Me Love You Long Time: A Burst of Asian Flavors

It’s no secret that Maginhawa is now the food paradise of people who are always on to trying something new. When a friend invited me to explore strEAT Maginahawa Food Park, I didn’t have any second thoughts in saying yes.

When we got there, I was overwhelmed with the various food stalls I had to choose from. One stall in particular caught my attention due to its name – Me Long You Long Time. We asked around and found out that the name was taken after a phrased popularized in the movie Full Metal Jacket. Looking closer, we found out that the stall serves Southeast Asian cuisine mainly Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Thai. MLYLT opened its first branch at Z Compound in Malingap St.

Service

The staff was friendly and warm. We asked them what their best sellers are and they immediately suggested several dishes showing how well they know their food. The place was a bit small. It can probably sit about 5-6 small groups. The good thing about dining at StrEAT Food Park is that you can order from several stalls and consume all of your food in one table. We were craving Persian food, but we decided to go Southeast Asian all the way.

Food

We ordered Fresh Spring Rolls (P99), Beef Rendang + Rice (159.00), and Laksa (149.00). The price was reasonable given the serving size. The Fresh Spring Rolls had veggies, vermicelli noodles, bacon, and shrimp. I’ve made Vietnamese Spring Rolls before so my expectations were quite high. I was disappointed on the first bite. The peanut sauce tasted like watered down peanut butter lacking in flavor and consistency.

Fresh Spring Rolls (P99.00)

I was disheartened with the spring rolls, so I was hoping the second dish would be better. I tried the Laksa next. Laksa is made up of rice noodles or vermicelli noodles usually with chicken, prawn, or fish served in spicy soup. The soup is either based on rich and spicy curry or sour tamarind. The Laksa didn’t disappoint. It had the perfect combination of flavors and the spicy flavor was just right. The soup to noodle ratio was spot on.

Up next, I tried the Beef Rendang + Rice. Beef Rendang is a spicy Indonesian dish with a taste often described as caramelized beef curry. The meat was tender and the flavor bursts into your mouth on the first bite. It also came with a generous serving of sauce which was perfect for me since I like putting a lot of sauce on my rice.

Beef Rendang + Rice (P159.00)

Laksa (P149.00)

Verdict

There are a ton of things I’ve yet to try in their menu. The Pho and Chicken Satay looked particularly enticing; but my stomach could only take so much. Will I go back? Definitely. The Fresh Spring Rolls might have been a downer but the Beef Rendang and Laksa made me totally crazy about this place. As for the name, I still don’t know why they took on that popular phrase. All I know is that, I will be loving this surprising discovery for a long time.

While you’re at it, why not check out 29 Maginhawa Restaurants You Can Dine and Chill In? Have fun!