This was a case of being totally unprepared for what came my way…
Much as I love the food at the Galleon, things got to the point that I was donkaesu-tuckered out, sisig-sated, and bored out of my mind by dumplings and rice. Fortunately, the newest stall on the block helped relieve me of palate-fatigue.
However, I was totally unprepared by how this particular stall delivered on its promise of tasty, rib-sticking meals.
Wok Republic brings a satisfying array of localized Chinese dishes paired with one’s choice of either plain rice or Yang Chow-style fried rice (the vivid yellow kind studded with peas, minced ham, and diced carrots). P 80.00 gets you one main course and rice, P 85.00 gets you a main course with either a veggie side dish or noodles and rice, and P 90.00 gets you two mains and rice; throw in an extra P 5.00 to swap plain rice for Yang Chow. That’s a fair enough deal in this part of the world. However, given how miserly many food court stalls tend to be with portions, I totally assumed that the food at Wok Republic would be no different.
The first lunch I got from that stall proved me wrong – seriously wrong, as a matter of fact!
The helpings were massive: you could feed two people out of a single lunch-pack as shown above. You definitely do get a lot of bang for your bucks and, even more surprising, Wok Republic also delivers on flavor.
If this boat were on water, it would sink – no surprises there.
I honestly thought that the “humongous helpings” rule only applied to the two-mains combo, but apparently it also applies to the one-main and one-main+veg/noodles sets. This is one fast food stall that makes sure its customers don’t leave hungry – nope, not by a long shot.
Wok Republic’s offerings change everyday and I’ve found several items that have been stonking good, the flavors and quality consistent every time I’ve ordered them off the menu:
- Hoisin chicken – battered chicken chunks doused with a sweet hoisin and star anise sauce; I’d like to think of it as a Chinese-Filipino riff on Korean-style fried chicken;
- Pork spare ribs with tausi – this spin on a dimsum classic involves meaty pork spare ribs stewed with fermented soy beans and Oriental herbs, making for a most savory version of the dish;
- Seafood lomi – squid, battered fish chunks, prawns, and cuttlefish balls with green beans and carrots in a savory sauce; and
- Lomi special – thick, fresh egg noodles stewed with pork and veg.
It’s definitely not for light eaters, but I assure you that you won’t leave hungry – far from it, as a matter of fact!
Midge in the Kitchen 
I remember the stands that used to have the biggest serves would always have the most customers! 😀