#MisuaLikeCrazy: How this OPM rockstar is making a compelling case for Chinoy noodles
- The Garlic Press
- Feb 15, 2023
- 3 min read
Have you tried Chinoy Misua? It’s a staple for many Filipino-Chinese families especially during birthdays. These smooth and silky 'birthday noodles' may look ordinary sans toppings, but one slurp and you’ll know why it’s always present during celebrations.
This was the inspiration behind House of Misua, a delivery-only business specializing in mouthwatering variations of these Chinese noodles.
“It's been a tradition with our family to have this misua every time one of us at home has a birthday. Each family has their own versions of go-to comfort food like adobo, spaghetti, fruit salad, etc. and ours happens to be the birthday misua recipe that my Mom came up with many, many years ago," adds Kelvin Yu. "From time to time we would send these noodles to our family friends on their birthdays and all of them would give us great feedback on the noodles. Since then, my Mom has constantly tweaked the recipe into what we are serving now."
Owned and operated by OPM band Itchyworms bassist Kelvin Yu, House of Misua was a pandemic project. It was an idea by his late father, Felix, which they worked on together.
“Just like everyone has their own version of adobo, Chinese families usually have their own versions of birthday noodles. It was our Dad who came up with the idea to turn this into a business opportunity,” he shares. “We would occasionally talk about it but never really got to starting the business since we were all quite busy. It was only during the pandemic that we really didn't have much to do and decided to open it.”
They started House of Misua in April 2020, encouraged by the positive feedback from family and friends. Starting during the height of the pandemic was a challenge in itself, but they found an opportunity to cater to those who were stuck at home. His family’s experience running successful restaurants Guevarra’s and Francesco’s helped them manage the challenges.
“It was pretty hard to get everything in order with suppliers, raw materials, and packaging,” Kelvin recalls. “The upside to it was that everyone was stuck at home and exploring all types of new food that they could get their hands on, so we were also lucky in that sense that there was a spotlight on all new food businesses and trends at that time.”
House of Misua's menu may not be as long as their noodles, but its been tried and tested through the years. They currently offer their signature misua in five variations:
Their Regular Misua is topped with shrimp, shiitake, shredded egg, and roasted peanuts.
The Chicken Misua comes with shredded chicken, shrimp, shiitake, shredded egg, and roasted peanuts.
The Pork Misua has chunky strips of pork, shrimp, shiitake, shredded egg, and roasted peanuts.
For the best of three worlds, get the Mixed Misua. It comes with the trio of chicken, pork, and shrimp, with the usual toppings of shiitake, shredded egg, and roasted peanuts.
Their Pork Trotter is the latest addition to their misua repertoire. You can choose between misua or bihon, which wonderfully soaks up the sweet and savory sauce from the trotters – a nostalgic taste of five spice and star anise, especially if you grew up in a Chinoy home. It's topped with slow-cooked and collagen-rich pork feet,shiitake and wood ear mushrooms, and steamed bok choy. Without a doubt, this is my favorite from their menu. The noodles alone are full of flavor.
The misua trays are available in half (good for five people) and whole (good for 10) sizes, so it's best enjoyed when shared. Each tray also comes with green onions and fried shallots on the side. You can even order additional toppings!
And speaking of toppings, you can order jars of their Fried Shallot Crisps, which goes well with anything. It's a great way to jazz meals and snacks, especially if you love onions.
“Our misua is the perfect comfort food that can be enjoyed with or without any occasion. It's the perfect gift for your loved ones, or yourself!”
Now that businesses are reopening and concerts/gigs are happening in the wake of the pandemic, Kelvin is busier than ever. But Kelvin himself finds joy in what he does.
He shares, "I enjoy running the business since I can do everything either from home or remotely in case I have to be somewhere. I also like the fact that everyone has embraced alternative platforms in terms of placing orders, paying for them, and picking up your orders. The new mobile apps and technology really makes everyone's lives much easier.”
If you've tried House of Misua before or if you're new to these noodles, you'll be happy to know that they're working on adding more variants to their roster.
“We plan to come up with other variants of noodles and toppings as well, so everyone should watch out for that,” he teases.
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