happyfoodies.com – Philippines Food Blog

Our flight schedule to Zamboanga City fell on Christmas day so it was imperative that happyfoodies should have a good Christmas dinner away from our respective homes.

But we want something else other than the usual hamon and other holiday foods so at the suggestion of our tricycle driver, we ended up in Hai San Seafood Market and Restaurant. Was the meal worthy of a holiday dinner? Was the food delicious as it was filling? Happyfoodies would soon find out.

The place

Lagal[og] said: the place stood out because it was brightly-lit outside. Inside, the warm lighting was inviting; bright but not hurting to the eyes. The tables were nicely laid out so there’s no need to elbow your fellow diners. It’s a seafood restaurant alright but it’s very clean. There was liquid soap on the wash sink and large paper towels to boot.

Ironwulf said: I was expecting a menu when we sat on our table but the only menu they have is for drinks and refreshments. The main meal ingredients have to be handpicked from the fresh fishes and vegetables from the counter wherein you’ll also say how you liked it to be cooked. It’s basically a ‘Dampa’ style eatery, but with a more classy restaurant setting.

The food

Lagal[og] said: We came in rather early for dinner so we were able to observe that a lot of Chinese diners trickled in as 7 o’clock approached. That tells us a lot about the place. We wanted Curacha but it wasn’t available so we went to the market section and shopped for live fishes and crustaceans. For our main course, we had Grilled Tiger Prawns in Lemon & Butter Sauce. The prawns were grilled just right; sifting through the heads, they dripped with rich, tasty brown fat.

Ironwulf said: The Hot Sour Soup was a great starter since the sour soup had lots of mushrooms and was enough to warm-up our tummies for the main dish. We were then served 4 pieces of Grilled Tiger Prawns in Lemon and Butter Sauce . For me, this was the highlight of our meal. These large prawns really had tender meat even up to the head, grilled just right with the butter adding just the right flavor. The Chopsuey was also rich in ingredients, a mix of seafood, crisp vegetables and mushrooms.  It’s a good side dish since it is lightly-flavored.

Lagal[og] said: Our bill came to around Php1100, which ain’t bad at all, considering the quantity of the food and drinks we ordered. No wonder, this place comes highly-recommended by the locals.

Ironwulf Said: I still think it is a bit pricey. While the place is good and the food flavorful and well cooked, there are still other alternatives for seafood dining where you’ll get more than what you pay for. But if you don’t want to be constrained by a menu and out only for the freshest ingredients you could see, this place is worth a visit.

Hai San Seafood Market and Restaurant
60 San Jose Road, Zamboanga City
Tel. (63) 991-5506, 991-1062

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