Oriental Palace recently launched its new Spring Menu to commemorate the changing of the seasons. After the very busy Chinese New Year celebrations last February, it's time to return to something simpler and slower with soul-warming dishes that can be shared by the family. The Hungry Kat was invited last week to sample some of these new dishes that will bring comfort and replenish our energies.
Oriental Palace is located at 148 Tomas Morato at the corner of Scout de Guia Street. It 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. 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 in Escolta. The legacy continues with his son Chris as Oriental Palace is now on its 11th year.
This huge restaurant can accommodate big events and is always busy any day of the week. It is divided into several areas which includes the main dining hall and private function rooms that can hold up to 100 guests.
Our friends gathered here once again for lunch at one of the private VIP rooms of Oriental Palace. We're here to sample their new Spring Menu which offers lighter textures and fresh flavors, something simpler to enjoy after the Chinese New Year festivities last month.
We started with some of their refreshing beverages like the Fresh Watermelon Shake and the Four Seasons Shake.
Our festive lunch opened with some dimsum appetizers. The Pork and Shrimp Siomai is one of their Top 10 best selling dishes. Their version is plump and juicy with no extenders, just how siomai should be.
The Xiao Long Bao is another dimsum favorite that I like to order. Be careful when eating these because they come with super hot broth inside. Bite a small portion first then sip the broth slowly before devouring the Xiao long bao.
Other fried dimsum items include the Ham Sui Kok and the Radish Cake in XO Sauce which are also popular dishes.
One of the new items on the Spring Menu is the Red Rice Cheung Fun. These are bite-sized red rice rolls filled with crispy fried shrimp. They are really cute and delicious at the same time.
We also had the Seaweeds with Century Egg which are marinated jelly fish usually found in Chinese lauriats. These are crunchy and slightly chewy with a sweet flavor.
For our soup course, we had the Double Boiled Black Chicken Soup which is a staple in Chinese homes. This is a traditional broth that comes with medicinal properties which parents usually prepare for their children. It's cooked with Chinese herbs and ingredients so it is really a healthy and revitalizing dish.
The Honey Walnut Shrimps was one of my favorites that afternoon. I love eating Crispy Prawns with Mayonnaise and this one is a sweeter upgraded version prepared with walnuts.
Now here are some of the Spring Menu dishes at Oriental Palace. The Egg Omelet with Sakura Shrimps is a simple comfort food which you can have any time of the day.
There's also the Stir Fried Garlic Scapes with Minced Pork in XO Sauce. This is a light and healthy vegetable dish to balance all the other indulgent items on the menu.
Rice should always be part of any lauriat so we were happy to see the Rainbow Fried Rice which is part of their Top 10 Best Sellers. This colorful fried rice is actually as tasty as it looks.
Another new dish is the Braised Goat Hotpot. I don't usually get to eat goat but Oriental Palace features this delicacy on their Spring Menu. It's actually a bit similar to pork with a lighter flavor. One other option is the Cumin Goat Hotpot which has a spicier and more aromatic bowl.
I guess I still prefer beef so the Beef Ribs in Oriental Dressing was more to my liking. This comes with lots of mushrooms to complement the savory beef ribs.
Another classic dish at Oriental Palace is the Oriental Signature Tofu. This healthy alternative can be enjoyed by the entire table with its combination of mushrooms and tofu.
The U.S. Beef Ribs in Oriental Dressing is an Asian fusion of flavors and ingredients. Served with udon noodles and doused with a roasted sesame dressing, the distinct combination of flavors and cuisines makes this dish a unique dining experience by itself.
A Chinese lauriat won’t be complete without the Steamed Live Lapu-Lapu in Spring Onions with French Beans. This fresh lapu lapu is cooked in a light soy sauce and is one of the most popular seafood dishes especially during family gatherings.
Oriental Palace presented two delicious crab dishes for us that afternoon, the Steamed Jumbo Crab in Garlic Sauce and the Fried Jumbo Crab in Salt Pepper and Salted Egg. Both were really so good and tasty, but I think I liked the salted egg crab more as it was bursting with spices and flavors.
For dessert, Oriental Palace went all out and served this gorgeous Prosperity Apple Bun tree. These look like apples but they are actually soft custard buns with cheese and potato fillings. Kids will sure love this but I'm sure all the adults will enjoy taking photos of it as well.
We also had two more desserts, the Mango Sago and the Pork Floss Puff Pastry. We were all very full and satisfied after indulging in all these yummy dishes.
We would like to thank Spanky Enriquez and Oriental Palace for hosting our exquisite Spring Menu lunch. Oriental Palace has always been a well-loved Chinese restaurant and they continue to innovate and serve new exciting seasonal dishes for all their loyal guests.
Oriental Palace Seafood Restaurant
148 Tomas Morato cor Sct. de Guia, Laging Handa, Quezon City
