As Choi City expands its menu, many of the old favorites remain just that by maintaining the taste that made them instant hits with Cebuanos. I’m a stickler for the classics, and many of those laid out in an exclusive food-tasting lunch have all the makings of one. Here are my Top 5.
BAKED ASADO BUNS
Similar to the famous Tim Ho Wan buns, minus the kilometric queues! The baked outer shell is a delicious flaky pastry which crumbles around the sweetish pork asado inside. The perfect meal starter or a hearty snack between meals.
DOUBLE VEGETARIAN SOUP
A healthy option, served in an artful manner that belies the industry in its preparation. This is actually two soups in one: polonchay on one side of the bowl and beancurd in the other make for a beautiful Yin and Yang design in a green and white palette.
HOT TAHO
Introduced to me by Jaja Chiongbian-Rama, the soybean curd dessert is my favorite (rivaled perhaps by their egg-yolk pao, another must-try!). It comes in a bamboo bucket with a side of sago pearls and arnibal, a thick sugar sauce to top the concoction with. They use beans imported from Canada for a softer taho consistency, and made without the skin to avoid gout.
SIZZLING LIVE LAPULAPU
“We’ve had to return these several times to the kitchen when we were developing this dish,” reveals Choi City General Manager Gerard Catedrilla. “We wanted to make the fins look like they were wings!” Eventually, the chefs perfected the illusion, and the delicately-flavored fish was ready to fly.
SEA CUCUMBER WITH BLACK MUSHROOM AND PORK TENDON
The memory of its taste stays long in the mind and creates a hankering. The highlight of the dish is, ironically enough, not even mentioned in its lengthy name. “Our abalone sauce uses 13 ingredients,” whispers Choi City’s Guest Experience Manager Mark Co. “And they are all secret!”
