Authentic Cantonese Fare at Lung Hin in Marco Polo Ortigas

I really love it whenever I get to catch up with my dear friends Jin and Leslie. If you haven't visited their blogs yet, I highly recommend that you do so after reading this entry as, for me, they are the best and most reliable food bloggers in town. ♥

I trust Jin and Leslie's taste when it comes to food so whenever we dine out, it's one of those rare moments where I'd rather keep quiet and allow my two friends to take the lead. Take for example our recent lunch out at Lung Hin, I know they've been there so many times but knowing that I'm dying to try this when I visited Manila last month, they were game enough to go back just to have lunch with me and Paul. Aren't they the sweetest?

It took us a while to locate the hotel so we were actually the last to arrive. Leslie, the ever prompt one, took charge of pre-ordering the Roast Duck (Php. 1,600/half) as she knows that it will take a while for this to be ready. True enough, our glorious plate of duck arrived just a few minutes after Paul and I did. Talk about perfect timing.



My friends didn't even bother to look at the menu. It's amazing! They knew which were the ones we have to order and the ones they have reservations about. It was also a good thing that we have the very helpful manager guiding us on what to try for lunch that day. How lucky of us! Well, I was dining with two foodie celebrities so guess that wasn't much of a big surprise. :P

Let me just say that everything was DELICIOUS! I can't really pinpoint which one I like the most as everything just left a really good and lasting gastronomical experience for me.

Steamed Shrimp Dumpling (Php. 220)
This just got to be the classiest hakaw that I've ever had in my life! Imagine enjoying these delicious shrimp dumplings with gold flakes on top. The shrimp was succulent and crisp just the way I like it. The wrapper was just perfect -- not too thin, not too thick.

Pan-Fried Radish Cake with XO sauce (Php. 220)
I've always been the kind who was never crazy over XO sauce simply because I'm not a fan of anything spicy. However, after seeing this from Leslie's blog entry, I knew I just have to try it. She was right, it was indeed bursting with flavor and I just love that my lips weren't glistening with oil as it normally would whenever I'd have something fried.

Stir-Fried Squid with Mashed Salted Egg and Seasonings (Php. 380)
Oh dear, the moment I had a piece of the squid, I felt my heart skip a beat. It was divine! The squid was crunchy and was fully coated in the creamy and delicious salted egg batter. Give me this and a bowl of rice and I'll be one happy woman for life.

Deep-Fried Beancurd Leek Roll with XO Chili Sauce (Php. 380)
Another XO-infused dish but unlike the radish cake the flavor here was a bit weak. The beancurd roll was yummy, nonetheless.

Stir-Fry Prawns and Sugar Peas with XO sauce (Php. 1,280)
Well, it's pretty obvious that my dining companions love XO sauce so this was the 3rd dish that has it. Suprisingly though, each dish came out tasting uniquely different from one another making each so good. I have to admit that I felt that this was a very expensive dish but seeing how generous they were with the prawns made me realize that it was worth the high price tag.

Steamed Crab Claw on Egg White Bed (Php. 680)
This time, I saw this dish when I was browsing through Jin's instagram and I felt my mouth water upon seeing her photo of this beautiful masterpiece. Look how HUGE the crab claw was! It was big enough for Paul and I to share. I love that they have also added a piece of gold flake on this too. It was indeed a dish perfect for royalty. I also enjoyed the soup broth which had goji berry and a few more Chinese herb cooked in it.

Sweet and Sour Pork with Blueberries (Php. 380)
As how they would say it locally. This one was "just okay lah." I guess I've had a lot of sweet and sour porks in my life that sadly this wasn't the best that I've had. The blueberries made it a bit more interesting but I just feel that it didn't blend int very well into the dish.

Yang Chow Fried Rice (Php. 480)
This was probably the only dish that I chose that day. When asked if we want plain rice or fried rice, of course, I went with the latter. Initially, Leslie was a bit iffy about the Yang Chow Fried Rice but we were given the assurance that it will be really good. The manager sure kept her promise as we all enjoyed our bowls of rice that complemented all the dishes that we had for lunch that day.

Paul + Frannywanny +Jinlovestoeat + Shootfirsteatlater

What a feast! I was so happy to be dining with two of my favorite blogger friends as we catched up while enjoying all these dishes. I'm glad that Lung Hin can be considered as one of the best Chinese restaurants in town which gives us a new option for upcoming birthday celebrations, family reunions or whenever we crave for good Cantonese food. I will definitely be back!

Lung Hin is located at the 44th Floor of Marco Polo Ortigas, Meralco Avenue, Ortigas Centre, Pasig City. Call them at 720-777 to make reservations. Parking entrance is at the back of the hotel along Sapphire Street.