Hong Kong-based chain Jade Garden returns to the local dining scene with the same authentic Cantonese flavors in their new home in Glorietta 2. Operated by the same group as Peking Garden, the restaurant was first introduced in the country during the 80s but had to close in 2006 due to re-developments in the Greenbelt area. Last January, the restaurant opened its doors again to a 1,000-square meter area done in shades of gold, emerald green, sage, and burnt orange.
You can access Jade Garden from Palm Drive where you’ll see the lobby and staircase that leads to the dining area. There’s also an elevator for the guests’ convenience, which can also take you down to the Basement 1 Parking area.
The place can accommodate 450 people while their 6 functions rooms can each seat 24 people and can be combined for larger gatherings.
Executive Chef Ho Chi Kwong studied the latest trends and techniques in Cantonese cooking by visiting some of Hong Kong’s best restaurants and prepared an array of dishes prepared using the freshest ingredients; they taste light and are not oily. Most of the dishes have a small, medium and large serving sizes and the small size is good for 3 to 4 people.
Jade Garden’s restaurant manager, Raymond Ho, treated us to a sumptuous lunch of fresh seafood and vegetables with a sampling of their suckling pig.
I started with a glass of Watermelon Shake (P98) and finished it (at brain freeze speed) just as the first dish arrived. The Suckling Pig Combination (P800 for small) has soy chicken, seaweed and crispy suckling pig served with hoisin sauce and sugar.
For the soup, we had the Prawns and Dried Scallop with Beancurd Soup (P520 for small) made with fresh prawns.
We had three different main dishes: the Sauteed Shredded Lapu-Lapu with French Bean (P990 for 550 grams) had a deconstructed presentation with the shredded fish placed the middle of the plate atop a bed of crisp green beans.
The Soupy Prawns Chiu Chow Style with Cucumber (P780) has a sweet tasting broth. Chiu Chow refers to a cultural region in the east of Guangdong, China and the cuisine is known for healthy seafood and vegetarian dishes.
Then there’s the Crab with Zucchini Sotanghon (P980 for 700 grams) where the crab sits on a mound of glass noodles and has a rich sauce flavored with oyster sauce, garlic ,and soup stock. I really loved the combination of the noodles with zucchini and pairing it with tasty white crab meat.
We had these with a small serving of Fried Rice with Salted Fish, Minced Ginger and Chicken (P460). Fried rice sometimes tends to overwhelm but this one had subtle flavors and complemented the entrées well.
Dessert was a surprise and a spectacle – the restaurant staff will prepare and cook the Mango Jubilee (P220 for 2 servings) by your table. The mangoes are cooked in brown sugar, orange juice and Curacao Triple Sec and the sweet aroma that filled the room teased our senses. The citrusy concoction is then poured on a small bowl of vanilla ice cream.
All in all, dining at Jade Garden is enjoyable and refreshing because of the well-balanced flavors and the absence of the heavy feeling you sometimes get when consuming Chinese cuisine. They prove that sometimes, subtlety is the key to a good meal.
