Chinese New Year (2018) at Lung Hin, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila

Chinese New Year is around the corner and there is no better way celebrating it than with authentic Chinese cuisine.  Located in the 44^th level of Marco Polo Ortigas, Lung Hin is a perfect venue to start the year of the Dog.  Under Chinese Executive Chef, Terry Lai, Cantonese cooking is brought to our table as if we were eating in Hong Kong and in China.  With 36 years of experience from different well-known restaurants and hotels, he is able to create a different kind of menu, combining wonderful food creations with traditional familiar dishes.

Starting the feast is the Prosperity Toss with Salmon Yu Sheng.  A dish usually consisting of assorted colorful vegetables with different condiments and raw fish (in this case, its Salmon). Using your chopsticks, it is important to toss and mix all the ingredients, the higher and messier the better.  People with OCD will have to tolerate the mess after since you are not supposed to clean it after the toss.  It is fun activity and a tasty meal combined into one.

From the traditional dishes, we have Steamed Shrimp Dumplings with Gold Leaf.  A sizable shrimp is rightfully packed inside.  Large enough to fill your mouth but small enough for one bite.

Chef Terry Lai shows his creativity in his next dish, Peking Duck with Osmanthus Flower Jelly on Potato Chip.  An interesting combination of ingredients, using the skin of the Peking duck and the potato chip for the crunchiness while using the tender meat and jelly for contrast.

Another appetizer is the Sautéed Tiger Shrimp Ball in Supreme Chicken Stock.  Like the shrimp dumpling, it was fresh and flavorful.  The stock was quite enjoyable, a familiar taste that I couldn’t get enough of.

For our soup, we had the Double-Boiled Chicken with Red Dates and Wolfberry Soup.  The soup was simple but full of flavor.  The chicken was soft when bitten into.

I was surprised to find this next dish to be as crunchy as it was.  The Pan-fried Grouper Fillet with Truffle Oil and Sugar Peas was just a delight.  The skin was super crispy and the inside was cooked perfectly.  Simply amazing.

The main exquisite dish in the menu is none other than the Braised South African Abalone with Hong Kong Dried Sausage and Waxed Meat Fried Rice.  I just wished I could have eaten more abalone.  It was cooked perfectly along with the waxed meat that seemed to melt in my mouth.

Just to be sure that we were full, we were given Pan-Fried Crispy Egg Noodle with Prawn Ball and Minced Pork.  Even though it was already soaked from the sauce, the egg noodles seem to retain its crunchiness and taste.  A perfect way to prepare us for dessert.

Celebrating Chinese New Year is never complete without eating the glutinous rice cakes, known as nian gao or locally known as “Tikoy.”  The Pan-Fried Two Flavoured Chinese New Year Cake has two variants, the brown sugar and the purple yam or “ube.”  The texture is sticky enough but not too sticky that it would hard to chew.  It is not too sweet which I like.

If this feast is any indication of what this year would bring, then it’s going to be amazing.

Exquisite Abalone

• Braised Whole Australian Abalone with Supreme Oyster Sauce in 6 heads @ Php 1,200/piece
• Braised Whole South African Dried Abalone with Supreme Oyster Sauce in 12 heads @ Php 2,088/piece
• Braised South African Abalone with Hong Kong Dried Sausage and Waxed Meat Fried Rice in 12 heads @ Php 3,288/piece.
• Experience this offer until February 28, 2018.

Nian Gao

• Double Happiness Koi Nian Gao consists of two (2) pieces in orange and coconut flavor @ Php 1,388
• Traditional Round Nian Gao, choice of ube or brown sugar flavor, for one (1) piece per box, at Php 988
• These delights are available until February 21, 2018.

Lung Hin is located on the 44^th Floor of Marco Polo Ortigas Manila, Meralco Avenue and Sapphire Street, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1600, Metro Manila, Philippines. For Reservations: (632) 720 7777

Contributed by Lawrence Ong