#CelebrationMenu

[thehungrykat1]

Chinese New Year Celebration Menu at Oriental Palace

Oriental Palace Seafood Restaurant & Banquet Hall is inviting everyone to celebrate the Year of the Fire Rooster with a captivating Celebration Menu specially crafted by Master Chef Chiu-Fai Tsoi. This special set menu is steeped in symbolism and ritual as the dishes are thoroughly chosen based on traditional Chinese beliefs for their respective symbolic meanings. It is available from January 27 to February 26, 2017 so there is still time to enjoy this special and auspicious set with the entire family. 

Oriental Palace is located at 148 Tomas Morato at the corner of Scout de Guia Street and just beside Jollibee. The restaurant is one of the biggest Chinese restaurants in Quezon City and is a popular venue for birthday celebrations and special occasions among the Filipino-Chinese community living in the city. Oriental Palace traces its roots all the way back to 1978 when a young cook from Hong Kong named Henry Chua started a small noodle and dimsum shop named Wah Yuen (Chinese Garden) in Escolta. Henry’s son Chris inherited his father’s gift and passion for good food and excellent cooking as they opened Oriental Palace which showcases the Chua family’s artisanship in delivering authentic Chinese cuisine to their loyal diners.

The huge restaurant can accommodate big events with its total capacity of 700-800 guests. It is divided into several areas which includes the main dining hall, adjustable private function rooms, and a shabu-shabu area. The Hungry Kat was invited to sample the Celebration Menu courtesy of guest chef Chiu-Fai Tsoi who personally attended to our banquet. 

Master Chef Tsoi has worked at several distinguished establishments in various cities all over the world such as Hyatt Regency Tokyo, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and The Ritz-Carlton Beijing. With over 30 years of Chinese cooking experience, he has also published a series of five cookbooks that highlight his specialties. Also dining together with us that evening was owner Chris Chua, who also serves as the restaurant manager, as he shared with us the history of their family’s passion for cooking.

Our dinner was also made more special because it was accompanied by endless rounds of Hennessy X.O. Cognac to spice up the evening. Celebrations are definitely better with Hennessy.

Oriental Palace also offers a wide selection of beverages including fresh fruit juices, shakes and sodas like this Fresh Coconut Juice and Oreo Chocolate Frappe.

We started our Year of the Fire Rooster Celebration Menu with the Fresh Prawn Salad in Golden Cup. This dish came in a grandiose golden tray highlighted with special effects to symbolize a happy new year ahead. The soft and tender prawn slices came on top of a light and refreshing salad which is served in a cute pastry shell. 

Next was the Baked Scallop with Cheese which also came with a very beautiful display. I like the cheesy way they prepared these scallops and it is definitely an upgrade over the basic scallop dish. The scallops are said to bring good fortune and increased wealth, so I think l’ll eat a few more of these.

We also had a soup course called the Tai Chi Seafood Bisque. Each individual bowl had its own burner to keep the soup warm and hot. It contained a hearty medley of seafood chunks in a creamy and delightful broth made with spinach and pumpkin.

A healthier part of the Celebration Menu would be the Hong Kong Choy Sum with Creamy Squash Puree. Eating vegetables will obviously bring better health, so this is what I should be having more of.

One of the specialties at Oriental Palace is this Special Hong Kong Sausage Rice in Pot. The servers first showed us the pot with all the ingredients placed on top. They then took it back to slice the items and pour the sauce, mixing all the ingredients together.

The result is a special rice bowl that is a whole meal by itself. Chris Chua shared with us how his father used to prepare this dish at home during his childhood. The siblings did not appreciate it at first, especially with the strong aroma from the sausages, but now this is a cherished family recipe that they are proud to share with their diners. The flavors of the items all combine together to create a powerful dish that can best be described as Chinese comfort food.

Another specialty is the Crispy Hong Kong Chicken. This is imported from Hong Kong and the chicken is a bit different from what we have here. The flavor is more pronounced and you do not even need any sauce or ketchup to enjoy the chicken.

I always like Chinese dishes served in black pepper sauce so I really like the Beef Short Ribs with Black Pepper Sauce. The smoky peppery combination gives it that deep meaty flavor that would go very well with any type of rice.

We also had the colorful Steamed Garoupa in Unicorn Style. This whole lapu lapu comes pre-sliced and filleted to make eating it easier. It also comes with shiitake mushrooms and brocolli to go with its fresh clean flavors.

But what celebration would be complete without crabs? The Typhoon Shelter Crab come with huge pieces of crabs that are ready to be attacked. These deep fried delicacies are always a great treat to have in any occasion and having them as part of the Celebration Menu will truly make your year more prosperous and delicious.

Two desserts are also included in the set including the Steamed Salted Egg Custard Bun with its gooey salted egg custard inside. Make sure to eat it while it’s hot.

We ended our Year of the Rooster lauriat on a healthy and fruitful note with the Tropical Fruit platter. The Chinese New Year Celebration Menu at Oriental Palace Seafood Restaurant & Banquet Hall is by reservation only and limited to 6 to 10 tables per day. You only have until February 26 to savour this special set so call the restaurant now and schedule your celebration right away. Master Chef Chiu-Fai Tsoi will make sure you enjoy a bountiful and authentic Chinese feast. 

Oriental Palace Seafood Restaurant & Banquet Hall

148 Tomas Morato cor Sct. de Guia, Laging Handa, Quezon City

374-0693 / (0917) 838-2511

www.facebook.com/OrientalPalace.ph