Choi Palace Seafood and Shark's Fin Restaurant revisited

Rewarding ourselves with a hearty meal after a hard day's work, we headed off to Choi Palace Seafood and Shark's Fin Restaurant again to have our fill of the famed Xiao Long Bao. 

Choi Palace Seafood and Shark's Fin Restaurant has been Eastwood's home to an authentic Chinese cuisine where they exalted a brimming pride of having to whip up an extensive menu that spurred as a world's unifying element, everyone's intrinsic love for food.  This is not the first time we are here, in fact, I have chronicled that first shot here as well.

We were surprised by Citibank and we received a special gift for bringing a Citibank Credit Card. 

Our table starts with a ceremonial tea prepping :) and a nut. 

Minced Pork with Eggplant. This is so delicious that this is already a repeat order from the last time we were here. 

Pata Tim. 

Mantao that comes along with Pata Tim. 

Xiao Long Bao... the purpose-driven dining life here. 

Yang Chow Rice… because we can't live without it. 

Citibank gang, taken at the Eastwood Mall activity plaza, ---apart from the annual fee, thank you for randomly reminding us of our perennially long credit history, and a compounding interest. :)

Cafeccino by Dome

The first time I was at the Dome Cafe was at their branch at Shangrila Mall. It has left a stench of return feeling and I have to blame it on their Vigan Longganisa Pasta. It was so delectable that the smell alone beguiled me to want some more. 

Now that they have opened up a branch at Eastwood, via Cafeccino by Dome, I can't help but try again their pasta best seller. 

They used to restrict people from taking photos of their place but this time they allowed it. Either it's because I have been frequenting this branch and that they have known me or it's probably because suppressing on what could have been an awesome dining experience would put them on a bad press. 

The place is an excellent alternative to coffee shops because it isn't too crowded and that it has a cozier ambiance. The orb lights, the splendid chandelier hanging  from a ceiling emblazoned with mirrors are some of its highlighted features.

Vigan Longganisa Pasta (Php290 + 10%SC) - it's a unique combination of spaghetti pasta, roasted bell peppers and tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic sausage from the "north" of Luzon. 

Ham Bacon and Egg Stack (Php195) - Yes I eat a lot. And wait there's more…

Grilled Pork Chop (360 + 10%SC) - It has two slabs of pork, grilled to perfection.

Each table has a Chardonnay Varietal Range White Wine but I didn't get it. O only get wines from known wine retailers who know the proper way of storing wines, retailers like Bacchus, Santis and Terry's Selection. 

The experience was perfect for a hearty breakfast meal. You now see my voracious appetite and it's breakfast yet. I am still at an inertia at rest so the momentum is not yet at a full throttle.

Kogi Bulgogi: Korean Cuisine

The way Koreans infiltrated into the Filipino culture used to be just through theatrical flicks and entertainment media with Koreanovelas popping up, dubbed into our local language and shown on prime time television. But this performance trade has been infused with other Korean what-have-you's. Korean restaurants mushrooming everywhere has been widely common nowadays. 

Kogi Bulgogi, from the same proliferators of the Pepper Lunch Group, opened up a sole Korean restaurant at the Veranda of the Eastwood Mall. Sashayed by a casual dining ambiance and seasoned by a service that is reminiscent of the Pepper Lunch signature, the restaurant makes a promising addition to the ensemble of Eastwood's finest restaurants.

The Tales of the Tongue Troopers. They have al fresco dining area but we preferred to sit inside so we waited outside for others to joyfully relinquish their table while we pick our choices on the menu. 

They have all sorts of Korean drinks and table ornaments neatly stashed into the wall trays. 

Complimentary appetizers. It has been such a long time that I have eaten a Mexican potato locals call "Singkamas." 

Complimentary appetizers Part 2. Sweet tasty and crunchy anchovy. Oh, this is love. 

California Maki. MobilityReel is a sucker for these and he can't help but order this. 

Trent's order. Bulgogi Ssambap(Php225) - rice with beef bulgogi and lettuce. 

MobilityReel's order. Kon Chi Gui(Php168) - salt grilled mackerel. He commented this tastes ordinarily like smoked fish(Tinapa) being sold in wet markets. 

I always play safe. Since Pepper Lunch has been championing the cook-it-yourself method, I ordered the Dulsot Bibimbap(Php170) - beef with raw egg. While still hot on a pot on top of a block of wood, you have to mix them like how you do on Pepper Lunch. 

They are reasonably priced and their iced tea, as I was told, is already +1. All in all, they serve to be a good addition from the restaurant choices a dining populace can pick. 

Komrad - Mao's Hunan and Sichuan Kitchen revisited

One remarkable aspect of a good restaurant is that it easily gets too crowded even on a supposed less-foot traffic day such as week days. And because Cyma Greek Taverna is surprisingly full on a non-week-end-yet day, we were forced to just take our dinner at an adjacent restaurant, Komrad - Mao's Hunan and Sichuan Kitchen. 

This is not the first time we're here. This has been stormed already a countless times by the Tales of the Tongue group. except for Chuchai, Johnny the Chocolate Thunder, and Jayson, our former boss.

Nothing much has since since the last time we're here, same menu, same glitzy interior set up in reddish tinge. 

Because Jayson just got a new job at HP, we had a toast on a table to celebrate it, and possibly a trying determination to follow his lead. Let's see how this dinner went.

The company. 

The isn't the same dumplings that we have ordered before, it's a Steamed Siomai now, because MobilityReel likes it. 

This is what we have ordered before, it's a called Komrad Garlic Siomai. 

Stir Fried Shrimp. The shrimp is crispy but a little toy salty to the taste of my comrades. 

Pork Belly Stew with Garlic. We also have ordered this pork belly before. Johnny the Chocolate Thunder was curious about it, only to have dropped his excitement upon knowing that it isn;'t entirely meat, but veggies on the inside. 

Kung Pao Chicken. Chili festival this time. 

Yang Chow Rice. We ordered two of these.

Komrad Fried Rice. And we because we know how to estimate our rice intake, we got another rice variant. 

Nothing really fancies our gourmet, at the least it satisfies the gourmand in us. 

Zao Vietnamese Bistro

I don't really have a rabid fondness for Southeast Asian cuisines especially the Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese food that whenever I went into a buffet, they are always at the last of my to-devour list. 

For one, I can't fully understand their taste identity, it seemed like a Chinese incorporated with middle eastern tanginess. Second, I am a bit apprehensive when a restaurant claimed itself a bistro(French bistro or Italian bistro or Vietnamese bistro) because they gradually lost the culinary authenticity of their geographic specialty. 

Bagging that apprehension with me, I adventurously joined the Tales of the Tongue gastronome team in the Zao Vietnamese Bistro at the Eastwood Mall.  

We were graciously welcomed by the minty aroma of the Vietnamese cilantro that further accelerated my appetite. 

Crispy Spring Roll(Php195 + 10% SC) - pork, glass noodles and mushrooms served with lettuce wrap. The way to eat it is to warp the roll with lettuce. We did not. 

Spicy Lemongrass Tofu(Php175 + 10%SC) - hot and spicy tofu sauteed in chili lemongrass glaze. This is MobilityReel's favorite and he can tell very well if it is sourced from a premium tofu. 

Homestyle Braised Pork(Php225 + 10% SC) - spareribs and quail eggs simmered in caramelized soy glaze. 

Saigon fried Rice(Php195 + 10% SC) - fried rice with seafood and salted egg. This is too salty for my company. But not for me. My high tolerance on salty food dates back on my younger years in Cebu where most of our meals are complemented by dried something(dried fish, dried squid, etc). 

Saigon Fried Rice(Php215 + 10% SC) - shrimps, Chinese sausage, and peas. 

Here is a rule of thumb I discovered in my hey days of pigging out: when a restaurant tells you their serving is good for 2-3, it's essentially just good for 2. So conversely, for us(me and MobilityReel), it's just good for one. You now understand why we ordered two kinds of rice servings. 

Choi Palace Seafood and Shark's Fin Restaurant

Although not the first, Choi Palace may stand as a matriarch establishment of the Choi restaurant group that includes Choi Garden located in Greenhills(it's probably the first), Robinson's Galleria, and the HK Choi by Choi Garden at the SM Megamall. As Choi Palace is tucked in inside one of the country's renowned hotels, Eastwood Richmond Hotel, and facing the mall's veranda, it speaks in itself a certain allude of class and elegance that makes the passersby gets intimidated. But contrary to the belief, the prices were actually very reasonable. 

Much like its Choi Garden Seafood and Shark's Fin Restaurant in Annapolis,  Choi Palace Seafood and Shark's Fin Restaurant exudes a grandioise dynasty Chinese era with the dominantly red and gold fixtures and furnitures, round tables, and large aquarium, almost the way every authentic Chinese restaurant is arrayed. 

Lately, the gang of the Tales of the Tongue was joined by the Boss to dine in at the Choi Palace Seafood and Shark's Fin Restaurant and here it goes.

The courtesy peanuts. I wonder if they serve Tsingtao beer too? 

The main staple, what else but a Yang Chow Fried Rice(Php480 + 10% SC). They say it's good for 6-8 pax, but for MobilityReel and me, it's only good for two. :)

Fried Squid with Salt, Garlic, and Chili(Php320 + 10% SC). The salty ingredient is good to ignite your appetite in full throttle. 

Minced Pork with Eggplant(Php320 + 10% SC). This captured our heart's delight. Despite the strong ingredients, you can still taste the eggplanty flavor. 

1/2 White Chicken(Php450 + 10%SC). Although me and MobilityReel's standard to thyme type of chicken is exceptionally high as we have been eating at Chinese restaurants for the past decade or so, this is close enough to that vein. 

Jelly Fish with Slices of Century Egg(Php350 + 10% SC). This was Trent's first take on this exotic entree. Apparently, he didn't like it. My first take on this was a long time ago, circa 1999, at the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao. 

Xiao Long Bao(Php240+ 10% SC). It's a steamed baozi(hence the name) originating from Eastern China. This is usually served along with the dumplings and is eaten using a ceramic soup spoon so as not to drip off its filling and fluid. Also Trent's first, and this time he liked it. 

I ended up too full but still wanting more that the day after, I have to be at the Causeway near my place the moment they opened to eat some more. Speaking of full throttle.