Every Japan food tour I’ve done started with almost everyone being strangers but ending up good friends. I attribute this to our common denominator: Everyone is a foodie at heart. I learn a lot from our Viber exchanges—new dining places, food discoveries.

There was one group where a friend, Nancy So, joined and we ended up doing a Hong Kong food tour that she led. I had been to Hong Kong many times but the dining places where Nancy brought our group were all new and had delicious food. Best Hong Kong experience ever.

Carmela Villarama, another foodie participant and a resident of Pampanga, recently had her birthday. It became an excuse for us to meet and have a reunion. Restaurant suggestions were thrown and we all ended up agreeing on a suggestion of Bela: East Ocean Palace Chinese restaurant at the Mall Of Asia area.

I have been invited to a few of Bela’s dinners where she serves her own creations and I have been floored on every occasion on how beautiful her presentation, and how delicious her dishes are. She knows her food. This is one person who just loves food but has no aspirations of opening a restaurant. So when I heard she was ordering, that lunch became even more exciting. I was correct.We started with crystal prawns. These are huge shiny prawns topped with what looked like fried slivers of garlic and sitting on a bed of steamed greens. The prawns were perfectly cooked and so so delicious!

Then she ordered soft tofu with minced sea cucumber and shrimps in claypot. The tofu was wobbly, soft and so tasty. It had brown savory sauce with the tofu topped with maju or pork flakes. Also delicious.

We had fried spareribs coated with sweet olive sauce. OMG. The ribs were crispy and tender and also out of this world. Our veggie dish was baby pak choy simmered in superior chicken broth. Simple yet very tasty.

We also had braised abalone sauce rice in claypot. Super sarap. The Peking duck done one way was also good, but ordinary. The lunch portions were perfect and we left extremely happy and made a note to return with our loved ones. It was that good. I can’t wait for our next get together lunch. What a memorable Chinese meal. INQEast Ocean Palace, Lot 37 Block 5, Aseana Business Park, Paranaque; tel. 88264503, 0917-7988099

Japan food tour: Hokkaido, April 22-27; Kyushu, May 17-22; Hokkaido (Lavander fields) July 1-6; Kyushu, Oct. 11-16; Kyushu, Nov. 8-13.

 

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