IF THERE’S one thing you shouldn’t miss at the Asian section of The Café at Hyatt City of Dreams Manila, it’s the deep-fried crab claw—golden brown and puffy with a bit of the pointy claw sticking out.
Once you tear into it, you get a nice ratio of crisp coating and flaky crab meat made even more delectable with a dab of creamy mayo.
This Cantonese dish is just one of several prepared by visiting chefs Xi Qing Hui and Zhao Pan Fei from Hyatt Regency Dongguan. They were flown in for the Cantonese food promotion at Café that ends tomorrow.
Most Filipinos are familiar with Cantonese food as it is the most accessible. Some traditional dishes include congee with lean pork and century egg, stewed beef brisket, and steamed dim sum.
Smoked eel roll
“Birthday” noodles and steamed fish flavored with soy sauce, ginger and spring onion are two of the more festive ones many of us grew up with.
At Café, however, the menu will include smoked eel roll with salted egg, wok-fried beef with Beijing onion and garlic, braised duck with prawn and morel mushroom and salted pepper crab.
These dishes will form part of the regular buffet that includes Japanese sushi and Italian sausages.
Earlier this week, the chefs prepared an assortment of dim sum and fried snapper in XO sauce, stir-fried tiger prawn with vermicelli, and a beef and noodle dish placed in individual bowls.
The noodles were al dente and the beef perfectly seasoned, which are marks of good Cantonese cuisine—the flavors are well-balanced since spices are used sparingly.
Another staple of Cantonese cooking is slow-cooked soup where the broth is prepared by simmering meat and other ingredients over a low heat for several hours.
This weekend, the chefs will prepare double boiled chicken soup with pork, chicken and scallops (Saturday), and Cantonese consomme with American ginseng (Sunday).
Visit codmanilahyatt.com or call 6911234 loc. 1162.