While many would go to Seascape Village to buy fresh seafood and have them cooked ("paluto system"), we go there the lauriat set meals that the Chinese restaurants there offer. Golden China is one of the most luxurious Chinese Restaurants we have tried to date.
Because Golden China is pricey, the family only dines here during special occasions. For casual dining, we prefer Asian Taste Seafood Restaurant.
Although both restaurants occupy a significant portion of both ground and upper floor of Seascape Village, Golden China has a more upscale ambiance similar to a five-star hotel. The second floor is entirely reserved for private rooms with its own marbled rest rooms. The dinning style is like Glorias Mari's Sharkfin Restaurant in Greenhills but since this is newer, the design is more modern.
You have dedicated staffs allocated for your table. It also offers fine wines that is well-aerated through a decanter.
Food
When we first dined at Golden China, we found it to be too pricey and the food was not impressive.
Complimentary Peanuts |
Sharksfin with Shredded Chicken Soup |
During our first visit, we just trusted the server to serve us the best set meal offered. We were served a clear soup with what we thought was ground chicken but turned out to be a baby shark. So on our second visit, we went for a more eco-friendly option and chose the one with Sharksfin with Shredded Chicken Soup.
Whelks? |
The highlight of our dining experience is the ♥ North Pole Shell Sashimi. It was a large rectangular plateful of assorted shells. Some of those were unfamiliar to us. All the edible mollucs served were so clean that there's not a sight of sand from it.
♥ Roasted Goose Hongkong Style |
♥ Steamed Live Lapu-Lapu |
♥ Stewed Abalone with Red Beans |
The Stewed Abalone with Red Beans requires an excellent technique to accomplish. We are very impressed!
♥ Baked Shrimp with Plums |
♥ Sauteed Asparagus with Black Fungus and Chinese Yam |
Our bad recollections of Chinese Yam exuding earthy flavors were extinguished by the delight brought about the Sauteed Asparagus with Black Fungus and Chinese Yam. We didn't expect that this simple dish could be so addictive.
Baked Crab with Salted Egg Yolk |
♥ Birthday Noodles |
Snow Fungus Soup |
This the first time that a Chinese Restaurant here in Manila served us Snow Fungus Soup for dessert. It has a resemblance with the bird's nest soup but it was blander with a more solid form. Taste-wise, it wasn't outstanding but when we were told that this has tons of health benefits then we did not hesitate to finish it.
♥ Golden China Egg Tart and Puff Pastry |
Mixed Fruit Platter |
The previous Mixed Fruit Platter we've had were more extravagant but since this was only complimentary so no complaints here.
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
The price range at Golden China is the same as a fine dining hotel restaurant. You can also expect the top-notch food quality, ambiance and service that justifies the cost. Thus, it is one of our top considerations for intimate family occasions.
Tsinoy Foodies Review Rating | Golden China Menu | |
Ambiance | ★★★★★ | NA |
Taste | ★★★★ | |
Service | ★★★★★ | |
Price | ★★★ | |
♥=Favorites or Recommended |
Golden China | |
Business Address | Seascape Village, Pasay, Metro Manila |
Business Hours | 10am-2:30pm 5:30pm-10:30pm |
Payment Options | Cash |
Service Charge | no service charge |
Budget/Person | 1,000-2,500 |
Free WiFi | No |
Contact | (02) 8-856-1999 |
Other |
It is 2019 and the Philippine food industry is still as progressive as ever as many global brands are opening its branches in the Philippines. But, did you know that The Bistro Group was one of the first restaurant groups that boldly brought a foreign food concept here in the Philippines? In December 11, 1994, it opened TGI Fridays as the first American Casual Dining restaurant in the Philippines.
We usually dine at TGI Fridays for dinner or post-dinner. But, last December 11, 2019, we decided to try them for lunch for a change.
Complimentary Nachos |
During lunch time at its Trinoma branch, it offered a laid back kind of vibe.
French Onion Soup (245 php) |
The French Onion Soup at TGI Fridays is one of our favorites. It's just so hearty and fulfilling.
Calypso Calamari Salad (425 php) |
What we love about TGI Fridays is its comprehensive menu selections. We decided to go for a guilt-free lunch with its Calypso Calamari Salad that comes with its tangy citrus lime dressing.
Milk Tea Cheesecake (290 php) |
25th Birthday Bash Surprise
25th Birthday Bash Surprise |
Fridays Chili Ballpark Nachos (495 php) |
While some may be lucky enough to visit Japan for its Cherry Blossom Viewing as much as they can. Many of us are not able to due to time and monetary constraints. Fortunately for us, we have the newest milk tea concept in the Philippines inspired by the Japan's Cherry Blossom Viewing tradition - Sakura Hanami. It now has several branches and Sakura Hanami Taft in Arrow Food Park is the one we recently got to visit.
Sakura Hanami which directly translates to Cherry Blossom Viewing
is a millennia-old tradition in Japan which still has a growing
popularity up to present. In fact, around 5,000,000 million tourists
fly to Japan just for this in a year. It gets so crowded and popular
that some viewing spots even charge a lot just for exclusivity.
You see its menu covering all four seasons shows how much variety it offers.
It has three sizes for cups. The tallest one you see is already one (1) liter!
Winter Blends (Hot)
Traditional Cherry Blossom Tea (195 php) |
One of the distinguishing features of Sakura Hanami is that it serves hot floral tea variants. One pot is good to share for two to four people.
Autumn Blends
Lava Pearl Latte (180 php/XL) |
The Lava Pearl Latte just shows us that Sakura Hanami caters to all types of tea drinkers. While we found the Lava Pearl Latte at regular sugar level too sweet for our liking, we do know a lot of sweet tea lovers who will crave for this. For a slightly lighter sweetness, you can opt for the Okinawa Roast Milk Tea (95 php/regular).
♥ Classic Milky Bubble Mousse (155 php), ♥ Matcha Creme Milk Tea with Sakura Pudding (140 php/Regular) and ♥ Sakura Signature Bubble Tea (95/regular) |
♥ Matcha Creme Milk Tea with Sakura Pudding (140 php/Regular) |
The most impressive drink for us was the Matcha Creme Milk Tea with Sakura Pudding. This is a legit matcha drink! We bet that if you order the XL, you'll really feel the caffeine kick from this drink. It's so bold and rich just the way we always wanted our matcha but rarely could have. We also love the rosy flavor of the Sakura Pudding that perfectly matches the matcha.
Bubble Mousse
The Bubble Mousse is a dessert snack packaged in cute bottle with pink ribbon. We tried the
Classic Milky Bubble Mousse (155 php) and fell in love with it! The strength of the tea flavor, the silky melt-in-your-mouth texture of the mousse and the soft to chew pearls on top gives a wholesome experience. We just found this a bit pricey especially the other variants that cost 175 php per bottle But, if you can splurge then we guarantee the even biteful is heavenly! The sensation is so appealing that we would probably try the Strawberry Bubble Mousse or Matcha Creme Mousse next visit!
Classic Milky Bubble Mousse (155 php) and fell in love with it! The strength of the tea flavor, the silky melt-in-your-mouth texture of the mousse and the soft to chew pearls on top gives a wholesome experience. We just found this a bit pricey especially the other variants that cost 175 php per bottle But, if you can splurge then we guarantee the even biteful is heavenly! The sensation is so appealing that we would probably try the Strawberry Bubble Mousse or Matcha Creme Mousse next visit!
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Sakura Hanami depicts the Japanese philosophy that highliughts premium quality hence the "kaizen" (かいぜん) concept which is actually rooted in the way they genuinely care for people "omoi-yari" (思いやり). The drink quality and service is superb. To sum it up, we,Tsinoy Foodies, guarantee that you can find satisfaction in Sakura Hanami with a reminder that premium variants comes with a premium price.
Tsinoy Foodies Review Rating | Sakura Hanami Taft Menu | |
Ambiance | ★★★★ | NA |
Taste | ★★★★ | |
Service | ★★★ | |
Price | ★★★ | |
♥=Favorites or Recommended |
Sakura Hanami Taft | |
Business Address | 1021 P. Ocampo St, Corner Arellano Ave, Malate, Manila, Metro Manila |
Business Hours | 10am-12pm |
Payment Options | Cash |
Service Charge | none |
Budget/Person | 90-200 |
Free WiFi | No |
Contact | (0917) 655-5584 |
Other |
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