What's so extra-ordinary about XO Kitchen in Makati?

We often go to Jupiter St., Makati whenever my friends and I would look for a good place to eat. We've tried several restaurants along that street serving different types of cuisine. Every time we would cruise along that street we would see this place called XO Kitchen but we never gave it try until two weeks ago.

The place looks small compared to the other restos along Jupiter St. And unlike the other restos, XO is well lit. It looks like a 'safe' place for family dinners.On the walls hang pictures of the food they have in their menu.

one of the pictures on the wall

picture of rice with squid ink

We ordered their pork and shrimp siomai, salt and pepper shrimps and crispy noodles.

The pork and shrimp siomai is rather expensive compared to others. One order (4 pieces) is worth P90. However, it is worth the price. Have you ever eaten pork siomai that is primarily made of 'extenders"? Well, XO's siomai is nothing like that. It is really made of pork. Oh, and there is shrimp in every piece.

pork and shrimp siomai

The salt and pepper shrimp is crispy. It is easy to eat. I mean you do not need to remove the shell. However, my friend found it too salty. For me it was just right. Besides, there's vinegar where you can dip it if the salt is too much for you.

salt and pepper shrimp

The crispy noodles is nothing unique. It tastes like the others served in other restaurants I've tried. (I noticed this is my comment about all the noodles I've reviewed here. Does this mean that I haven't found the best noodles in town yet?) The noodles are crispy as the name implies. It has a nice tasting sauce, I must admit. But it doesn't have a lot of meat and vegetable toppings. It was served hot but it became cold too fast. Maybe the owner needs to change their serving containers.

crispy noodles

Speaking of the owner -- we found out that one of my friends knows the owner. He came to our table to chat. He offered us his buchi. Surprise! Surprise! The buchi has a twist. The filling is not your usual mongo filling. The first one I tried has pastillas inside while the second one has chocknut (a local chocolate). They tasted very good. I love them both but I must admit I love the pastillas buchi a tiny bit better than the chocknut buchi. I learned they have other choices and one of which is Ferrero Rocher buchi. This must be the best one because it's the most expensive.

special flavors of buchi

The owner told us they do not have branches yet but they have a buchi booth at the ABS-CBN compound. In that booth they have all the flavors available. They are also color coded so you won't mistake one for the other in case you decide to the assorted box.


By the way, do you know why the place is called XO Kitchen? XO stands for extra-ordinary -- Extra-ordinary Kitchen.