Its been a while since our last visit at their Zao branch in Serendra BGC because I have always been outvoted by the piggery. Luckily they have a branch in Shang and miracle of miracles, unica suggested lunch there. What do you know the rest of the piggery acquiesced! The power of the Ate hahaha. We ordered the following : 
Pomelo Salad P365
with shrimps, chicken and fresh herbs.
Just the sight of a bowl of fresh greens was enough to make me feel healthy already if that was possible. The combination of the green lettuce, some shrimps and chicken, the sweet pomelo and the citrusy vinaigrette was refreshing to the palate. I happily ate away
Appetizer Sampler P585
fresh rolls, spring rolls, pork and chicken satay and sugar cane shrimps
I loved everything on this plate. Just order cups of rice and you are all set. The satay and fried rolls can be entrees on their own. If you are on a carb diet, do it like the Koreans do. Wrap your proteins (satays) on lettuce and munch away. I do not know if its the Vietnamese way too. At any rate, it was quite enjoyable munching on lettuce-wrap “sandwiches”
Zao Barbecue Platter P595
The carnivorous piggery dived in as soon as the platter landed on the table. A combination of pork and beef slices barbecued to perfection, it was an instant hit to the piggery who immediately ordered extra cups of rice. As for me, I did my lettuce-wrap technique again and I was a happy camper.
Zao Pho P285
Good thing handsome hubby and I decided to split an order of Zao Pho. One order was huge for me. Zao Pho had flank, brisket, meatballs, tendons and rice noodles. The broth was simple and delicious. Do not forget to squeeze some lime and put on some togue on your soup before sipping the broth, I loved those translucent rice noodles. Setting aside my pseudo carb diet, I slurped away while biting on al dente noods.
Caramelized Garlic Prawns P395
Six pieces of succulent , red, prawns with caramelized skin and crispy garlic on top. It looked beautiful. Upon taking a bite though , I found my prawn a bit over cooked. Although the skin and the head were delicious, the flesh underneath were bland and devoid of flavor. Sad
Salt and Pepper Squid P295
Deep fried squid with soy-lime dipping sauce
The squid was soft and chewy inside the batter. It was good. Nothing to rave about though. It was pretty ordinary.
Zao Bowl
This was my son’s order. Clearly , rolls whether fresh or fried are Zao’s specialty. The fried rolls in this dish was a favorite of the family. Zao bowl was a meal in itself. It has carbs (noodles). It had vegetables. It had proteins and fats (fried rolls and beef strips). It was served cold like a salad and had a sweet citrusy syrup on the side and rice wrap with a separate bowl of water for you to make your own lumpia in. Yum Yum!
Summary :
Definitely a go-to place now for the family for meals that are healthy and delicious. It was quite different from our usual bistro group choices, which was a good thing.
Price : We spent about P600 per head with drinks and one senior citizen
Zao
Level 5 East Wing
Shangrila Plaza Mall
Ortigas Mandaluyong City
02 9420785