Lunch @ Lugang Cafe

 Taiwanese Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Met a friend at the Mall of Asia on Thursday, the last day of her short Manila vacation.  We decided to meet at MoA because of its proximity to the airport and there are places there to entertain the two boys while we're having girl-talk.  This was a late lunch and as we entered the mall to look for a cool spot, we noticed chefs making dim sum through the glass wall of a restaurant.   It was enough to lure us in to Lugang Cafe.

But as we browsed the extensive menu, we completely forgot about the dimsum!  A plate of crispy chicken nuggets  was ordered for the two boys, but they were engrossed with iPad games and we ended up eating the chicken nuggets.

As expected, I was seduced by oysters and got this Oyster with Black Bean Sauce.  The dish wasn't bad at all except that I realized I still prefer oysters blanched, raw or baked---not in a sauce.  

Instead of vegetables, we opted for Taiwanese Tofu Clay Pot with Pork.  I'm not very fond of tofu but I try to eat it regularly because I know it's healthy and reduces my calorie intake.:p  And I'm glad we ordered this tofu dish---it's quite tasty.  I wish it was a bit more spicy.

Taiwanese Tofu Clay Pot with Pork

Lugang Cafe is famous for their desserts but we had no more space for dessert. I will definitely leave some for dessert next time. The Belagio Breeze looks absolulely divine!

I love the stylish and hip ambiance of this restaurant (not like the usual Chinese restaurants).  The contemporary furnishings, high ceiling and crystal chandeliers give it a feeling of generous spaciousness.

Linking to Food Friday

Food Trip Friday

Oysters Rockefeller

Oysters Rockefeller--an appetizer I shared with my mother at dinner last week at the Mall of Asia.  The oysters were baked with a generous amount of butter, cheese, some herbs and bacon bits.

Oysters Rockefeller was created in 1899 by Jules Alciatore in their family restaurant in New Orleans called Antoine's.  The dish was named after John Rockefeller, the richest American at the time, for the intense richness of the sauce.  Although many restaurants in New Orleans serve dishes purporting to be Oysters Rockefeller, Antoine's claims that they're all knock-offs because Alciatore  took the original recipe with him to the grave.

Linking to Food Friday and Food Trip Friday

Oyster Omelet

@ mirandablue
Bagoong Fried Rice

I have written here that I prefer raw oysters, but if there's none available and I'm eating it with rice, then an oyster omelet would somehow fix the craving.  The delicate flavor of oysters was perfectly complemented by the tasty bagoong (shrimp paste) fried rice.  It was a delicious meal at Penang Hill in Shangri-la.

@ mirandablue
Thai Oyster Omelet

Join other foodies at Food Trip Friday

Baked oysters

@ mirandablue

Too bad these succulent oysters were literally drowned in butter.  Personally, I prefer to eat oysters on a half-shell including the juice, raw or blanched with just a twist of lemon or vinegar dip.  Other preparations with added condiments "spoil" the distinctive flavor of oyster. But outside the family, I only have a few friends who can eat oysters the way I do.  On a dare, they'd eat baked oysters---but too squeamish to chew.

So this was another appetizer on a Saturday night-out with a couple of friends.  We drowned our sorrows, laughed at our faux pas and ate oysters to awaken the senses.

@ mirandablue

I'm linking to Willa's Food Trip Friday