To be honest, I’m not very fond of Chowking. Ever since I can remember, whenever there’s a special occasion, we’d usually eat at a Chinese restaurant, being the Sims that we are. When given the option to eat fastfood, it’s understandable that I look for something non-Chinese. Also, I find that they are quite pricey considering the serving size. I understand the appeal for most people though, having fastfood that isn’t McDo or Jollibee but I personally am not a big fan of Chowking. However, when I saw their new offering, the Happy Pao, I knew I had to try it out! It’s siopao, which I do like, and it’s cute; how could I say no?

Meet the Panda Pao. Since the panda is black and white, and the filling can’t be panda, the filling of this Happy Pao is chocolate. I love siopao bread and this was no exception. I didn’t have it fresh from the steamer though so it would’ve been softer then. The chocolate filling was delicious, and surprisingly, it went really well with the bread. I would get this again. It would make a good snack or sweet treat after a meal. For 39 pesos, it’s definitely not bad.

For siopao, I usually prefer asado over bola bola. This Piggy Pao was quite generously filled with asado. It would also be best when freshly steamed but it was good, nonetheless. The cute presentation made it even more appealing than ordering a regular siopao. My only qualm about this particular Happy Pao is that the fatty parts were quite tough to eat. Maybe it has to do with me eating it at room temperature but it’s not that big an issue. There are other yummy asado sioapos available in the market so if you’re going for taste, this may not be the best for you. But if you’re looking for something fun to eat, that’s also decent tasting, do try the Piggy Pao of Chowking. It’s so cute!

It’s nice to see a fastfood restaurant like Chowking having novel ideas that have to do with the appearance of the food. It is definitely a good marketing strategy to get people to buy (and share photos of) their food, especially since the siopao market is getting quite saturated. This brings new life to the old-fashioned Chowking, showcasing their innovation and creativity. This is a good concept that was executed well. I hope they keep this around. It makes a cute gift or food for sharing that would definitely make people happy.