Date # 44: Wee Nam Kee

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  To be perfectly honest, it’s actually quite a hassle for us to go to Makati. The traffic is unbelievable and the distance is discouraging. However, we have been meaning to visit the city again one of these days because of its unique and delicious food offerings. 

   Last Tuesday, we were finally given the chance to revisit Makati. I suggested we dine in Wee Nam Kee, one of the newest and most talked about restaurants in that area. The Wee Nam Kee Philippine branch is only the second Wee Nam Kee branch in the world. Yes, people, we’re the first country in Asia or in the world to have a Wee Nam Kee branch right in our own homeland, apart from the original one in Singapore.

  Of course, you come here for the Hainanese Chicken.The prices are as follows:

Personal Set (P168) served with Chicken Soup.
Small - Quarter 2pax (P248)
Medium - Half 3-4 pax (P488)
Large - Whole 6-7 pax (P888) 

   We got two personal sets, one for me and another for Douglas. The personal set comes with one part of the Hainanese Chicken, a cup of Chicken Rice, and a small bowl of chicken soup. You can have it either steamed or roasted. We had one of each. What you see above is the steamed one. Whether you eat this with your own mix of condiments (Singaporean chili, pounded ginger and soy sauce) or on its own, I’m sure it’ll make an impression because of its juicy texture and overall quality.

  These came with the Personal Set. The soup was basically chicken broth with some spring onions, and the rice was generally good. The serving is enough to fill you up, but maybe not if you’re really hungry.

  You can opt to have Roasted Chicken instead of the steamed one. It has more flavor on its own, perhaps because of the cooking style. We liked the former over this one because this one didn’t agree too much with our condiment mix :P (But that’s just us, I think.)

  We tried out their Barley Juice (P55) out of curiosity, because the waiter said it was something like rice tea. You can have it hot or cold, but I honestly cant imagine it hot. It’s refreshing and only mildly sweet, which made me happy, because I normally don’t like anything too sweet. I actually giggled when I had my first taste of it because it felt like liquefied suman… 

  Even if I did mention above that I hate sweet food, nothing could keep me from wanting to order these Cereal Prawns 4pcs (P375). Don’t let the haphazard appearance fool you—they’re actually prawns under mounds of cereal. The winner was really how the cereal added so much texture and flavor to the dish. It’s sweet, with a little bit of a buttery taste. The prawns were only medium sized, though.

Overall Verdict: Wee Nam Kee is a very successful restaurant, and it is not difficult to see why. It has a compelling restaurant story, and owners who truly have a passion for the food service industry. The food quality and overall value was well worth the trip. I’m also happy that the service held up, despite the countless customers pouring in. I still have a few dishes I wanna try, but that will be for next time. Note, next time. ;)

Tip: Come early especially during dinnertime. Roasted chicken is subject to availability after 8pm. 

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice
Restaurants at the Ayala Triangle Gardens
Makati Avenue, Makati City, Philippines
Telephone: +632 846-8924
Operating Hours: Everyday 11am to 10pm (9pm last call)
Reservations are accepted on Weekends & Public Holidays only

With and For Love,

Rina Caparras and Douglas Chong

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