#lauriat

The huge restaurant can accommodate big events and is always busy any day of the week. It is divided into several areas which includes the main dining hall and private function rooms that can hold up to 100 guests.

I went here with a couple of my friends including Bettina Chung and my lovely goddaughter Hope. Oriental Palace is a place where families and friends get together to enjoy exquisite Chinese dishes with a friendly and casual dining ambiance.

We started by ordering some items from their dimsum menu including the Beancurd Roll, Pork and Shrimp Wonton, Hakaw, Pan Fried Radish Cake, and more. They also offer Frozen Dimsum items which you can bring home and easily reheat.

The main highlight of our lauriat set was presented to us still alive and kicking. This gorgeous Tiger Lobster was served two ways.

The first was a Lobster Sashimi served on a bed of ice. I was surprised that Oriental Palace actually offers this Japanese fusion dish on its menu, but I was not complaining. The delicate lobster meat was served with wasabi and soy sauce to complete the experience.

Next we had the Double Boiled Fish Maw Soup served very hot. My seat mate, Pepper Teehankee, gave us a little trivia and mentioned that fish maw isn't made of fish lips which is what most people think. It is actually made from fish intestines?? Regardless, I still enjoyed my hearty bowl of fish maw soup.

The Steamed Suahe is always a favorite dish during parties and gatherings. These plump and juicy shrimp were so easy to peel and so delicious because they were really fresh.

The Roast Duck and Cold Cuts Platter offers a great combination of succulent roast duck, soy chicken, pork asado, crispy roast pork, century egg, and jelly fish. These Chinese appetizers are always a good way to start any celebration.

Now this was one of the most surprising dishes that was served that night. The Lychee-Style Handmade Fried Prawn Balls did not even look like food but more like a work of art. It was presented as a tree sculpture with the prawn balls hanging on the branches like fruits.

We eached "picked" our prawn balls off the tree and it really looked more like lychees instead of prawn balls. It was only when I took a bite that I could really see the effort they made into making these balls very presentable and Instagrammable. That's why this is their most popular dish and highly recommended.

Another dish that I liked was the Hong Kong-Style Lap Mie Claypot Rice with preserved meat. My husband loves eating claypot rice in Hong Kong so he also enjoyed scraping off the burnt rice at the bottom of the huge bowl.

This beautifully plated dish is called the CNY Red Lantern. It is actually made with eggplant but presented as this decorative dish that is a must-order during the Chinese new year.

The Fried Oyster in XO Sauce is a crunchier way to cook and prepare oysters. The XO sauce goes well with giving the oysters their rich flavors.

One classic dish at Oriental Palace is the Oriental Signature Tofu. This healthy alternative can always be enjoyed by the entire table.

A Chinese lauriat won't be complete with the Steamed Live Lapu-Lapu with spring onions and French beans. The fresh lapu lapu is cooked in a light soy sauce and is always a popular dish at family gatherings.

The Beef Tenderloin in Oriental Sesame Dressing with Udon Noodles in an Asian fusion of flavors and ingredients. I was quite surprised that Oriental Palace uses Japanese ingredients and cooking techniques in the menu, so expect to see a lot of modern presentations on the table.

Here comes the second way for the tiger lobster, the Lobster Congee. This very flavorful bowl comes with all the other meaty parts of the lobster from the legs to the head. I really loved this exquisite congee because you really can't go wrong with lobster.

We requested for another popular dish at Chinese restaurants, the Sweet and Sour Pork. You can judge how good a Chinese restaurant is by the quality of their sweet and sour pork, and this one passes all the tests with flying colors.

For dessert, we had the Buchi and the Hot Almond Dumpling to end our very colorful and satisfying dinner. We were all so full from the over 15 main courses and the selection of dim sum favorites presented.

We would like to thank our dear friend Spanky Enriquez for inviting us and hosting this grand dinner lauriat for Oriental Palace Seafood Restaurant. Spanky is currently having some health problems and we are all praying for his full and speedy recovery. We are all waiting to dine with you again soon.

Oriental Palace Seafood Restaurant

148 Tomas Morato cor Sct. de Guia, Laging Handa, Quezon City

8374-0693 / (0917) 879-0832

Peking Garden is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00am to 8:00pm. Their special 9-Course Lucky Chinese New Year Set Menu is available on February 12, 2021 only and is good for 6 and 12 persons. This is a great way to say goodbye to the previous year and to usher in good luck and prosperity for the upcoming Year of the Metal Ox.

Before you enter the restaurant, strict health and safety guidelines have to be followed to ensure the well-being of all the diners. The Health Declaration Form has to be filled up using a QR Code Scanner or by answering the forms. Face shield and face masks are required as well, with temperature checks and social distancing measures in place.

Peking Garden offers a serenely elegant setting while diners enjoy the best cuisines from the northern regions of China. The tables are very well spaced and the restaurant only accommodates up to 50% of dining capacity, so guests can have a safe and relaxing experience while dining in.

They also have a couple of private dining rooms which is much better and safer for small groups like ours. This big table usually holds up to 12 guests but there were just five of us in the group.

Our early Chinese New Year lauriat started with a set of Cold Cut Appetizers including Jellyfish Salad and Chinese White Chicken. These are great to nibble on while waiting for the heavier courses to arrive.

Next, we had the Fish Lip with Assorted Seafood and Egg White Soup. This warm and hearty bowl of egg soup is really comforting. You can also upgrade the set’s soup dish to Shark’s Fin instead of Fish Lip for an additional price.

Now here is the star of the show at Peking Garden, the glorious Peking Duck! This is really my favorite item whenever I visit a Cantonese restaurant. It’s not something I usually order because you need to be in a group to finish off one whole serving, so I was really excited to be eating this after a long time.

The server masterfully cuts the Peking Duck into several slices and beautifully places them on the plate. This comes with a set of pancake wrappers and vegetables that you can wrap inside together with the duck.

Just get a piece of pancake wrapper and put a few slices of peking duck inside. Add some vegetables and hoisin sauce. Wrap them up like a small lumpia and then eat to your heart’s desire.

The Peking Duck is served only one-way, so the server slices up the remaining duck skin and the meat and puts them all in a separate plate. For some sets, the peking duck can be served in two ways, with the minced duck meat cooked and served with cabbage.

The Fried Rice Yeung Chow Style is traditionally served at the end of the lauriat, but you can also request for it to be served earlier, since we Filipinos tend to eat everything with rice. With all this peking duck meat and skin on the table, the fried rice was really a good complement, so we really enjoyed our feast.

We still had a lot of courses to go! The Golden Prawns with Salted Egg is another favorite with the big juicy prawns enveloped by its crunchy salted egg skin.

Then there’s the Braised Pig’s Knuckles with Dried Scallops and Sea Moss. This very tender pork comes doused in a rich and savoury sauce. I also love the big broccolis on the side. It is also served with small buns that you can eat together with the pork like a cuapao.

I’m really getting full, but now here comes the Steamed Lapu-Lapu in Soy Sauce which is another very popular dish. I try to replicate this at home but it’s difficult to get the balance of the light soy sauce correctly. Peking Garden does a majestic job and I really like the flavors and freshness of the fish.

For the grand finale, the Deep Fried Peppercorn Crabs is always a winner. These huge crabs are filled with indulgent aligue that was really so hard to resist.

We also had a taste of their Golden Tikoy as our dessert. Chinese New Year isn’t complete without these sweet rice cakes that traditionally brings wealth and good fortune.

Peking Garden’s Golden Tikoy is also available in a gift box for only P638 each. If you buy 10 boxes, you can get 1 Free! For those who are still uncomfortable dining out, the Chinese New Year Set Menu is also available for takeout so you can enjoy the celebrations at home. Book your tables now or reserve your sets for takeout because the upcoming new year promises to be a much better one for everyone. Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Peking Garden

4/F Greenbelt 5 Phase 2, Ayala Center, Makati City

7729-0567 / 7729-0719 / (0905) 414-9057

www.pekinggarden.com.ph