On prito, palate, and palace: Solaire's Red Lantern bid versatile Cantonese cuisines

What makes a restaurant friendly its ability to adapt with the penchants of its patrons. In this case, Solaire’s Red Lantern is trying to achieve a fusion perfect for the Filipino and Chinese taste buds.

Chinese Executive Chef Chan Yiu So’s culinary philosophy banks on “focus, great love for food, innovativeness, and listening to and learning from guests.” Justly, he pays attention to his Filipino customers who crave for anything deep fried, “Filipinos in general, like fried food, which is the opposite of Cantonese food that focuses on dim sum and steamed dishes. Cantonese foods are sauted, boiled, or mixed with milk, which is very healthy,” he says.

And so what he served were myriad of fried, golden brown food fares: Deep Fried Black Cod in ‘Bei Fung Tong Style’, Deep Fried Shrimp Balls with Cheese and Diced Bread, Deep Fried Shrimp in Bean Curd Rolls with Jackfruit, Deep Fried Prawn and Cuttlefish with Almond Flakes and Thyme along with some dim sum buffet.

Each fried dish is nestled on deep fried noodles that serve as a drainer for the excess oil drippings. The plating is matched with greeneries on the side, which add color to the otherwise monochromatic gastronomy. Every cuisine is served in customized plates with intricate designs of red lanterns and what seem to be black laced vines and trees.

The pan-fried seafood fares exhibit the right amount of crunch, salt, and sweet flavors however, despite the deep fried noodle-drainers, most of them tend to be oily, which is the common downside of deep frying. The Deep Fried Prawn and Cuttlefish with Almond Flakes and Thyme, thanks to the almond bits that absorbs extra grease, has a surprising texture owing to the fried prawns and cuttlefishes.

The dishes exude aromatic scents that seemingly go well with the smell of elegance and luxury of Solaire Resort and Casino, where the Red Lantern is located. The 240-seater Chinese restaurant boasts authentic and opulent marbles, paintings, and furniture. Its edifice smells of style, extravagance, and a seamless time travel to a palace in Guangzhou, China.

And to China our taste buds went upon devouring on the succulent and fresh dim sum plates of Barbecue Pork Rice Roll, Braised “Pi Pa” Tofu and Shimeji Mushroom Caserole, Oven Baked Egg Tartlets, Cabbage Roll with Seasonal Vegetables, Squid ink Dumplings with Scallops, and Steamed Custard Buns. The dim sum buffet bids refreshing options; a far cry from the greasiness of the deep fried seafood fares served earlier.

The wide array of dim sums—tofu, mushroom, baked egg, squid and scallop dumplings—are steamed to perfection and flawlessly go well with a hot cup of tea or coffee, which wraps up our Cantonese gastronomic adventure.

Chef Chan’s shares that half of the ingredients used in most of the menus including special sauces, abalones, and fishes come from Hong Kong and Singapore while the remaining add-ons are from the local markets.

Red Lantern’s unlimited dim sum buffet is open on weekdays (11:30- 2:00 p.m.) and weekends (10:30- 4:00 p.m.).

Photos by: Noel Pabalate

  

Celadon: Unordinary Yet Familiar Dining

Despite the spot-on differences of Filipino and Thai cultures, the adventurous Filipino foodies find home in Thai plates. Both cuisines share the same sentiment on the seamless fusion of the fundamental tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Perhaps, what makes Thai cuisines palatable to Pinoys is the innate inclination toward spicy and strong aromatic flavors of the food.

Celadon's Executive Chef Cheryl Pineda

“Thai cuisine is all about the marrying of the four flavors of being spicy, salty, sour, and sweet. Para kang kinikiliti. The aroma in Thai cuisine is very much present so naaamoy mo na agad, then it excites you to taste the food and eat,” Celadon’s Executive Chef Cheryl Pineda says. 

Celadon in Powerplant Mall is the sole Thai restaurant in the area, which is a perfect go-to bistro for those who crave something out of the ordinary yet familiar at the same time. Celadon boasts of more than a hundred contemporary Thai dishes including its signature dish, the Dungeness Crab, Crispy Whole Catfish in Red Curry Sauce, Grilled Squid Pomelo Salad, and their homegrown ice cream concoctions in coconut, durian, and mango flavors. 

The Pork Pineapple in Yellow Curry

The Thai dish, Pork Pineapple in Yellow Curry, sold us out the moment it was served on the table in a small fire pot. It was teeming in coconut milk, pineapples, and chunks of pork meat; perfect with a cup of hot rice. This plate is reminiscent of our own Pininyahang Manok.

The Pork Pineapple in Yellow Curry may have been wiped out seconds after the waiter put it on our table, but the Prawn Cakes with Sweet Chili Sauce offers an alternative distinct taste that perfectly complements the curry. The prawn cakes are crisp and fried until golden brown.

What’s notable with Celadon is its simple yet elegant manner of presenting its dishes, which is logical since a foodie is after the tastes and the celebration of the senses more than the beautifully-crafted plating. But admittedly, decent plating lures the hungry tummy. And the presentation of the ever-popular Phad Thai noodles will never pale in comparison against its contemporaries. The intricately-woven egg strips carefully blanket the stir fried noodles. It’s just so beautifully done that you’ll regret reshuffling its plating. Its preparation is very Instagram-friendly and so does its taste.

While Phad Thai remains to be the household name of Thai cuisine, another dish is slowly making its name because of its healthy concoction of chicken, vegetables, and lotus roots. The dish is spicy, sweet and with clever combination of textures.

Phad Thai needs no introduction!

“The acceptability of Thai cuisine among Filipinos is much bigger now unlike before that when you say Thai, it’s supposed to be spicy. The cuisine infuses elements of being sweet, spicy, sour, or salty that is also present in the Filipino cuisine. Sa Thai food nga lang dapat nandoon ang lahat ng elements kahit sa salad or soup,” says Pineda. 

Staying true to its name, the ceramics used in the restaurant are the authentic Thai celadon from Lampang, Thailand. Celadon is a famous high-fired emerald ceramic handcrafted and baked the traditional way. The celadon wares have long been given as a high value token of friendship among the nobility. In addition, having foods served in celadon plates signify royalty, which is how the customers should feel.

The coconut ice cream dessert in two scoops sprinkled with coconut flesh caps off our Thai cuisine adventure. The simple and refreshing dessert harmonizes with the seemingly tropical and invigorating ambiance of Celadon.

Celadon is located at Rockwell Powerplant Mall in Makati. For reservations, call 898-1305.

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Photography by Noel Pabalate 

Go Loco and Mad for Garlic!

Garlic is one of the most common ingredients for condiments and seasonings because of its pungent flavor. A newly opened franchised-restaurant, Mad for Garlic, tries to maximize its uses to come up with wide array of clever and bizarre dishes that bid refreshing menu options for food lovers and daredevils alike.

Bulbs of garlic everywhere!

This Italian wine bistro in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig is originally from Korea. “Our Korean partner loved Italian food. She realized that people in Korea really loved garlic as well, which is a main ingredient in Italian cuisine. So with that in mind, she and her team created this wonderful concept of Mad for Garlic. One will find that Italian dishes served here not only stand out because of garlic, but because they are uniquely flavored,” says Global Restaurant Concepts Inc. President and CEO Archie Rodriguez.

Surprisingly, the two-story bistro smells nothing but the strong flavor of garlic. Also, the addiction for the omnipresent ingredient has rubbed off even to the minute details of its design. The garlic garlands in the corners and cute garlic bulb-shaped lamps add quirk accents to the cozy interior.

Their bestsellers include the Garlic Snowing Pizza, which is a thin crust made with special sauce and topped with shrimps, diced pineapples, and sliced garlic. It is big enough for a barkada of five. The pizza looks innocent but the concoction of mild and sweet flavors of garlic and pineapple gives a surprising and winning combination. Another unexpected bestseller is the Gorgonzola Pizza, which is a weird combination of honey and gorgonzola cheese. The weird fusion of pizza bread and honey is shocking but the taste of the seemingly incompatible hodgepodge of ingredients eventually grows on you.

The Garlic Sprinkle Gelato icecream

Even the dessert is not spared with garlic, the Garlic Sprinkle Gelato is vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, topped with garlic bits, and served with garlic cookie on top. The garlicky and pungent flavor comes as an aftertaste, which is strange, but the garlic bits and cookie can be removed, anyway. This ingenious fusion is recommended for food daredevils who crave for something clever and bizarre.

Other garlic-infused dishes include starters like the Dracula Killer, which is an entrée of soft, buttered garlic bread with cooked garlic cloves in olive oil and anchovies. Another dish that is heavy enough to be the main course is the Zuppa di Pesce, which is a special spicy soup with shrimps, scallops, and mussels served with of course, garlic bread sticks on the side.

For starters, try the Dracula Killer

Then there’s the array of pasta like the Crab and Lobster, which as the name implies, has generous servings of sea food meat in garlic cream sauce. Just imagine Spaghetti Carbonara with seafood and you’ll get the exact taste of the Crab and Lobster Pasta. Good thing, the slather of garlic cream sauce is neither too thick nor overwhelming. 

A candy or two comes handy at the end of this surprising and fulfilling meal experience.  

Mad for Garlic is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. from Friday to Saturday.

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Photography by Charie Villegas

Hi 2014

As we bid goodbye to 2013, it’s perhaps also time to finally let go of some things that make the year colorful and unique on its own. Here are some of the things I wish we won’t be seeing in the Year of the Horse:

Printed leggings: Those cheap printed fitted pants that come in kitschy designs, cuts, texture, and colors sold cheap in the market thus, making fashion victims fall for these prey. Not only do they hug every bulge of your body but they emphasis how big your thighs are. While they may look good for the lucky ones who can get away with anything, but then again not everyone has the physique of a model (read: thigh gap).

Besides the printed pants, can we please also ditch the:

studded stuff (pants, blouse, bag)

jeje caps

wedge sneakers

 thin, fine line eyebrows

“’Pag may time” (If there’s time):  Selfie-selfie pag may time, kain pag may time, tulog pag may time... Puhlease let’s not use this overused line again!

Selfie + quote combination: I cannot understand why some post selfies of themselves with a bathroom as their backdrop, but what I cannot fathom the more is they put inspiring quotes to go with their photo.

If you’re a constant Instagram user, you’ve probably seen IG users comment or like on someone’s post and mention that they are the first likers and commenters. What’s that all about?!

I doubt if we can totally let go of some of these fashion faux pas and practices but can we please use them sparingly.