MARCO Polo Ortigas Manila’s award-winning Cantonese restaurant, Lung Hin, has just introduced a new set of curated culinary delights today (February 5, 2020).
Whipped up by Executive Chinese Chef Ken Leung and his kitchen team, the restaurant’s new Hong Kong Chef’s Recommendations celebrate vibrant, fresh flavors, as guided by the restaurant’s respect for traditional Cantonese culinary methods to come up with delicious, authentic dishes.
Deep-fried Garoupa with Shredded Mango and Sweet Chili Sauce
Deep-fried Minced Pork with Turnip and Mushroom Dumpling Chaozhou Style
Chilled Pandan Cake with Coconut Milk
Available for lunch and dinner service daily until April 30, 2020, this season’s sumptuous selections include Deep-fried Pigeon with Golden Garlic, Steamed Live Crab with Egg White and Chinese Wine, Wok-fried Shrimps with Daliang Milk (Shunde Style), Deep-fried Garoupa with Shredded Mango and Sweet Chili Sauce, and Deep-fried Minced Pork with Turnip and Mushroom Dumpling Chaozhou Style.
For inquiries and reservations, call (+632) 7720-7720.
(Marco Polo Ortigas Manila is located at Meralco Ave. corner Sapphire Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City; with telephone number (+632) 7720-7777.)
DULCINEA is considered as one of the oldest Spanish restaurants in the country. Founded in 1963, it became a favorite among diners who knew good Spanish food, and so the restaurant grew into several branches through the years and continued to be a favorite even when new Spanish restaurants opened. Think Churros con Chocolate and Dulcinea is the first place that comes to mind.
But while generations of Filipinos have grown up with the restaurant’s time-honored offerings, Dulcinea management recognizes that there is now a new and fresh crowd of diners who are looking for something more. Embracing this challenge to appeal to a younger demographic and adapting to the changing landscape of the local food industry, Café Dulcinea was born.
The idea came from Mars Florete III, son of Dulcinea owner Marcelino Florete Jr. The younger Florete came up with the innovative Café Dulcinea concept as a final requirement for his Ateneo MBA program. Apparently, he convinced not just his Master’s degree in Business Administration mentors but also the Dulcinea management itself. And so, inspired by the now MBA degree holder’s brainchild, the Dulcinea team went to work to make it happen. After some refining and tweaking, the younger Florete’s dream finally came true when Café Dulcinea at SM Megamall, the pilot branch to brandish the new café concept, opened in time for Christmas 2019.
The Florete family with the priest during the formal opening of Cafe Dulcinea at SM Megamall
While Café Dulcinea has chosen to become a leaner version of the old Dulcinea restaurant, it is still the same Dulcinea though it now sports a more vibrant and modern look and ambiance. It comes in a new and improved package, yes, but it remains true to the best and most beloved items on the old Dulcinea menu.
Churros con Chocolate
So expect the classic—and almost iconic—Churros con Chocolate to still be the timeless best-seller on the menu.
Gambas Al Ajillo
Tuhod y Batoc
Café Dulcinea will also continue to serve its most popular dishes. When it comes to savory selections, Salpicao (tasty tenderloin cubes sautéed in garlic, olive oil and spices), Gambas Al Ajillo (shrimps sautéed in a medley of garlic, olive oil and chili), Tuhod y Batoc (tender and succulent beef knee and shoulder stew with potatoes, mushrooms, and red and green bell pepper), and Paella (variants include Paella Valenciana, Paella Marinara, Paella Negra, and Paella Verduras) are on top of the list. The restaurant’s popular sweet items, such as pastries, cream puffs, eclairs, silvanas and cakes, are available every day. The café also offers its all-day breakfast menu.
(Café Dulcinea is located at the 4th Level Bridgeway of SM Megamall; with telephone number 8352-2051.)
I LOVE the baby squid in garlic and olive oil that you find in Spanish restaurants, and I have always wanted to replicate the dish at home. I asked the fish vendor on wheels in our subdivision in Cainta to bring me some baby squid, but he always brought regular local squid, only a little smaller, to me. So I always said no to his squid. Yesterday (Sunday, January 26, 2020), while buying salmon head from him, I noticed a huge plastic bag of baby squid in his cart. The plastic bag (yes, plastic bag, which fish vendors are still unable to eliminate just yet) was transparent, so I was able to see through it. They were really so small, so cute, as they floated around in a sea of black liquid.
Needless to say, I ended up buying a kilogram of baby squid.
Excited with my haul, I divided it into two. I turned one into Baby Squid Adobo, complete with black ink, just the hard transparent backbone removed. The other one, I turned into this Baby Squid in Garlic and Olive Oil that I have always wanted to cook at home but never had the opportunity to. It is the easiest thing to cook, removing the hard backbone being the most difficult part of the preparation. Since I could not remove the ink sacs from the baby squid because they were so small, I washed off the liquid around the cutest little things several times until only a little of the black ink was left, and then I started cooking the dish. In a few minutes, I was done. Had it for dinner and it was really good.
1/2 kg. baby squid
2 Tbsps. olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced, divided into 2
1 pc. siling pansigang (finger chili)
1-2 bay leaves
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1. Wash and clean baby squid, removing the hard transparent backbone, and drain off liquid.
2. Heat olive oil in pan, and fry one portion of the minced garlic until light golden. Remove crispy garlic.
3. In the same oil, add the second potion of the minced garlic. When it starts to turn golden, add the bay leaves, then the baby squid and siling pansigang.
4. Season with soy sauce and black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then switch off flame.
5. Plate and garnish with crispy garlic.
6. Enjoy with freshly cooked rice or lightly toasted sliced bread.
The Poonchoi, which forms part of the Chinese New Year celebration, is a meticulously layered bowl of fresh premium ingredients believed to bring affluence and prosperity
MARRIOTT Hotel Manila celebrates Chinese New Year this weekend with much pomp and revelry.
On January 24, 2020, Friday, the traditional Lion and Dragon Dance opens the most important celebration on the Lunar calendar. Considered as the most important part of the tradition where everyone sends their well wishes and spends time with their loved ones, the Lion and Dragon Dance performance by the Philippine Ling Nam Athletic Federation will take place at the Marriott Hotel Main Lobby at 1:30 p.m., after which more celebrations are scheduled at The Plaza on the Second Floor of Newport Mall. Highlights of the Chinese New Year celebration are the Chinese Fortune Telling session with Marites Allen on January 25, 2020, at 6:15 p.m., and the Magic and Comedy Show by Jeffrey Tam on January 26, 2020, at 6:00 p.m.
Marriott Hotel Manila welcomes the Chinese New Year with a traditional Lion and Dragon Dance performance by the Philippine Ling Nam Athletic Federation
Chinese New Year celebrations always come with lots of auspicious food, and Marriott Hotel’s Chinese restaurant, Man Ho, is ready with luxurious Lunar Set Menus for five, 10 and 12 persons.
The set menu for five is an eight-course menu priced at Php8,800++. It consists of Assorted Barbecued Meat Combination, Mashed Wintermelon with Crabmeat Soup, Steamed Green Grouper with Light Soy Sauce, Braised Pork Ribs in Vinegar Sauce, Sautéed Seasonal Vegetable, Onglay Fried Rice, Fried Sesame Balls with Lotus Seed Paste, and Almond Lychee.
There’s also a Lunar Set Menu for 10 persons, and it is a 10-course menu priced at Php29,988++. It includes Barbecued Meat Combination, Hot Prawn Salad, Mashed Wintermelon with Crabmeat Soup, Steamed Green Grouper with Light Soy Sauce, X.O. Scallops, Braised Twin Mushrooms with Vegetables, Stuffed Chicken, Crab Vermicelli, Fried Sesame Balls with Lotus Seed Paste, and Almond Lychee.
Prosperity Toss Salad is composed of lucky ingredients that are tossed together. The higher the toss, the more luck will come in the new year
Then there’s the lavish Prosperity Set Menu for 12 persons pegged at Php42,800++. It is a nine-course menu consisting of Prosperity Toss Salad, Suckling Pig Combination, Bird’s Nest with Seafood Soup, Steamed Tiger Garoupa with Light Soy Sauce, Stuffed Chicken, Steamed Crab with X.O. Sauce, Hot Glutinous Ball with Ginger, Sweet Tikoy, and a Poonchoi Deluxe. The Poonchoi Deluxe can be upgraded to Poonchoi Premium for an additional Php5,000++.
A Lunar New Year trademark, Poonchoi literally means “Chinese casserole in basin” and signifies affluence and prosperity. This meticulously layered bowl is filled with the most prized ingredients, varying from seafood to meat to vegetables. It allows one to savor the massive combination of the flavors of abalone, fish maw, dried scallop, prawns, sea moss, cuttlefish, roasted duck, chicken, pork knuckle and vegetables bathed in rich broth.
A pair of koi fish-shaped tikoys for this year’s Chinese New Year
Speaking of tikoy, which also goes by the name nian gao, Man Ho offers the traditional Chinese delicacy in: 1) two Koi Fish-shaped tikoys, one weighing 350 grams and the other 750 grams, in a Premium Red Box sealed with a gold stamp, for Php1,388++; 2) a 350-gram Koi-shaped tikoy and a 400-gram Chinese Gold Ingot-shaped tikoy for Php888nett.
For Chinese New Year gifts, Man Ho has handpicked exquisite items for the perfect Lunar New Year Hamper—a ceramic tea set (Php1,200), HTY Oolong Tea (Php37, Jasmine Dried Tea (Php25, Honey Suckle Dried Tea (Php25, Cow Label Preserved Beef (Php78, Pork Floss (Php78, Pumpkin Seed (Php29, Charcoal Peanut (Php19, Sweet Iced Plum (Php300), Candied Walnuts (Php500), Peach Juice (Php96), and Wintermelon Juice (Php96)—in one elegant Gold Box priced at Php5,788 nett.
Man Ho’s Tikoy and Lunar New Year Hamper are available until January 26, 2020, while the Prosperity and Lunar Set Menus can be enjoyed until January 31, 2020.
For more information, call (632) 8988-9999.
(Marriott Hotel Manila is located at 2 Resorts Drive, Pasay City.)
DIAMOND Hotel Philippines rings in the Chinese New Year with a wide range of activities and special promotions meant to auspiciously usher in the Year of the Rat. First among 12 animals to have been given a year to represent in the Chinese zodiac, the Rat is considered as the harbinger of renewal and fresh beginnings, and so the Year of the optimistic Rat promises to be a year blessed with grand abundance.
In anticipation, Diamond Hotel gets ready to draw good fortune with traditional Chinese delicacies and activities this weekend, including a Feng Shui consultation, dim sum and noodle making demonstration, a vast selection of authentic Chinese dishes at the Corniche buffet, and Dragon and Lion dances, among others.
Chinese Chef Yang Yong
The celebration starts with Live Dim Sum Making and Noodle Pulling Demonstrations, alternately, from January 20 to 26, 2020. Dim sum chefs draw oohs and aahs as they showcase their unmatched talent for creating mesmerizing dim sum designs with specialized techniques. Noodle pulling experts stretch noodle doughs as far as the eyes can see and end up with perfectly fine noodles.
Chinese cuisine being rich, distinct and yet familiar to Filipino diners, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant Corniche puts Chinese dishes up front on the buffet spread. From January 23 to 26, 2020, Chinese chef Yang Yong and his team showcase a vast selection of authentic Chinese specialties for Php3,180nett per person. For a minimum spend of Php5,000 at the buffet, guests are entitled to Pick-a-Prize at the hotel’s Prosperity Tree for a chance to win gift certificates and other premium items.
Also available at Corniche are Chinese lauriat set menus made up of authentic Chinese fine dishes served at an exclusive dining area within the restaurant. These lauriat feasts are skillfully crafted by Chinese chef Yang Yong, who is backed by over 20 years of experience in Oriental cuisine.
Yee Sang or Yu Sheng Salad is a prosperity salad that is tossed on Chinese New Year for good luck. The higher the toss, the more luck the new year is supposed to bring.
To satisfy dim sum cravings, Corniche has put together the Weekend Dimsum Delights, featuring an extensive selection of steamed, baked and fried dim sum at Php999nett per person. The dim sum comes in different forms, colors, shapes and tastes, and is within your chopsticks’ reach every Saturday and Sunday lunch.
On January 25, which is Chinese New Year itself, a huge celebration takes place at the hotel lobby, including a Dragon and Lion dance by the Philippine Ling Nam Athletic Federation at 11:00 a.m. as well as live Chinese instrumental music played by the Kim Hwa Ensemble. Free 10-minute consultations with Feng Shui expert Angel Macalino are going to be available for a minimum spend of Php5,000 at the Corniche lunch buffet. Add to this the fact that diners at Corniche will receive ang pau (red envelope containing cash gift) containing vouchers of up to 40% off at the restaurants on their next visit.
Finally, Diamond Hotel’s Chinese New Year celebration includes a staycation package starting at Php5,000 nett per night in a Deluxe Room, available from January 20 to 26, 2020. This room offer is made more luxurious with buffet breakfast for two, unlimited Wi-Fi access, 30% off on dining, 20% on laundry, massage and reflexology services, and complimentary shuttle service during weekends to Intramuros, SM Mall of Asia, and museums.
Book a staycation via www.diamondhotel.com, using the promo code PROSPER, or buy dining vouchers at onlineshopping.diamondhotel.com. For reservations, call (632) 8528-3000 extension 1121.
(Diamond Hotel Philippines is located at Roxas Blvd. corner Dr. J. Quintos St., Manila.)
