Dainty House Restaurant & Roberto's Past Dishes (PDF)

**DAINTY HOUSE RESTAURANT** **Dainty Restaurant,** established in 1929 on Ledesma Street by **three chefs**---Chung Sai, Kong Kee, and Tam Lee Hee---stands as one of Iloilo City\'s oldest and most beloved eateries. Its roots trace back to the Wing Kee Restaurant near Plaza Libertad, known for Canto...

**DAINTY HOUSE RESTAURANT** **Dainty Restaurant,** established in 1929 on Ledesma Street by **three chefs**---Chung Sai, Kong Kee, and Tam Lee Hee---stands as one of Iloilo City\'s oldest and most beloved eateries. Its roots trace back to the Wing Kee Restaurant near Plaza Libertad, known for Cantonese cuisine. Dainty originally specialized in American dishes and later became popular for its Cantonese offerings. By 1940, it had relocated to J.M. Basa Street, becoming a favorite dining spot, even surviving the destruction of World War II. Post-war, the restaurant\'s fame grew, attracting notable patrons like Vice President Fernando Lopez. In 1996, Chung Sai became the sole owner, managing it with his daughter Maria Esperanza (\"Pancing\"), who assisted in the restaurant\'s day-to-day operations. Over time, the Chungs continued the family-run business, making their own bread and maintaining the authenticity of the restaurant's offerings, including its famous ***Pancit Guisado, Bihon Guisado, Siopao, and pan de leche.*** In 1995, the building on J.M. Basa Street became unsafe, leading the family to relocate to the James Building on Iznart Street. Today, Dainty is still managed by Pancing, with her son Robert Jr. now the chef, ensuring the same quality and taste that has kept loyal customers coming back for generations. The restaurant continues to be renowned for its noodle dishes and timeless flavors. While some traditions have evolved, Dainty's commitment to serving quality food, now with English menus, has remained steadfast, making it an iconic culinary institution in Iloilo City. **Pancit Sun Yat Sen Ingredients:** Meatballs Light soy sauce 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth -- 1 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water (slurry for thickening) 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, julienned 1/4 cabbage, sliced thinly Salt - 2 tbsp. Cooking oil Pork **Procedure:** 1. Cook the noodles: Boil the noodles in salted water for about 2-3 minutes or until they float to the surface. Drain and set aside. 2. Sauté aromatics: Heat oil in a large wok or pan. Sauté garlic and onions until fragrant and softened. 3. Add vegetables. Stir-fry the carrots, cabbage, until they soften slightly but retain a bit of crunch. 4. Cook the meatballs: Add the pre-cooked or thawed meatballs into the pan, stirring gently to warm them up and incorporate with the vegetables. 5. Prepare the sauce: Pour in the light soy sauce and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer. 6. Thicken the sauce: Stir in the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking until the sauce thickens to a nice, glossy texture. 7. Combine noodles and meatballs: Add the cooked noodles to the pan with the meatballs and sauce. Toss everything together so the noodles are evenly coated in the sauce. 8. Adjust seasoning: Add salt and some secret seasonings. 9. Garnish and serve. **ROBERTO'S** Situated in the historic street of Calle Real, also known as J.M. Basa Street, Roberto's has been associated with the Filipino-Chinese snack siopao because of its tastiest and heavy delicious filling tucked in a firm steamed buns. Since 1978, Roberto's has been dubbed as the oldest, most famous, largest, and best tasting siopao in Iloilo. (Guide the Philippines PH) Vicente Claude "Dako" Yap, the eldest of 11 children from naturalized Filipino parents, had known dire straits. The Yap's first business, a bazaar went bankrupt. "It was hard, the reversal of fortune that happened." It is a tribute to Dako's father's ingenuity that armed with culinary skills, he put up a burger house in 1978 called Roberto's. If you aren't familiar with Siopao, it's a traditional Chinese snack that is popularized all over the Philippines. Siopao literally means hot buns in Chinese. This hot steamed buns are filled with meat such as pork, chicken, and adobo. And the best one is considered to be found at Roberto's. Roberto's, an old Chinese family's restaurant, has been known for its famous huge steamed buns, meatballs, pancit, and other Ilonggo and Chinese food. The restaurant's iconic siopao filled with bacon, Chinese sausage, chicken and pork adobo with egg earned the title as the "King" and "Queen" of siopao in the national food map. Despite its success, the home-grown restaurant never branched out. The iconic restaurant remains at the JM Basa St. in City Proper. Interview social media site Humans of Iloilo "You just have to make sure with your product and if you have used the right ingredients it will also show. Di ko kilanlan mga fancy-fancy...mga ngalan-ngalan...kag mga fusion-fusion. People will get confused," he said. Daily Guardian The queen may have passed away but the legacy of Claude Yap will surely live on in the hearts of Ilonggos and faithful customers. **MAIN INGREDIENTS:** Queen Siopao - each bite is loaded mix of bacon, Chinese sausage, chicken-pork adobo, and eggs, making it the ultimate treat for anyone with a big appetite. For those who prefer something smaller but still flavorful, Roberto's has more options to choose from. The King Siopao, just a bit smaller than the Queen, is filled with ham, Chinese sausage, chicken-pork adobo, and egg. For a more manageable snack, there's the Jumbo Siopao, filled with Chinese sausage, pork adobo, and egg. And for a simple yet satisfying option, the Regular Siopao comes with a classic combination of pork adobo and egg. While the exact recipe remains a secret, the general process for making siopao typically involves the following steps. To make siopao, prepare the dough using flour, yeast, sugar, salt, baking powder, water, and oil; knead it and let it rise for 1-2 hours, then prepare the filling by cooking pork or chicken with soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, and cornstarch; assemble by flattening the dough, adding the filling and optional hard-boiled egg, sealing the dough, and finally, place the siopao on parchment paper and steam for 15-20 minutes. If you aren't familiar with Siopao, it's a traditional Chinese snack that is popularized all over the Philippines. Siopao literally means hot buns in Chinese. This hot steamed buns are filled with meat such as pork, chicken, and adobo. And the best one is considered to be found at Roberto's. With a size bigger than a clenched fist and a full blast of flavors, Roberto's legendary Queen Siopao is a reigning royalty with bursting flavors filled with bacon, Chinese sausage, chicken-pork adobo, and eggs. Because of its popularity, it is best advised to visit their store early to avoid long lines and before they run out of Queen Siopao.  They also have three other varieties: the King Siopao is a bit smaller than their Queen Siopao and stuffed with ham, Chinese Sausage, chicken-pork adobo, and egg. For a lighter version, try their Jumbo Siopao filled with Chinese sausage, and pork adobo, and egg, and Regular Siopao with pork adobo and egg. Also back then it was just around PhP65 for this royal siopao and its now at: \- Reg. Siopao - Php 60.00 \- Jumbo Siopao - Php 100.00 \- King Siopao - Php 150.00 \- Queen Siopao - Php 180.00 **Fun facts:**  The size of the siopao is bigger than my clenched fist and the bun is thick with the filling firmly squeezed into it. And this was why Roberto\'s siopao was a bite above the rest: the savor of the cooked meat dish as the filling was flavorful that, as its sign on the counter suggested, the siopao didn\'t need any sauce. Most siopaos require sauce in order to brighten up its flavor; Roberto\'s siopao doesn\'t need any. And that for me is even more convenient and efficient. Putting sauce can be messy and every time you need a bite, you have to drop more sauce on it.