Shell Restaurant

Probably the only place in town with a real Chinese heritage, Ama Tiya’s Restaurant has managed to retain its southeastern Chinese cooking all these years. A row of back-to-back booths along one side (ala dimsum houses) provides an intimate setting for a group of four to enjoy the house’s signature thick ‘lomi’ or steaming ‘hototay.’ Basically done in the Fookienese/Taiwanese style of cooking, the other dishes are delicious and flavorful as well. Crowd favorites are the sweet and sour recipes as well as the rice toppings. Introducing more options with emphasis on its ancient roots would be most welcome and more likely than not, arouse additional interest. Service-wise, the staff needs to be more welcoming and attentive to customers. At least, the restrooms are clean but kind of small and could use some more ventilation. With a videoke in place to cater to the beer-drinking crowd, it somewhat lessens the place’s appeal to family-oriented dining. Just across the street from BDO, Ama Tiya’s is a nice spot for merienda and some ‘barkadahan’ sing-along with cold beer and tasty ngoyong