2. NORTH PARK
689 Banawe Street, Quezon City with branches all over Metro Manila
Tel. nos. 711-7648, 412-9505, or 412-9417
Open from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily

North Park's famous Superior Congee (P171) has the finest ingredients that can ever be found in a congee dish, hands down. Besides pork and chicken balls, the dish has slices of century egg, Pacific clams, fish fillet, Szechuan vegetables, fresh egg, and shrimps. It has chips for toppings too. Except that since these will get in the way of the dish's presentation--which, in itself, is a visual feast--the establishment preferred to place it in a separate, smaller bowl, allowing the flakes to be enjoyed separately.

1. DRAGON NOODLE CENTER
1037, M.H. del Pilar Street, Malate, Manila
Tel. no. 525-1563
Open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily

For starters, color and texture are the qualities that set Dragon Noodle Center's Halo-Halo Congee (P95) apart from the rest. The rice congee itself is light brown. But that's not exactly a deal breaker. After all, based on taste alone, its color may be the result of the confluence of all the ingredients' flavors: pieces of liver, beef strips, meatballs, tripe, century eggs, as well as a raw egg. Moreover, the restaurant's congee also uses ground rice, transforming the dish into a thick soup with fine grain bits that is a pleasure to relish. Served on a bowl half the size of a basketball, Dragon Noodle's Congee is one of the best in the city.