Above, under & beyond the rainbow: Food Review: MABUHAY PALACE, What Oriental Dishes Are All About.

2015 is a year for foodies when Cruise Magazine has teamed-up with Zomato Philippines to feature 16 restaurants all year round. This time, helping to close the said activity, they choose to feature a restaurant that is housed in Manila’s oldest hotel – the Mabuhay Palace.

This oriental inspired and themed restaurant boasts of real Chinese flavored dishes that will win your heart and palate. All servings are carefully plated to insure that it is also a visual treat for you. Since this was a foodie meet-up event at the same time, I get to see fellow foodies again and catch-up with what is happening. A 5-course meal was then set that night. For a Chinese meal set-up, one may say that this is simple since it is only 5 course (I have encountered a 12-course Chinese meal and still get to go home standing) but since this is a sampling course we were still able to taste the flavors that they boast and what it means to be part of a 5-star hotel.

For starters, we were given Long Life Prawns, followed by three dishes namely: Yang Chow, Steamed Sea Bass in Celery Sauce and Braised Spinach Tofu with Baby Abalone and was closed with their Salted Egg Ice Cream and Mabuhay Palace Signature Mango Iced Tea.

Long Life Prawns

Since I cannot fully consume the prawn due to personal medical reasons, let me start with how it looks. Wrapped in a cocoon like structure of crunchy thin noodle-like crunchies and surrounded with bits of white crackling and resting on a leaf, the dish is inviting enough that you would gladly not use of any of the utensils provided. To fully get the flavor of the dish, make sure that you use one of the provided condiments. I did taste the dish and all I could say is that the prawn was handled well. It was not hard and cleaned right which resulted to me not having any itchy moment.

When the sea bass was served, the flavor it bears is truly oriental! And best paired with rice! The sauce is light yet complex at the same time. Complex because the ingredients used to create that flavor kept on slipping my mind and palate. One thing I am sure of, it has mango. The fish was delicate yet firm. The skin of the bass is best when added with a light spicy sauce. From a light sauce, following that is the abalone dish with a slightly thick sauce; still good when paired off with rice. What I like about this dish is the tofu that came with it. The tofu was so soft in the inside yet was able to have that crunch on the outside. It seems like the tofu was reformed to make sure that the herbs are integrated and then lightly coated and fried then laid with the sauce that goes with the dish when served.

Salted Egg Ice Cream

Finishing the course is their Salted Egg Ice Cream, for me it should have been named as Black Sesame Seed Ice Cream with Salted Egg since it has those ingredients that I have mentioned. Has the serving been any bigger then it would have been an overkill of flavors since this was also a rich dessert. Since it was just the right amount, it was enough to cleanse once palate. The black sesame seed flavor was definitely present in the dish. The salted egg used is organic, if I am not mistaken – because of the texture and the level of saltiness that it has. The cherry on top sealed everything.

The Signature Mabuhay Palace Mango Iced Tea, is refreshing and truly Asian inspired. Has it been served in a bigger vessel, then I would be one happy diner but the glass was enough since the house tea was a big help all through-out the night.

Dining at the Mabuhay Palace of the Manila Hotel is truly an experience worth having. Some of the walls bear murals depicting some of the tales of China, while some are simply in splendid red in color. The dishes offered are well thought of and prepared that one would truly feel and experience how it is to dine in a star-level Chinese dining place.

Truly a place worth being featured and hailed in the Top 16 Food Places in the Metro by Cruise Magazine!

Other food offerings served that night: