Peking Garden Restaurant's Golden Prawn Salted Egg and Fresh Scallops with Asparagus Soup

I'm lucky to have office-mates who, like me, are on the look-out for good eats. Since I pretty much confine myself to Manila, I get tips from them whenever I visit neighboring cities like Taguig or Quezon City, which, because of the traffic situation, might as well be far-off provinces. In a recent visit to Makati, I prevailed upon my friends that we eat at Peking Garden, based on a colleague's recommendation. Peking Garden, by the way, is a dressy Chinese restaurant, so prepare to spend more. Below are two of my favorites from that lunch-out.

I was smitten with the Fresh Scallops with Asparagus Soup. Don't let the picture fool you. I love light soups, and this is a winner. Delicate flavor, sweetish fresh scallops, home-cooked appeal. The asparagus was also fresh and plays well with an unfamiliar ingredient, which turned out to be sea cucumber--what an interesting taste and texture. The slight heat from the ginger added just the right amount of zing.

This is what I came for: Golden Prawn Salted Egg, which my office-mate was raving about. Lovely, fresh prawns with the achingly delicate saltiness from the egg batter. This straddles the line between flavorful and delicate, and pulls it off beautifully.  

Peking Garden

4th Level Greenbelt 5

Ayala Center
Legazpi Street, Legazpi Village

Makati

(+63) 02 729 0820

Soi Restaurant for Beef in Red Curry, Crab Rice, and Thai Rice Noodles with Fish Balls

I've been to Thailand a couple of times, and let's just say I love their spicy cuisine. Unlike many Pinoys with delicate palates, I would like to believe I have a high-tolerance for spicy food. If you see someone breaking into a sweat, nursing a runny nose, and suppressing a cough, that's not me, LOL.

I'm wary of going to local Thai restaurants--I fear many would have tempered the authenticity out of their offerings. But one thing I learned is that you can request them to prepare the dish the way it was meant to be served. This lesson I gained when I first ordered the Beef in Red Curry. It was rich and adequately spicy, although it could be stellar with added heat. I love the greens and the baby corn. I paired it with Crab Rice, which didn't stint with crab meat. A tad salty, the rice was good on it's own. I made a mental note to pair the Beef in Red Curry with plain rice next time, to appreciate its complex flavor.

A few weeks later I returned, and this time I asked the staff not to temper the heat. It was superbly spicy, subtly sweet, creamy, with the unmistakable aroma of kaffir leaves--I love it!

I also ordered Thai Rice Noodle Soup with Fish Balls--light soup of flavorful fish balls and crab balls, and fresh fish. I love the crunch of the sprouts. Both dishes left my tongue on fire! 

Soi Restaurant
Ground Floor Robinson's Place
Ermita, manila
(+63) 02 523-1189