I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THAT finding a good authentic Chinese restaurant has always been a challenge. For us ?Southerners? (referring to us living south of the metro), finding a good authentic Chinese restaurant in the south is an even bigger challenge.

I was recently invited to try Bellevue Hotel?s latest addition, The Phoenix Court. On the second floor of Bellevue?s new Tower wing, the Phoenix Court promises a new fine dining experience to Chinese food-lovers in the Alabang area.

An unmistakable wall image of the Phoenix greets diners?a testament to its name. The décor is typical of Chinese restaurants?in dominant red and gold that signifies good luck, wealth and prosperity.

Apart from its 250-seating capacity, the restaurant also has four function rooms. The biggest has a round table with a center rotating tray; the table can seat 24?perfect for big families that love to dine out on weekends or for special events. This table has one of the biggest lazy Susans I have seen.

New chef in town

Malaysian-born Cheong Kwan Loong is the new executive chef. Coming from the Taipan restaurant at the Tower Club where he was also executive chef, Kwan Loong has had considerable experience in top restaurants here and abroad. Before joining Tower Club, he has had stints at Shang Palace at Shangri-La Mactan, Westin Philippine Plaza and American Club in Jakarta.

What?s good?

Our menu for the day turned out to be a 14-course lauriat. So the food-lover that I am, I prepared my palate, adjusted my belt, and told myself, ?Pacing lang yan (I just need to pace myself).?

The first dish was a nice seafood soup of shredded crabmeat, bean curd and seaweed, among others. This was followed by a salad of shredded chicken, sautéed Szechuan style, then by the deep-fried beef tenderloin in black pepper, all of which were mouthwatering and flavorful, especially the beef tenderloin. But what I was really looking forward to was coming up next.

I have always said that a Chinese restaurant is only as good as its Peking duck, and, in this regard, the Phoenix Court does not disappoint. Even the hardest-to-please Peking duck ?connoisseurs? will find this dish different but in a comforting sort of way?from the tenderness and flavor of the meat to the crispiness of the skin.

Some of the dishes looked familiar, others didn?t. From the fried prawn covered in cereal to the spinach with crispy mushroom, to the deep fried bean curd with shark?s fin cooked in clay pot, all had that familiar taste; yet as they melted in the mouth, I could feel and taste the explosion of bold new flavors.

One of the more interesting dishes, and my favorite, was the two-way chicken. A twist to a Szechuan staple, it is one of chef Kwan Loong?s signature dishes.

It consists mainly of Kung Pao chicken served in fried noodle bowl, and on the other side of the plate were shrimp cakes sandwiched in deep-fried chicken skin?like a cross between kropec and chicharon. Suffice to say I had more than one.

Then came the Xiao Long Bao, a traditional Chinese bun filled with crabmeat and pork, steamed in small bamboo baskets. In my haste to try it, I nearly burned my lip forgetting about the broth inside. Bellevue Hotel Marketing and Communications director Ryan Chan took the time to teach us the right way to eat their Xiao Long Bao.

The salted fish fried rice capped the lauriat. Although many of us looked forward to this to complement the sumptuous dishes, we were too full to have a scoop, or we thought we were?we had a good serving of that, too.

?Gung Hei? to chef Kwan Loong, who has put together a menu that brings together the freshness and diversity of ingredients Cantonese cuisine is known for, and of the bold and spicy flavors of Szechuan cuisine.

Unfortunately, I was not able to try the dim sum and noodle bar, or the Poached Hainanese Chicken. Chef Kwan Loong apparently uses fresh chickens from HK; this dish is something not to miss. Even with my shirt buttons about to burst, I should be able to come back to tell that delectable tale another day.

The Phoenix Court is open 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 6:30-10 p.m. Reservations can be made through 7718181.