Meal in the City: "Seafood Fried Rice" and "Nido Soup" at Flavours of China, SM Fairview

We've been having some nasty stormy weather here: buckets of rain in fierce downpours, thunder and lightning and the occasional bout of flooded streets. With a storm just leaving and another one coming in, it looks like it's going to continue for another few days or so.

So what happens when it's frightful out and you have to contend with cold and *wet* weather creeping down the back of your neck? The answer for me and my boyfriend is to go out and endure the storm anyway, so we can eat a lovely, filling, comforting meal at one of our favorite restaurants.

After the first time eating at a chain of fast-casual Chinese outlets called Flavours of China, we've found ourselves going back again and again. The restaurant proudly declares that its food, which is mostly Cantonese with some Szechuan dishes thrown in, is "healthy": no MSG, no trans fats, and all-fresh ingredients only.

We've eaten our way through most of the menu at Flavours, but this Meal in the City post is dedicated to two of our favorites there: Seafood Fried Rice, and Nido Soup.


On the left, a huge mound of Seafood Fried Rice; on the right, a steaming tureen of Nido Soup. That's my boyfriend's apple juice in the center; the red straw means he gets free refills.

Flavours's signature Seafood Fried Rice contains scallops, shrimp, asparagus, and fish roe; the Nido Soup is their take on the famous bird's nest dish, plus fried bacon crumbled over the top. Each dish is already superb on its own, but in this combination, it's a winning tandem of comforting flavors.

One of the reasons why we always come back to Flavours of China is because they have such lavish servings for reasonable prices. The rice and the soup can feed two very hungry people, as we were when the picture was taken, or three average appetites. (In our defense, this was brunch.)

The nice thing about Flavours of China is that they've done their best to be located in areas where lots of people will be able to see them and try them out. So far, we've been to three of their outlets and the food has been great every time. They've become one of our usual options when it comes time to answer that perennial question, "Where are we going to eat?"

Great value for money paired with wonderful cooking. Try this place out.