Yes Lah — Restaurant in Manchester

Portions were good.

I ordered the tocilog bowl.

Taste left much to be desired. There was no flavour, no umami, nothing. It tasted very plain, no spice, nothing special. Very disappointed. Couldn’t even finish my meal. As a Filipino, I felt quite offended with the lack of authenticity of the food.

My mum had the kimchi bowl with shrimp, and she was appalled to realise that the shrimps were still raw, not cooked properly. She notified our server, who took it away, and we don’t know what she did to the food. Perhaps microwaved the bowl? Or picked out the individual shrimps and cooked them again? Hard to say considering the shrimps were still uncooked when she gave it back to my mum.

Sufficed to say, she also did not finish her food.

The server was nice, I suppose, but my mum noted that she didn’t apologise for the uncooked shrimp. My mum felt that they should have redone the whole bowl considering the raw shrimps would have been contaminating the rest of the food. Regardless, she was generally friendly. We didn’t feel unwelcome.

Would not be coming back though. Even if the shrimps were cooked, the flavours were just not there. The food didn’t taste authentic, it feels very much catered towards non-Filipinos/thai, more for white people for sure.

Edit: in response to the restaurant’s reply.

I appreciate your response, nice to see a business making an effort to connect with the community.

To begin, I never said you are solely a Filipino restaurant; I recognise that you make Asian food, as evidenced by the bao that we ordered (it’s Korean pretty sure). I do, however, think it egregious to sell Filipino food or foods inspired from Filipino cuisine and Filipino brands and not deliver on the taste. If it doesn’t taste or look like Filipino food, is it still Filipino?

If I sell Indian food and advertise that all over my Instagram and on Google maps, but then respond to an Indian family complaining the food isn’t authentic, is it fair for me to say I never claimed to be an authentic Indian restaurant?

In response to your comment about the condiments on the table, we did use them. I used the soy sauce on my chicken, and the bottle was crusty, by the way. Perhaps someone should wipe those down. Not an insult, just a note.

Also, I don’t think a restaurant should rely on diners to use condiments to provide flavour for their food. I think the food should arrive full of flavour and taste good, and if a customer wants a kick then they are free to add chilli oil. That’s my opinion and not an accusation, of course.

Regarding the kimchi bowl my mother had, I want to stress as much as I can that you did NOT once ask if we would like the whole bowl being remade. I know this because we were waiting for you to ask. I’ve attached the picture in my original review. The shrimps were literally clear. Please do not tell us that they were cooked. Some of them were yes, like two or three. But most of them weren’t. Even if only one of them wasn’t cooked, that could have been enough to induce food poisoning.

I’m honestly appalled that you would even argue on that. And then to further blame us as if it’s our responsibility to ensure that the food you serve is cooked properly is shameful. We did bring it up to your attention and as you confessed in your response, you stood by your judgement that the shrimps were cooked. We disagreed. We didn’t want to demand that you remake everything, but from then on, if we can’t finish the food and don’t have a positive thing to say, that’s not on us.

It’s a shame it’s come to this because we were so excited to try your restaurant and we were looking forward to enjoying our lunch, but we just didn’t. I’m not trying to shame or embarrass or insult anyone, least of all the server we saw today because she was very friendly. But after the response you gave, we’ve become even more resolute in our decision to never be...

Mixed views on this place...

Food was like good home cooked food, maybe even better, we all enjoyed it, but i needed to spice up the Kare-Dan Noodles even though they had a fire logo next to them. The chilli oil on the table was welcome, but it was very mild for my personal taste, however i do like spicy food - so it could just be me.

The place is clean and basic.

However my main reasons for the low score are:

1 - You pay for your meal up front and you are prompted to give a tip, before you even have your food or really any service, i find this rude and very strange. I had booked a table, i turned up, so i was not going to run off and no pay... Yes i tipped, but i don't like the prompt when i have not had any service... it makes more sense to have no pay at the end of a meal.

2 - The service, not for us, but for others... Two Filipina nurses had just been served before us, maybe 5-10 minutes, they were chatting and eating - we finished before them. The waitress collected our plates, then even though the other two were chatting and eating, said - do you want this to take home? This i found very rude and so did my wife... i was taken back by this as someone who has worked in the hospitality industry before. The waitress should have really just said is everything ok and would you like anything, however by saying do you want to take this home, this implies you have over stayed your welcome and leave - Note the place only had my group of 4 and these 2 in.

We travelled from York to visit this place, we would visit again if we were in the area, however the waitress that we saw needs training.

Also note it's Pork free, which i found very strange for a filipino place, but i presume the owner/chef if...

Food - 5/5 - I brought my family here to explore a new cuisine they hadn't tried before, and they absolutely loved the food, especially the Chicken Adobo. They found the chicken to be flavorful and unlike anything they had tasted before. I really enjoyed the Chicken Tocilog and Duck Sisig; both dishes had distinct and unique flavors that paired perfectly with the rice, making for a truly satisfying meal.

Service - 5/5 - Two staff members assisted us as a group of ten, including children, and they were incredibly accommodating and understanding, especially given how unpredictable kids can be. They served our food promptly and ensured that everything arrived together so we could enjoy the meal as a group. Before leaving us, they made sure we had everything we needed.

Atmosphere - 5/5 - A cozy, tight-knit restaurant that exudes a warm, homely atmosphere—it's the perfect spot for a weekend lunch.

Overall - As a first-time diner at this restaurant, I was truly impressed and can’t wait to return to explore more of the menu. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in a delightful blend of Filipino, Korean, and Chinese cuisine.

P.S. - Try the Baked Cinnamon Cheesecake,...