CRYSTAL Jade Dining In held its Mid-Autumn Festival last month, and due to the success of the said promotion, decided to extend its special menu all through the end of October. Being fortunate to have been invited to sample their special dishes, I found a new appreciation for what contemporary Chinese cuisine can offer.
My first encounter with Crystal Jade was thru their dimsum. It was some of the best dimsum anywhere, but I know that their Crystal Jade Dining In outlet offered a completely different menu. While updating and fusing Asian dishes with Western techniques and ingredients is now commonplace, the level of quality, restraint and genius behind the dishes served at Crystal Jade Dining In was on a whole other level. Their chefs don’t just throw ingredients together for novelty’s sake, but the creations are well thought out and are meant to highlight, rather than confuse.
Our lunch started out with a bang, with their signature Roasted Baby Suckling Pig Rolled with Black Truffle Rice. The suckling pig, with its crisp, brittle As a youngster, those trips meant daily horseback-riding sessions in the morning at Wright Park and the nearby trails, video arcade games in the afternoon at Green Valley or Mile Hi, and then bowling at Baguio Country Club (BCC) or Mile skin, complimented by earthy black truffle rice was a lesson in contrast. Next, a light, but luxurious, soup with abalone and sea cucumbers was served to cleanse the palate and foil the richness of the starter. Going back to luxury and everything sinful, we were served with Foie Gras with Japanese Sake and Pan Fried Scallop. Each component of this dish provided its own level of sweetness and creaminess—truly, decadence on a plate. e cereal prawns was next—spicy, crispy and savory-sweet. Of all the dishes served though, my absolute favorite had to be the Salted Duck Egg Buns. Bright orange steamed buns, oozing with salted duck-egg sauce once opened. Genius.
The level of quality and service at Crystal Jade Dining In is top-notch. Not surprisingly, one of its brands, Crystal Jade Golden Palace, was recently awarded its first Michelin Star. The award only confirms what diners have known all along—that Crystal Jade is at the forefront of contemporary Chinese cuisine.
Crystal Jade Dining In is at 7th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City.
