Life is good when you’re friends with Jaine, the owner-chef of Dragon Gate.
Special dishes that are not in the regular menu, well, they are in OUR table’s menu.
And these special dishes are not just prepared by the restaurant’s well-trained kitchen staff, but by none other than the Master himself.
I have major trust issues when it comes to food, but tonight we give Jaine the absolute power to decide what he wants to feed us. Our host Donna’s only requests: hot & sour soup, steamed suahe, and any fish dish.
The Master goes back to the kitchen and whips up our surprise.
Steamed Suahe – I love sucking these babies’ heads dry. Fresh and sweet. Simply erotic.
Braised Lapu-Lapu with Garlic Leeks – beautiful presentation with confident flavors although I find the fish just a tad overcooked. I guess I still prefer my fish steamed the traditional way. Sorry, folks, I’m boring like that.
Stewed Bamboo Shell in Ginger Wine – and this is so good it brings tears to my eyes.
Such simplicity, such freshness, such honest flavors, the true essence of beautiful
Chinese cooking. A winner, hands down.
Lotus Rice – I think what Donna means when she announces that this tastes like Hainanese chicken rice (excuse my cousin, she’s had a few to drink) is that this fried rice is so tasty you can eat it by itself. And Donna is right, tasty it is.
So please, people, don’t be shy. Ask for Jaine (Hai-nee) and be in for a treat. The guy is friendly and very accommodating. And girls, if interested, he’s single, too!
Dragon Gate Seafood Restaurant: 1600 Roxas Boulevard corner Layug Street, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Tel: +632-536-0401
