North Park

One of my family's favorite Chinese restaurants is Next Door which belongs to the North Park group . They never hesitate when the invitation to lunch is to this place. They know the menu by heart and though they may seem to hesitate about what they want, somehow they find a way to say why don't you order (insert favorite dish here)? Favorites include the Chinese lumpia, pinsec prito, shrimp dumpling, crispy noodles, broccoli with three kinds of mushroom and lechon Macau. We love that they serve good food at affordable prices.

I thought all along that North Park had a different menu and was more expensive. I was wrong. When I dined at North Park today, the same menu greeted me. The prices were also similar.


I wanted to order all my family's favorites but since I was dining alone, I limited my choices to the rice toppings. I ordered the Lechon Macau on Fried Rice (PHP 160) which offered really good value for money. The serving could be shared by two and came even with sauces, free soup and a pot of Chinese tea. The meat was tender and flavorful. Although the skin was fried to a crisp, it was not as crisp as I would have wanted it. Though I mostly pair my meals with cold drinks, I can actually manage with hot tea and that was what I intended to do at lunch today to somehow limit my expense. But I guess soup and hot tea are much more than what I can handle. Soon after, I felt warm and almost on the verge of sweating. I ordered the Honey Lemonade (PHP 62) to rescue me from the warmth. And I was really impressed. It was served in a tall glass with lots of ice, lemon slices and pulp bits. The blend was just right too. It surely made my day.

I'm still confused though as to the distinctions between North Park and Next Door (or their other sister companies Tiananmen Bar and Kopi Tiam). But names don't really matter much as long as they serve equally good food.

north park, next door, chinese restaurant, lechon macau