Chinese nosh for Tuesday
Long before China conquered the global market it colonized our taste buds. Everybody eats Chinese food. If you land in a strange country and you don’t know what the food is like, just look for the nearest Chinese restaurant.
Crystal Jade, the well-known Chinese restaurant chain which started in Singapore, has branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Hong Kong, Bangkok, KL, Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul, Jakarta, and Tokyo. Last week it opened its first Philippine branch at Virra Mall in the Greenhills Shopping Center. Before the formal opening the media were invited to a food-tasting.
The most popular item on the menu is Xiao Long Bao, steamed soupy pork dumpling. Or as we call it, siomai na may sabaw sa loob. You puncture the wrapper to let out the steam, sip the broth, then eat the dumpling. I heard many theories as to how they got the broth inside the dumpling wrapper (Did they freeze it? Inject it?). Correct answer: bouillon cube.
Steamed vegetable bun
Radish pastry and Pork dumpling with hot chilli sauce
Cold cucumber with minced garlic in sesame oil
Cold sliced pork roll with cucumber and garlic
Crispy eel Wuxi style, my favorite item on the menu. Next time I go to Crystal Jade I’m getting two or three orders, and that’ll be my lunch.
Spicy and sour soup in Sichuan style. Crystal Jade prides itself on the authenticity of its Chinese cuisine. I’m no expert, but it’s delicious.
Sauteed chicken with cashew nuts in spicy sauce
Noodle with dried shrimp and peanut in spicy sauce
Sauteed string bean and minced pork with olive
Fried rice with diced Chinese sausage, shrimp and egg in Yang Zhou style. I asked a Chinese friend why rice is served at the end of a lauriat, when you’re stuffed and threatening to burst. She said that if you eat the rice, it means you’re not satisfied with the meal.
I was so satisfied with the tasting menu, I not only declined the fried rice but skipped the desserts (Mango pudding and Deep-fried souffle ball with red bean paste). How often does this happen? Never.
This should give you a general idea of the prices.
For more information visit www.crystaljade.com or call Red Dragon Culinary Concepts, (02)5706912.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
September 21st, 2010 at 14:26
i’ve been here in singapore for three years now. and i haven’t been to Crystal Jade until last week. it was not totally against my will but i wouldn’t have gone there if there were other choices in our new place of work.
considering how most of the food here tastes bland, this one was a tad above my expectations.
September 21st, 2010 at 23:14
wow, good news that crystal jade is now in manila.
crystal jade was where we had team lunches. sometimes the boss paid for the lunch. sometimes it was the farewell party for a colleague. or we just wanted to eat the shrimp with aligue, as comfort food for working overtime.
September 24th, 2010 at 19:28
Parang ang liliit ng servings?
September 24th, 2010 at 19:29
Did you read the part where it says “food tasting”?