Chowking Meycauayan Review

I have been to different places, both urban and otherwise, and I can't help but notice that the quality of food differs with the kind of place the branch is located.

For example, I ordered a yang chow fried rice from an Ortigas branch for take-out and ate it on the bus ride home since I was already famished. The taste was superb and I don't think it was just because I was already starving. Then on another branch on the suburbs, the quality of the yang chow fried rice differs with the kitchen work shifts. Back then, it was better at morning but it got bad at night. Or that branch on SM Marilao that served me some King's Congee with a rotten century egg. Management insisted that century eggs do taste like that but I insisted that I have been eating Chowking congee for a long time and it never tasted like it did on that day. Afterwards, I made sure I avoided that branch.

However, there is one branch I've been to the most (even if I tried my best t avoid it.)

Chowking Meycauayan Branch. My hometown, so naturally, it's the closest to my heart.

However, I noticed a lot has changed in a rather short span of time.

Previously, they would just occasionally serve me saltier-than-bagoong Congee but I could let that slide as a random mistake from the kitchen crew. Besides, Chowking isn't purely about Congee.

Having been introduced to it since I was but a child, I know it's all about noodles or at least mostly about noodles.

A few weeks ago, it broke my heart to learn that the Meycauayan Branch has stooped down to unbelievable depths. Unforgivable sins towards the gods of cookery.

The Pansit Canton smelled and tasted like soot and I won't be surprised if there were anything else on that.

But that's not the entire point.

Their noodles broke my heart. What was supposed to be a small serving or Wanton Noodles came out of the kitchen in a different way than usual.

The broth was just lukewarm, the wanton was still half-frozen from inside and the noodles itself was old and was cold. (And no, I didn't order cold noodles.)

To top it all off, the previously interesting Nai Cha was now turned into some bubble tea drink and the sago they used was almost at the point of spoilage. (And may I remind you that I have lower standards for food compared to that of an average guy.)