I do not blame you if you don’t know about this hidden treasure of a Chinese restaurant.
A lot of people don’t.
But now I am telling the world about it. If you don’t listen then you lose.
Hallway to the private rooms
Sitting area in the private room
I am liking this red “floral” arrangement
Tintin, like me, just loves to eat. 
Red Iced Tea
I normally take hot water or tea with meals because my dad says drinking cold beverage hardens the fats in my belly and makes me obese, but this iced tea is so good and refreshing I am suddenly in agreeable terms with hardened fats and obesity.
To quote Auntie Babyruth, this is “love at first crunch.” She eats this nonstop from appetizer through dessert.
Vegetarian Peking Duck
The “duck” is quite good, although the skin could be thinner
Generously filled with abalone, fish maw, dried scallops and wolfberries, this is one of the best Chinese soups I’ve had in a while. So rich and flavorful I feel my lips getting sticker and stickier spoonful after spoonful.
One bite and everyone is suddenly gushing about the melt-in-your-mouth experience of the beef. The heat from the ginger strips complements perfectly the sweetness of the honey-pepper sauce. Now all I need is a piping hot bowl of white rice. Or maybe two.
Lotus Rice
I especially love the addition of the Chinese sausage bits which makes the rice so fragrant and tasty. This is a meal in itself and easily one of my favorites of the night.
Huge and crunchy!
First it is grilled, then fried, then braised, then steamed. The whole cooking process takes 24 hours. No wonder it is fall-off-the-bone tender. Seriously, I never had to pick up my knife.
I find the chicken a bit too sweet, but that sliced ginger is really something else. The trick is to eat both together to balance out the flavors.
Lohan Vegetables in Crispy Taro Ring
The vegetables are fresh. The taro, however, tastes a bit burnt on some parts.
Not that the food isn’t enough (because it’s really waaaaaay too much), but we also
request for a plate of my favorite Korean beef ribs from Café Ilang-Ilang.
Absolutely delicious!
Just before dessert is served, the waiters surprise our young and pretty celebrant Ella
with a birthday song and a chocolate cake. How I wish today was my birthday, too!
The ice cream that came to Chef Joie in a dream. Ooohhh.
I know this is already very, very rich, but if this ice cream came to me in my dream,
it would have more black sesame and sugar in it. 
Don’t wait. Eat it while it’s really hot!
The pastry is light and flaky, and the filling not too sweet. Better than most wife’s cakes in Hong Kong I daresay.
Our take home goodies from Chef Joie: more wonton chips and a box of walnut cookies. Yey!
Seated: Tintin, Tiffi, Ella, Aleth
(Auntie Babyruth, as always, refuses to be in the photo. Tsk!)
After dinner, we drop by Tap Room for some drinks and live entertainment
A few days later, Auntie Babyruth is back at Mabuhay Palace and she sends over some spinach bean curd (and pork belly and wife’s cake. Thank you, Auntie BR!) to our house. Mabuhay Palace makes its own bean curd, and oh my God, it’s the best-tasting bean curd I’ve had in my life!
(Photo grabbed from Auntie BR)
If I knew how to make tofu this soft and silky, I swear I will not share the technique to anyone else. But Chef Joie is not as selfish as I am. She openly shares the yummy tofu-making technology to the chefs at Lotus Court.
Well, what can I say.
You lucky Davaoenos, you!
Mabuhay Palace: Ground Floor, Manila Hotel, One Rizal Park, Manila, Philippines.
Tel: +632-527-0011, local 1346
