Taste Taiwanese Fusion at Ersao Tea Moments SM SouthMall|iMunch

Ersao is most famous for it's Milk Tea and fast food, but for the SM Southmall branch, they're kicking things up a notch! Enjoy their elevated offerings and more at the Lower Ground Floor(Basement) area of the food strip, and it's easy to spot as you can see it right while you descend through the escalator outside and near holly's kitchen, and it is beside Sbarro.



Their interiors are cosy and perfect for meetings with the barkada, casual dates or family bonding, and the restaurant is sprinkled with lots of comfy couches that just screams relaxation when you're stressed from work. When I went in it felt like I was in an asian version of starbucks or SBC.. Hehe..



As for the food, they have a wide selection of snacks and appetizers to main courses and desserts so you have no worries as I'm sure that you'll find that dish that'll tickle your tastebuds. Above is their Citrus Dory Salad  that is perfect for starting up the kids to eat their greens. The dressing is a sweet orange citrus flavor laced with honey , and the dory is cooked to perfection.

Below, we have the Sausage Dip and Chips, wherein they used authentic and well seasoned Taiwanese sausage, and coupled with the chilis, garlic and the fried dumpling wrapper chips, it feels like the Asian counterpart of nachos that's just oozing with savoury flavor.



 



If you're up for Mexican-Taiwanese, their Hong Ma Quesallia is something to consider. This consists pork belly, mexican and taiwanese spices and of course a bit of cheese. I felt though that the dip was a bit overpowering for the taste of the sandwich.



Ah, the birth of a very Guilt-free Guilty pleasure, the complimentary Tofu Fries. I personally was expecting a sort of rubbery texture as to what comes with a fried tofu, but Ersao made it in a way that it retains it's soft and delicate tofu texture and taste, while the breading is what gives the fries that usual american feel. You can try it with ketchup if your up for something new, or you can ask for some soy sauce which would better suit the tofu taste. Now if only they could serve this by the BIG Buckets... hehe





Chicken Popcorn is awesome in terms of taste, as I can definitely get the american fried chicken taste here, yet with the serving of the fried basil and extra spices, it creates a whole new dimension of food flavor that I want to steal from Ersao and try it at home hahaha!



Ah, my compliments to the chef for the Soy Bathed Dumplings that the Ersao Team made. It's taste is more delicate than that of a gyoza, with less oil as it is steamed up and they serve it without soy to your table, and they'll present it to you by bathing or pouring the soy onto your dish. YUM! Must eat again and again here at Ersao for sure.



This I think is called Spicy Hulahoops, which is your basic calamares elevated to perefction. It is well seasoned and is not gummy or chewey which means it is cooked perfectly. :) Ask for some soy sauce or vinegar to complement the stuff. :3



You guys who always read my food reviews know that I don't really like the spice of curry cause of the strong aroma that it has. But Ersao's Curry Baked Dumplings is a sort of sorcery as it has that distinct curry taste and kick with a bearable curry smell. Oh yeah, and the cheese helped a lot too. Felt like an asian verison of Mac and Cheese what is equally delightful to the tastebuds :3



Their Chicken Mantou Burger, I consider a kid's meal. Chicken is kinda dry but is well seasoned, and the bun is of the home made variety, a version of the recipe of the siopao bread, but they used brown instead of white sugar as base, giving it the distinct wheat-brown look. :)





For your Taiwa-lian pleasure, I present to you guys the lovechild of the italian pasta and Asian braised beef- the Red Wine Beef Soup Pasta. As I tasted it, pasta is Al Dente, beef was reminiscent of a beef ramen soup, with a hint of the red wine. Perfect for trying out something new, or while watching stuff on iFlix. I think I'd like to order this one to-go, and eat it in front of the lap top or tv as it is so comforting with the familiar flavors that have mingled together.



Perfect for the rainy days, cosy dates, or when you just want to warm yourself up. Seafood Milk Noodles is your WYSIWYG noodles that is sure to give you that cosy warm feeling. I love how the seafood tastes fresh, is very creamy and is undoubtedly awesome. The sad part is that the rice noodles were a bit uncooked on some parts, but it's just some. Oh yeah, and the stuff can use a bit more ginger for my taste. :)



And for the desserts, out of most that I have tasted, I recommend the Mo Cha Cheesecake, as it is for sharing, is not lacking in the cream cheese goodness, and as they say, Tea is good for the body right? :)



This one is their Vanilla Green Tea Coffee set... Cookies were a bit too weird for my taste, but maybe it's just me. I feel that if ever I take my family here, my dad would love this though. :)



Who ever said that you can't "Eat" milk tea hasn't been to Ersao SM Southmall. This is the number 2 in my fave desserts from them, the first being the Mo Cha Cheesecake. This is the Milk Tea Panna Cotta. Of course, like any dessert you use a soon and this is non-drinkable so I rest my case. Stuff is pretty awesome in taste and the mangoes helped give a dimension to the taste of the panna cotta. :)



For the drinks I had 2 types of teas, the Taiwan black tea which interestingly doesn't taste too bitter or is not as robust as your usual dark tea. It's delicate in taste as a jasmine, but you can definitely smell the black tea. :) The other that I loved more is their fruit tea which is composed of apples, pineapples and other fruits. I'd take this over the usual iced tea or the 4 Seasons drink any day. :)



My chosen drink by the way is the Japanese Roast Milk Tea, which is pretty awesome as the sweetness level is not too much, probably 40% compared to other Milk Tea Shops, and is pretty generous with the serving of pearls. Which by the way I am a big fan of. #MorePearlsMoreHappiness #ErsaoTeaMoments!



This is the Sesame Grain Ice Mud which sounds more like a facial, but rest assured it is a drink. Upon that first sip it gave me memories of the certain buchi type of bread that my lola used to buy for me in the provices when I was little, and interestingly enough, the pinipig-ish taste of this is like a comfort drink for me as well. Pretty sure that the old souls who will drop by here will love this one.





This one is the Dragon Fruit Shake which, interestingly is probably made with magic. It's pretty weird as my experience with this drink is like eating up the good parts of Bertie Botts Every Flavor beans. Why? Every sip that I take gives me an interestingly different flavor that I can't seem to pin down, from a hint of avocado to hints of the supposed dragonfruit, to a bit of bananas. Or maybe the drink itself is bananas? hahaha! Seriously though, I suggest you try this at least once as a sort of challenge to yourself. As for me, it's definitely my type of weird and good. :)



Overall, the place is something to cherish, with affordable prices for their food, for 500 Php for 2 persons. They have an ongoing promo of for every 1500Php worth of food ordered you can get your very own Ersao Hardbound Notebook, which is perfect for drawing your thoughts and planning your days. Definitely a 4.5 out of 5 for me!

 

Ersao Tea Moments

Lower Ground Floor(Basement, if you ask kuya guard), SM SouthMall,

Alabang-Zapote Road, Almanza, Las Pinas City

11 AM- 11 PM/Monday-Sunday

(02) 8018919