My cousin heard from a friend that there was a place in Retiro, Quezon City, serving "Taiwan's famous stinky tofu臭豆腐" And so we finally got a chance to visit the place, and without second thoughts, we hop on to ride through that rainy night, and finally we're here, Kao-Chi Restaurant.
From the outside, it looks like any ordinary Chinese restaurant, with Chinese neon signs, brightly lit to lure customers in, but when you take your first steps in.. you're like transported to another place.
The interiors are adorned nicely with antiques from the Chinese dynasties, but of course with a little twist of modern pieces such as the picture on the right, where the ring of the supposed wall lion head design is lighted to a bright gold.
The seats and tables are all patterned to a bright red setting, making it feel majestic and yes royalty. And so let's end the small talk and get to business.
It was a feast like no other, a feast fit for a king. On the far reaches of Banawe st. in Quezon City a Chinese restaurant is making waves with the Chinese community. And this time the rumors are true. We have been a regular visitor of King Chef Restaurant and every visit was a memorable one, especially this.
We were invited to partake in an Imperial feast, showcasing the best that King Chef has to offer. Some of the guests who answered some trivia questions were lucky enough to have a taste of "King's style Buddha Jump over the Wall" soup which cost around P9,000 for a table of 12. And also a group of guests also got the chance to savor genuine "King Chef braised superior sharks fin soup" good for one at P1288. And guest what we were the lucky ones!!!
Oh.. sharks fin soup, so deliciously good. Our serving per bowl was so big, I was so full from that alone, mixed with red vinegar, gives out the flavor that I have missed for quite some time, and I must say only from genuine sharks's fin can give that one-of-a-kind taste that the world has gone mad over.
Cold Cuts combination with California Maki, Century egg and seaweeds makes for the tasteful appetizer
The Chinese ghost month, happens once a year during the 7th month of the Chinese Lunar calendar, it has been a tradition in the family to have Chinese Lumpia or simply lumpia in our house especially on the 15th of the ghost month. I don't know if its really a tradition amongst Chinoys, but I'm sure glad we have this in our family.
Yes indeed, you can buy a lumpia in Manila anytime, but from all the lumpia that I have tasted, going over to my aunt's house to have a taste of their lumpia still excites me. I can still remember my teenage times where I can actually finish 6 rolls of lumpia, but I was nowhere close my cousin being able to finish 9 rolls already while making another one, haha.
So what makes for a good lumpia, what ingredients make it more enticing and flavorful. Honestly I wish I know the lumpia secret that runs in the family, but I definitely want to have some now. I guess the most important thing for you to make lumpia is that you need to keep your ingredients fresh. Now what goes first, yes the lumpia wrapper and so we go on...
Fresh Vegetables! Be sure to clean your vegetables, these veggies are vital as they are nutritious and also serve as the second layer of your lumpia after the wrapper.
then comes the main ingredient, the lumpia filling mix.which as what I can taste are squid, cabbages, carrots, a little ground meat and of course the family tradition way of cooking this which I really don't know. You can even eat this dish without the wrapper, just make it as a dish to rice and you will be satisfied. After scooping for the lumpia filling, we add grounded nuts and sugar all over to put a little sweetness to our lumpia.
we could also put some seaweeds with dried sotanghon to give that unique taste that only seaweeds can give the hungry tastebuds
And finally after the filling, toppings, veggies and sugar nuts have been combined.... roll them up and prepare for a feast
start eating and enjoy, after this year, I will be looking forward for to next year's family lumpia feast. Happy Eating!!
I always pass by Banawe Street in Quezon City, since I work near the place but never really had the chance to visit this place til now. The reason? When I get there during lunch time, it is always jam packed, and when I come at night for some snacking, I never get to the place on time, as they close quite early at 9 PM, such a waste though cause they really have something good in-store.
Our first dish of the evening, Stewed Tofu dipped in special soy sauce P60, it looks fresh with all the leeks and "yen suy" that my FIL totally loves. I cannot comment on the tofu since I don't eat Tofu (surprise!!) but it was gone in a flash, its either they are really hungry or the dish is really good.
Next dish on the list, Beef kenchi noodles P120, the soup base was very good as it reminded me a lot of the ones I had in Taiwan on my last visit, very strong beefy taste, surely the soup was simmered for quite some time as you can sip the lean beef taste that I really love. Match it with the thick udon-like noodles and the soft and tender beef kenchi, definitely a winner.
The most anticipated part of the meal, the famous Fu Chi Steam Dumplings 15 pcs. for P90. This has got to be one of the best deals in town, well for me at least, you don't get that much dumplings in other places, trust me I have been through a lot of them. So I guess this is the main selling point for Fu Chi. Every table seems to have an order of this. And I would agree definitely, one of the best dumpling places in town, and one on my top ten list. They are available in pork with vegetable, and shrimp with vegetable. Don't ask how it tastes, the number of their loyal customers speaks for them.
Don't forget to dip the dumplings in their special soy sauce, heavenly indeed
Lastly, I had to order this, Fried chicken set for P120, a complete meal with rice, chicken, side dish and other veggies specially made by the owner Taiwan-style. The chicken was fried with their secret breading, I guess ingredients would be from Taiwan, smells good and very tasty, crispy and hot. That's how I love my chicken to be.
Take time to visit and take a bite here at Fu Chi Dumpling, you would certainly come back for more. Guaranteed!!
Shantung Restaurant, one of the earliest restaurants ever to have surfaced since the early 80's if I may recall right, I still remember the days when we dined in their first store at Echague, Quiapo and still named "Lo Wan", if you cannot recall the place? Better ask your moms and dads, even your grandparents, I am quite sure they have a lot of stories that they will cherish whenever you would mention it to them. And through the years they have transferred from the original branch to another in Binondo, and finally now at West Avenue, Quezon City.
So let's stop the chit chat and go to what's keeping Shantung Restaurant a favorite among the young ones and and the young once.
My favorite and most unforgettable soup. The name is Soup No. 1 as it is the first listed on the menu. It is basically Hot Sour Soup, every restaurant has their specialty and this one is definitely Shantung's landmark dish. It is made up of pork's blood, bits of meat, and "tenga ng daga" shrooms and eggs, this may sound a little on the "what must this taste like" phrase, but believe me it is so good.... why it lasted at least another generation and still going strong. P130 for small and P160 good for a party of 6.
One of my favorite dishes, Shantung's Fried Crispy Chicken
(8pcs for P180)
this has always been on the order list ever since I can remember, dip it in their signature sweet chili sauce and savor the taste of the juicy meat bite after bite.
Fried shrimps ala Camaron Rebusado, P 210, only the freshest shrimps, full of flavor toss it over pepper salt or their signature sauce, makes the meal all the wonderful to enjoy.
Oyster Cake P155, honestly I don't really like oysters, and I hate eggs as well, but when you put it all together, it is a totally different dish, and I can't stop munching it over ketchup. My mother is happy at least I eat some eggs... haha
Fried dumplings or "Oh tien" in Chinese is a rice buddy for me
Just look at the meaty goodness wrapped on crunchy fried wanton wraps (8 pcs for P105)
Don't forget to request for the dip for this dish, unmistakable.
And Mixed Seafood Pot, P280 for the large size, a combination of crispy Tofu over clay pot simmered fresh catch from the sea, with fish fillets, squid, fresh shrimps, sea cucumber and a array of vegetables. This dish is quite new to the restaurant but they did great and tasted good too, my dad agrees.
In the end, I am glad that Shantung Restaurant still have not changed their classics and maintained the good taste that they are famous for, and mind you they still hire some of the same people from the original branch in Echague and yes I recognize them. That goes to show how old already am I, haha I would still remember them during my childhood days taking our orders. Now, grab dad and mom, lolo and lola, they would be delighted you brought them here to reminisce the good old days and enjoy good food as well.
Nothing excites me more other than having a good dish in the middle of the table, a pair of utensils to use and good friends to share it with. Such is the case in one glorious lunch at LuGang Cafe, San Juan.
Stir fried Sukiyaki beef with red chili pepper
this dish is very tasty indeed, the Sukiyaki beef is so soft that you would know that the beef used is very fresh indeed, I love how the beef mixed well with chili, even though it hinted a little spice, it can still give you an appetite to have more...
Taiwanese Stewed Pork - P190
I like how they presented this dish, it looked great, but that's all there is to it. Sad to say, this dish did not meet my expectations. I wished it could have been better though. Pricewise it was ok but our house help can do better than this...
Tofu with preserved egg - P 120
this dish is particularly good... that is based on my friends expressions as they were munching on this, just to let you know, I am not quite fond of Tofu as well as century eggs, but I guess they were happy with this... lastly I wish they had not used the word "preserved" for the egg... just my opinion though.
Xiao Long Bao (6 pcs) - P 158
I wish and wish one day that the Philippines will get one of the best Xiao Long Bao in the world, and still with this in town, I think Manila is still in search for the best Xiao Long Bao...
Enough of my whinning.... of course there is something good in here
Pineapple fried rice, this is actually good, the pineapples and cashews not just gave the fried rice a good presentation it also give the fried rice flavor, yes many chinese restaurants already serve pineapple fried rice, so why should you order this? because the flavors of the pineapple and cashew nuts gave it a unique taste like no other pineapple fried rice that I have tasted.... sweet and tasty, really good.
Last but not the least, the 3-cup chicken - P 290
this 3-cup chicken is by far one of the most delicious one that I have had from my many trips to different chinese restaurants all over Asia. It has a distinctly good taste, maybe its because of the wine used to cook the dish, but no matter this is so good that this was the first dish to disappear from the table, I promise myself I will get another serving of this next time I come around Lu Gang, but for me only.... **selfish
It was quite a lunch, and yes Lu Gang Cafe did not disappoint, LuGang Cafe is famous all over Asia for their delicious dishes and fine cuisine, as it originated in China. As far as the place is concerned it was very pleasant to the senses, and you will never feel crowded because of the wide spaces that they have. One more thing to commend is that their service is great, even though they have only opened for a few weeks, everything was panned out quite well.
Also try their set meals ranging from P 230 - P290, with choices such as Curry chicken, stewed pork, beef curry and Yakiniku beef, hope you do have a wonderful meal and enjoy it as much as I did.
