black Tea as your starter drink and even your companion
drink as you dine. It is not like your
typical black tea that has either a bitter or a semi-unsavory after taste. This one has an underlying sweetness that
would make you think of pandas eating the sweetest bamboo leaves ever. No
strong after taste, simply mild black tea flavor that cleanses your palate.
ERSAO TEA MOMENT offers you Taiwanese Fusion food. Yes it is the classic East-meets-West theme
with an interesting result.
As of this moment they are introducing a new food item and I
do hope you get to enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed it: the Fried Tofu. It is tofu coated and fried to look like your
everyday potato fries but once you get to taste it, you would love it! The crunch from the breading gives it added
personality that makes dig it for more.
This is a near guilt-free fried snack or munchies! Ask for light soy to
serve as your dipping sauce.
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| Fried Tofu |
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| Sausage Dip and Chips |
Sausage Dip and Chips is a scream! The moment it lands on your table and you get
to sniff its aroma, that same aroma is then translated to your brain into
screams telling you to: “EAT ME!” and trust me when I say you will definitely
follow your brain at this moment. The
dish is made out of fried wanton wrappers acting as the chips and the sausage
dip is basically chopped authentic Taiwanese sausages with garlic and green
pepper slices.
It terms of dumplings, you can choose from either of the
two: Soy Bathe Dumplings or
their Baked Curry Dumplings.
If you are looking for real Taiwanese flavor then go for the
former. If fusion is what you are after,
then go for the latter.
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| Baked Curry Dumplings |
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| Soy Bathe Dumplings |
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| Red Wine Beef Soup Pasta |
Their Red Wine Beef Soup Pasta is
something that I can even recommend to kids because of its soft
vegetables. The egg noodles are cooked
right, the beef is pressure-cooker soft (I hope they try the slow-fire method
instead, for the flavors would really seeped into the meat the fat would be
extracted beautifully), and the soup is light yet flavorful. I like the way the noodles get to absorb some
of the soup the longer it is left in the serving bowl.
If you are looking for one of its signature Ersao
dishes, then fear not for the Hulahoop is present here at the Tea
Moment. These are wonderfully
sliced, battered and fried squid body.
It is soft and tender and the batter used compliments the meat
well. Leave the dipping sauce to its
neighborly dish the Fried Chicken Popcorn.
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| Hulahoop |
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| Fried Chicken Popcorn |
Like any food establishment, not everything is a hit to the
general public and for me these two dishes somehow fell short from its intended
mark: Citrus Dory Salad and the Spicy Chicken Mantou Burger.
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| Citrus Dory Salad |
The salad somehow felt confusing for me. The honey sauce was good to help keep
moisture in the fish; it is the other components that got me in the loop. The sudden bite of tartness from the green
apple then another sweet-sour flavor coming from the orange made it “strong”
for me. I know of salads that have
alternating flavors to give it dimension and it balances well. Somehow the honey wasn’t enough or it all
fell in my dory instead.
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| Left image is what is in their menu; Right image is what was actually served |
The burger was dry. Looking
at the image in their menu and comparing it to the one served to us that day;
there is a possibility that the taste would have been different. What was served was top dough, chicken,
tomato, onion, greens and bottom dough. I never saw anything that would serve
as binder such as cheese or mayo or catsup.
In their menu, it was top dough,
onion, chicken, tomato slice, green and bottom dough. If you will take a logical approach on
things, the order presented in the menu gives you a higher percentage of
moisture to the dough and meat since the onion is between the dough and the
meat and the tomato is between the meat and the green compared to what was
served then. Since the lower dough was
the sole recipient of the onion and tomato juices, the top dough and the meat
became dry – what was served then; perhaps management needs to look into the
consistency of the kitchen.
As for their dessert line, it may not be all perfect but it
truly came from the heart. You can
choose from Milk Tea Panna Cotta, Vanilla Green Tea Cookie Set, Green Tea Lava
Cake, Mo Cha Cheesecake and a beverage that is more of a dessert which
is Iced
Mo Cha. I LOVE THEM ALL!
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| From Top Left (Clockwise); Green Tea Lava Cake, Vanilla Green Tea Cookie Set, Milk Tea Panna Cotta, Iced Mo Cha |
The Milk Tea Panna Cotta is like ice
cream! If you are not keen of pearls
then just remove it and enjoy this creamy, smooth treat. It is heavenly delicious! The Vanilla Green Tea Cookie Set comes
with cookies and coffee or warm milk. Minus the white chocolate bits and I am
all set for this. The Green
Tea Lava Cake is not your standard lava cake. Instead of chocolate pouring out as you cut
in, what you have is melted green tea filling.
The cake may not be perfect but I love the concept and the general taste
of this treat. Who wouldn’t like ice
cream topping their cake? Definitely not me!
Their Mo Cha Cheesecake is something that they can be proud off. The cheesecake is of the right firmness and
sugar level. The green tea blended well
making it an integral part and not an overpowering flavor. The crust is of the right thickness and
sweetness too. The only drawback is the
illustrious pearls topping it, acting as blueberry when in fact they are
not. The Iced Mo Cha, despite it
being a beverage, is best to be classified as a dessert because we are talking
of shaved iced green tea with vanilla ice cream at the center! It is one flavorful, yummy, cool treat! Next to the panna cotta, this is your next
iced treat!
From something warm to something cold, they have a drink
that may very well suit your palate. For the warm/hot drink that I have tasted,
my opening drink still ranks #1 for me.
For the 5 cold drinks that I have tried that day here are my rankings:
#1 Red Bean Shake
#2 Sesame Grains Iced Mud
#3 Tropical Iced Tea
#4 Green Mango Shake with Pearls
#5 Dragon Fruit Shake
For #4, it was the pearls that killed it. Somehow the pearls didn’t balance off the
green mango flavor and simply overpowered it.
I love the fruit but somehow their execution of converting into a drink
missed it mark. #5 has an herby taste
that I would strongly recommend to vegetarians and the like. Nothing against
the fore-mentioned group but after tasting this drink and being familiar with
your drink, their Dragon Fruit Shake is more to your alley. #3 is neutral. It is good but not something to flip over
for. The top 2 drinks are comfort
drinks! It is something that you would
hold with both hands while sipping and simply: (A) stare off into space or (B)
dream of unicorns and the likes.
I wouldn’t mind going back to ERSAO TEA MOMENT in SM
Southmall, alone or with company, for it is one cozy place. With a drink in one hand, you can stay in one
corner and possibly dream of the good stuff. With company, you will be so busy
with all the stories being shared that the next thing you knew, you will either
be ordering for another set of dishes.
That is the magic of the place.
That is ERSAO TEA MOMENT, a place of good
food, a good line of sweet treats, a cozy place to dine and have a “me” moment and simply say: “I am happy to be Asian!”
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