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
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