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Showing posts with label Greenhills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greenhills. Show all posts
Monday, October 3, 2016
HAI KANG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT: Greenhill's Old School Favorite

New Chinese Restaurants have been popping up left and right as of late. Even if this is the case, there is something alluring with an old classic. At HAI KANG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT, you are treated to delicious classic Chinese dishes.
HAI KANG is located along Wilson St., in Greenhills. Parking might be a problem but do not let this hinder you as the cuisine they serve are delightful and worth the visit. Dishes are also served in different sizes. Hence, you are able to choose the amount of food depending on the number of guests that you have with you.
For starters, guests might want to try out the SEAFOOD PUMPKIN SOUP. Something warm to prepare the appetite, the soup has a curry flavor mixed into it. Different types of seafood are also present.
It is amazing how a simple ingredient could be transformed into a dish with a lot of flavor and texture. Take for example, chicken. Here, it could be a cold cut surrounded by deep fried wanton wrapper and some mangoes and century egg. Producing a crunchy dish perfect for the kids. On the other hand, it could cooked and mixed with SOY to produce a moist and tender product.
Being named as a SEAFOOD RESTAURANT, HAI KANG knows its a b c 's of the sea.
ABALONE is served with mushrooms that make it as savory and decadent as ever. SCALLOPS are baked with different herbs and spices to make it enticing to the patrons.
Huge prawns are cooked in Laksa sauce to deliver an interesting twist. Partner it with the mantou to scoop up the juices.
Fresh GAROUPA will be picked from an aquarium and cooked in the simplest of ways. This is to bring the flavor out from the fish rather than covering it. Each bite is smooth and heavenly.
HUGE CRABS are also available at HAI KANG. Different suggestions are given as to how and what way to cook them. Some would prefer that it be breaded and cooked with just pepper and other spices.
Since HAI KANG is a Chinese Restaurant, the mandatory must order dish would be the PEKING DUCK.
Beautifully presented and cooked, this duck is a form of art. The skin was light yet crispy. Having it wrapped in pancake with a dab of hoisin sauce gives it a deadly yet scrumptious blow.
After cutting and presenting the meat, the rest are cooked in another way. Deep fried and with lots of pepper, garlic and other spices. Perfect to go with rice.
Speaking off rice, when at a Chinese Restaurant, Filipinos tend to order one thing. The Sweet and Sour Pork.
Their version has the right amount of meat and seasoning. A bit on the sweet side, this would go perfect with any type of rice. The Perfect Match.
HAI KANG lives up to its name. Seafood dishes are straight forward and definitely delivers. The quality and quantity of the dishes are proportional with the amount of money you pay. The only hard part is parking but that is easily remedied by going here early or being able to have someone drop you off. Definitely a must revisit.



HAI KANG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
27 Wilson Street, Greenhills, San Juan City, Metro Manila


Disclaimer: Wrote this based on my experience. Was invited to try out this restaurant.
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Wednesday, July 27, 2016
XIU FINE CANTONESE DINING Opening This Week in Greenhills





When the words opulence, grandeur and Cantonese Cuisine are put into one sentence, XIU FINE CANTONESE DINING comes into mind. XIU which means elegance, gives its guests a taste of the good life. This new venture from the group that brought us Lugang Cafe, The Dessert Kitchen and Tuan Tuan, partnered with West Villa from Hong Kong to give it a unique and Hong Kong Styled Cuisine. 

Bottomline, they want to bring Hong Kong closer to home in a relaxed and almost hotel like feel.
 As guests enter the restaurant, they are greeted by live aquariums featuring fresh seafood catches of the day. A large light fixture, alongside different hues of gold and earthy tones, makes up the entire restaurant giving it a nice relaxed feel.
 Not wanting to waste time, the kitchen created a storm by having delicious dishes brought out one by one. As with usual Chinese tradition, each dish is served one after another with rice at the end just before dessert.
 
 Appetizers of Honey Glazed Prime Cut Char Siu and Cantonese Style Crispy Pork belly were brought out first. The Char Siu is a thick cut. Surprisingly, it wasn't dry but rather, it was tender and moist all throughout. The Pork belly had a nice ratio of fat to meat to crispy skin. Wonderfully done.
 
For the soup course, the DOUBLE BOILED FISH MAW and ALMOND SOUP was served. This was prepared and finished table side.

 The Fish maw basically controls the buoyancy of the fish and is believed to be promote health when eaten. The liquid had the right balance of almond flavor that it was silky with each slurp.  Other than the maw, different cuts of meat was also present and would be served separately.
 Something delicious and different would be the BAKED STUFFED SEA CONCH cooked in a French Style. The conch was filled with a mix of its meat, curry, cheese and bacon. Right at the bottom would be mashed potato.
 A crowd favorite, the STEWED US BEEF SHORT RIBS makes one beg for rice. Each bite would reveal a soft and tender beef cut. The sauce is slightly sweet that you would love to partner it with plain rice. This is extremely delicious.
 To showcase their seafood mastery, the team brought out this BAKED LOBSTER with CHEESE.
 The lobster meat wasn't overwhelmed by the cheese sauce. To put it plainly, you could still taste the flavor of the lobster distinctly from the cheese. That good.
 Another seafood dish that must not be missed would be the STEAMED LAPU-LAPU. Cooked in a traditional style, the meat absorbed the flavors of the sauce making it more delicious. It wasn't overcooked as you could feel the meat melt in your mouth.
 Chicken lovers would enjoy the PREMIUM SOY SAUCE HK Chicken in CLAY POT. The sauce has a sweetness to it making it enjoyable to both young and young at heart diners.
 A Chinese meal will not be complete for Filipinos if there wasn't any Sweet and Sour Pork. At XIU, they figured out how to properly balance the flavors making it a delectable dish. Properly cooking it, XIU produced the right type of crunchy and tender sweet and sour pork dish.
 Simple and straightforward, the CHINESE LETTUCE with shrimp paste was served tables side and in a clay pot. The lettuce was crunchy while the shrimp paste had a lighter flavor compared to the usual Filipino Bagoong. It wasn't as salty as one would expect and would give the taste buds a quick refresh.
 A visit to XIU will not be complete without the WOK-FRIED CRAB with Garlic.
 Cooked "Typhoon Shelter" Style, the crab is garlicky and would go well with rice.
 Speaking off, the BAKED BLACK INK RICE was served. To make the experience complete, use the garlic bits from the crab dish and combine it with this black ink rice. This would produce the perfect meal ender.
For dessert, two dishes were served. The LONGEVITY BALL and the HOT RED BEAN SOUP.
 One would hesitate to eat the Longevity ball as it is bigger than a tennis ball. This buchi like dessert is actually hollow and is basically pure skin. One must eat it immediately as after a few minutes, the shell hardens. On the other hand, the HOT RED BEAN SOUP gave a simple and didn't go over board with flavors. It was not sweet but just on the right side.



Located at the former Lugang Cafe along Conneticut St. in Greenhills, XIU FINE CANTONESE DINING would start serving the public on July 29, 2016 Friday. The guests could expect a delicious and wonderful time experiencing Hong Kong right here in the country.



XIU
(Pronounced as Shoo) 
Connecticut St., Northeast Greenhills, San Juan City, Metro Manila
Will open on July 29, 2016
 www.xiu.com.ph

Disclaimer: was invited to this event. wrote this based on my experience.
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Wednesday, May 27, 2015
7 FLAVORS in SAN JUAN by Chef Boy Logro

 BANG BANG BANG ... That's the way CHEF BOY LOGRO does it. Curios that I wanted to try out their newly opened resto.

I was late because we got lost. Me and my driver. FINE I was late because I was late.  Anyway, I was quite impressed with the setup when I arrived. The Wilson Area is somewhat known for having little parking space. Here you have 7 FLAVORS having a huge lot for cars to park at. A good first impression.
 
I was led inside and was advised that the buffet area was on the 2nd floor. Walked as I did and saw some inspired art work like paintings. The place for the buffet itself could easily fit around 150. They have small function rooms for small parties.

A little background on this, 7 FLAVORS is a new bakery, cafe and buffet place in SAN JUAN. It capitalizes itself in having something sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy, umami and astringent. Opened just last May 13, it started serving a variety of dishes.

But first. I needed to hydrate.

 Drinks are not the usual as they play with soda. Adding different fruit flavors. 
They also offer some shakes which are also interesting.

After having a cool one, I surveyed the spread. It wasn't as big as the other buffet places but it does serve some interesting dishes.

PUMPKIN FRITATA is something you don't normally see on any spread.

A carving station that serves ROAST PORK 

SHRIMPS


A cooking station that serves STIR FRY.
Other than these, they had some meatballs, chicken dishes, eggplant lasagna, tofu and other notable dishes.
 and a small dessert spread that served a few sweet goodies along with fruits.
 

and my plate.
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Honestly, I was expecting a little bit more. The dishes are somewhat unique but I believe they could improve and deliver exciting new dishes. The service was great although once the people racks up, the wait staff needed a little guidance. I guess it's because they just opened. The dishes were refilled quickly. Patrons never waited on an empty dish. I guess for the price you are paying, this could be a good idea for a simple dinner place. No frills. Also, please note that drinks are not yet included in the prices. 
Hope this gives you a little idea on what to expect when you go. 

I might drop by again next time to check out their BAKERY. They got interesting dishes that I know I would want to check out. Cheers.


7 FLAVORS
196 A. Mabini Street,
Addition Hills, San Juan del Monte
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Disclaimer: Invited to this event and wrote this based on my opinions.
From the Facebook page of 7 Flavors. Discount applies till June14

MENU from their BAKERY/CAFE






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