Food::Dinner @ Lugang Cafe

        It was our 2nd day in Manila.  We were meeting Linamure "Ling-Ling" and her family for dinner.  Since we were close to the Greenhills area that day, Dinah and I planned on having dinner at Lugang Cafe.  I've been reading a lot of good reviews from foodies in Manila about their food for a long time now so I made sure to give them a try while I was in Manila.

        My first impression of the place was that it was chic and elegant.  It didn't look like the traditional Chinese restaurants I've known, even the ones in the U.S.

         I found out that Lugang Cafe was actually a branch of Shanghai-based Bellagio Cafe which was known for the best Taiwanese cuisine in China and the best desserts in Shanghai.  It seemed that Bellagio was already a registered name in Manila that they were forced to use the Chinese translation of its name - Lugang Cafe.

        I also found out that their chefs came from mainland China and 1 worked at Din Tai Fung in Taiwan for 12 years.

         We were already getting hungry since we haven't had any lunch yet so we went ahead and ordered while waiting for Ling-Ling and her family.

Steamed Shrimp and Pork Shiao Mai

Steamed Crab Roe and Pork Xiao Long Bao

Pineapple Fried Rice

Chicken topped with Scallion and Ginger Oil

Taiwanese Stewed Minced Pork

Three-Cup Chicken

Mango Jelly in Mango & Coconut Milk

Cranberry Juice w/ Mango

Aloe Jelly in Honey Lemon Juice

Fresh Fruit Tea

         Shortly after our orders were served, Ling-Ling, her husband Frank and their cute daughter Cheska arrived.  We stayed there for hours with Dinah and Ling-Ling trying to catch-up on a lot of things.