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The Empress Dining Palace curates a special menu perfect for the Lunar New Year
The Lunar New Year is also about strengthening family bonds and keeping traditions alive. There are the usual wearing of the lucky colors, gift-giving, making noises to ward off the bad spirits, and, of course, serving up the best feast. The thing is, food served during the Lunar New Year isn’t just a way to bring families and loved ones together. It is also used to attract good fortune in the new year. Each dish is meticulously crafted to reflect Chinese culture and its golden values.
If you’re among the many who want to eat their way to a prosperous 2024, there’s a restaurant in Taguig City that offers good luck on a plate. Since 2019, The Empress Dining Palace has been feeding its patrons with the best Chinese spread and Cantonese cuisine. It is one of the jewels of Bonifacio Global City’s food scene, the go-to spot of many families, and the home of the best dim sums.
Recently, Manila Bulletin Lifestyle was able to experience the Chinese fine-dining restaurant’s menu for the celebration of the Year of the Wooden Dragon. From roasted meats to a glorious pot of seafood, here are some of its mouth-watering and auspicious dishes foodies shouldn’t miss trying this Lunar New Year.
Peking Duck
A staple in many Chinese celebrations, the Peking Duck is a dish that dates back to 400 A.D. Its crispy bronze skin and tender meat never fail to delight anyone. There are three ways you can enjoy Peking Duck at the restaurant. It can be added to a soup or served with rice. But for this author, it is best served wrapped in a pancake with chopped vegetables and sweet-savory sauce.
Treasure Pot
Grand and full of flavors is the restaurant’s Treasure Pot. It features 18 Chinese favorites. Apart from the Peking Duck, the pot also has abalone, sea cucumber, prawn, white chicken, and pork knuckles all steaming and swimming in a flavorful broth. The pot is filled to the brim with all the ingredients to symbolize prosperity throughout the year.
Yusheng
Yusheng or the Prosperity Toss Salad is one of the dishes that is always present in a Lunar New Year banquet. It symbolizes abundance and prosperity. At Empress Dining Palace, the ingredients—raw fish, vegetables, sauces, and condiments—are prepared by its personnel on the table. It is like witnessing an ancient ceremony. After that, the fun begins as diners toss the salad with their mega chopsticks.
Nian Gao
Nian Gao, best known as tikoy in the Philippines, is often the chosen treat to end a Chinese feast on a sweeter note. The glutinous rice cake is a symbol of achieving greatness or success in life, as well as friendship and prosperity. The restaurant’s version of preparing it is simple and classic—dipped in beaten egg and fried.
Aside from the special Chinese set, the restaurant also offers takeaway products that are perfect for your private celebrations at home, for special occasions, and for spreading luck through gifting. The Empress Dining Palace offers customizable Hot Box Feasts and Bountiful Dim sum Platters and Dim sum Baskets that are perfect for gifting. Guests are also welcome to an all-you-can dim sum weekend breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m., for only P1, 088+ (adult) and P588+ (12 years old and below). Kids below 3 ft. get to eat for free.
The Empress Dining Palace is located at 7th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street, BGC, Taguig City. To know more about it, visit @empressdiningpalace on Facebook and Instagram.
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
