If you're always in search of something to add to your food bucket list, City of Dreams Manila is the perfect venue for it. Just recently, they've opened Jing Ting which is a new casual dining outlet offering hearty hand-pulled noodles and dim sum which focuses on Beijing and Northern Chinese cuisine. It has an expansive open kitchen allowing diners to take a first-hand look while their dishes are being prepared.
Trivia: Jing Ting which means "little house" is inspired by Nothern Chinese Hutongs and is a part of Beijing's history and culture where the community gathers to catch up and strengthen relations in a lane formed by rows of gray-tiled houses and buildings.
Unlike the usual Chinese food, Northern Chinese cuisine is heavily influenced by cuisines of Beijing, Shandong Province, and even Russia. As it is in the northern part and has a wider grassland area, their dishes rely significantly on meat. Also, since they experience rough winters, they tend to eat more red meat and dairy as it helps warm up their body.
This 92-seater restaurant showcases Northern Chinese cuisine which is rich, bold and savory. With a generous use of seasoning and different cooking methods, each dish shared will definitely live up to the inspiration of its name. Bond together with family over Northern Chinese cuisine; here are just some of the dishes to try at this newly opened restaurant at City of Dreams Manila.
A spread would be without an appetizer. At Jing Ting, the Cold Shredded Rice Roll with Spicy Sesame Sauce (P178) has the right touch of heat to prepare yourself for the spread you'll be having. Order the Braised Pork with Homemade Toasted Burger (P268) and have it cut into smaller bites so you can share with the whole table. It has seasoned ground pork sandwiched between toasted mantou bread that's shaped into a burger bun.
As Northern Chinese cuisine is more flavorful, you can't go to Jing Ting and not order two of the Chef's recommendations. One is the Genghis Khan Roasted Prime Beef Short Ribs (P1,380) which is a whole slab of short ribs; Chef de Cuisine Yang Chenfei shares it takes them almost twelve hours to prepare it. The other one is the Xinjiang Style Spicy Lamb Skewer with Cumin Spices (P768) which is bursting with all kinds of herbs and spices with every cube. You can't get any more authentic than this since the spices are flown in from China.
Unlike southern China, where the staple crop is rice, Northeast China's staple crop is wheat so you'll find an abundance of what-flour products in the form of noodles, dumplings, steamed buns, stuffed buns, and pancakes. Since North Chinese cuisine is known for its wheat noodles, Jing Ting has a number of dishes you can choose from: a Sweet Soy Noodles with Pork and Assorted Vegetables (P268) and the spicy Poached Hand-pulled Noodles with Mushroom and Pork (P298) are just some. Chef Yang Chenfei reveals he can hand-pull a noodle in two minutes and he even trains his staff for it, making sure they're perfect.
There are four different kinds of dumplings available: Beijing Pork Dumpling (P378/8pcs; P1,260/30pcs) which is the most basic one but is actually good as it is, Poached Pork and Kimchi Dumpling (P378/8pcs; P1,260/30pcs) that's perfect for those who want a little heat, Mushroom, Vegetables and Pork Dumpling (P320/8pcs; 1,080/30pcs) which is the green one and is perfect if you want to incorporate veggies in your meal and the Chopped Beef and Celery Dumpling (P390/8pcs; P1,350/30pcs) which has crunch from the celery and is the only beef dumpling on the menu. All of which uses fresh dumling wrapper made from scratch. Make sure you dip them in their special mix of soy sauce and chili oil.
For dessert, you'll be surprised with the texture of the Chilled Honey and Red Bean Cake (P148) since at first, it looks gelatinous but each block is actually smooth and creamy because of the red bean. Their dessert choices aren't overly sweet either, perfect if you don't have a sweet tooth but still want something to end your meal with. If you're a big fan of mochi, you'll appreciate the Palace Snow Skin Pastry Roll with Sesame and Peanuts (P198); a perfect partner with a hot cup of tea.
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Jing Ting is located at the Upper Ground Floor of the Retail Area. They're open daily from 10am to 4am. Like City of Dreams Manila on Facebook and follow them on Instagram for more information.
