Ang Hang

Some 20 years ago, Ang Hang Restaurant opened its doors at Sunvar Plaza on Pasay Road in Makati to the delight of lovers of spicy food in the metropolis. Soon, it became the favorite lunch and dinner meeting place of foodies, celebrities, Makati’s top executives, political figures and ladies who simply lunched. Ang Hang’s chefs tirelessly prepared all the spicy dishes, which set the diners’ palates on fire and their stomachs craving for more. They all had one thing in common: An adventurous spirit and an insatiable craving for spicy food. Ang Hang was an instant hit back then. Its owner, Larry J. Cruz, aka LJC, was as usual ahead of his time. He established the trendsetting Café Adriatico in Malate just a few years earlier, and Bistro Remedios, also in Malate, about the same time as Ang Hang. To put things in their proper perspective, back in the early 1980s, the dining scene was as not as exciting as it is now. Malls were unheard of then. There were no Thai or Indian restaurants yet, and spicy cuisine was something very new to Filipino taste buds, except perhaps to Bicolanos. Ang Hang was in a way a pioneer of today’s specialty restaurants that has become de rigueur nowadays. Now, two decades later, due to insistent demand from LJC’s unshakable loyal followers, Ang Hang restaurant has been brought back to life, this time at the very heart of Malate where it all began 25 years ago. Ang Hang is a restaurant that serves a variety of Asian dishes for the spice lover and the adventurous at heart. The interiors have bold colors splashed on walls and adorned with different objects from Asia. Do have a glass of "Tea-Liling" (brewed Shanghai Jasmine tea with honey); its deliciously refreshing. For starters, we had a creamy coconut soup with slivers of pork which just had the right kind of spiciness.In the salad & appetizers section, I feasted on the fried (or baked?) chicken wings which was again spicy but not so much. I also liked the mushrooms with all the peppers and what seemed like a combination of kangkong and pako salad beautifully arranged in Chinese-style soup spoons . For the main course, I had nasi goreng; the Chicken Ang Hang submerged in peppers and a hot & sour sauce; the beef hofan; and the beef ribs rogan josh which is a take off from the traditional Indian stew made from lamb. My dessert discovery was a the round-shaped fried custard whose Indian name I forgot now. For an additional P100, guests may include the lechon tandoori in their menu but I tried this before and the skin was not so crispy. On the day we dined at Ang Hang, a busload of Thai tourists had reservations. They constantly took photos of the attractive buffet table and helped themselves to generous servings of the tasty food. Like them, we enjoyed the visual and gustatory stimulation, and were pleasantly surprised that none of the dishes were extremely hot. We were perhaps like some local diners who link the name of the restaurant with hot food. "Anghang," after all, is the Filipino word for hot and spicy, associated with flaming hot chili peppers and burning sensations. The food at Ang Hang could be "hot" indeed, but only in the colloquial sense that the word is used. After dining at Ang Hang you will definitely feel that you will want more. So try it out its really HOT. Ang Hang Malate 1900 M. Adriatico St., Renedios Circle, Malate Manila Phone Number: 521-6682, 524-3779 Monday to Sunday 12pm - 3pm 6pm - 11pm Rating : 2 star Value for money : 3 star