Lugang Cafe has finally reached the Philippines after 10 years since it opened in Shanghai. It belong to the Bellagio Management Group which has spawned other dining and cafe concepts around Asia.
(Lugang Cafe with its elegant facade)
Situated along the Connecticut food district, along with Conti's, Amici, and others, stands a tall establishment which from the outside appears to be (for me) a palace with a bridge, and a stone-paved stairways both leading to a huge ancient wooden door. Upon entry, you can see the vastness of the place with modern looking tables and chairs as well as sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. I was really amazed when I saw this and it felt like a different place.
(huge wooden door)
(sparkly chandeliers)
I was excited when my dad suggested we eat here for dinner. I have been hearing a lot about Lugang Cafe since it first opened last November 2010 and been wanting to try it since then. My dad went here a few days ago and enjoyed the food so he wanted us to try it out.
The first thing I liked about Lugang Cafe is their ambiance. The look of the place is Chinese yet in a modern kind of way. I also loved their princess chair (I decided to call them that since it reminded me of princesses whenever I look at it).
(princess chair :D)
As we were seated, they gave us 2 kinds of menu, 1 for food and 1 for drinks. I got the drinks menu first and started to flip through the pages and stopped when I saw their variations of milk tea. They have Cantonese milk tea, Tapioca milk tea and Date and Longan milk tea to name a few. I decided to try their Cantonese milk tea, so that was the first thing I ordered. With an additional hint of syrup, my milk tea was tasting great, just as I have wanted it to taste. I love it!
(cantonese milk tea - Php120)
We also ordered Steamed Pork Xiao Long Bao. I don't know if it's just the hype or what, but i've been looking for xiao long bao in all chinese restaurants that i go to. Their Xiao Long Bao is a bit smaller than the other i've tried, but filled with more soup. My brother said it was a bit salty but for me, it tasted just right, one of the best tasting even.
(steamed pork xiao long bao (7 pcs) - Php188)
We tried ordering the Steamed Shrimp and Pork Shiao Mai which we saw from the other table. We noticed how the woman from the other table took a bite and soup dripped onto her plate. We got curious and asked if their Shiao Mai came with soup just like their Xiao Long Bao. To our surprise, it did so we decided to try it. I have tasted better Shiao Mai but maybe because theirs is a different kind.
(steamed shrimp and pork shiao mai (7 pcs) - Php218)
My dad ordered the Hainan Boneless Chicken. It didn't have much taste in it unless mixed with one of the three sauces that it came with. since I'm not a fan of sauces, it tatsed just like a regular hainan chicken.
(hainan boneless chicken - Php450)
My brother on the other hand ordered the Beijing Shredded Pork served with pancakes. We were kinda curious on the pancakes with this order, so we asked. It turned out that the pancakes referred to was like a lumpia wrapper. This dish is sort of like the minced pork with lettuce that has a do-it-yourself wrap aspect. The pork is very flavourful and I'd recommend this.
(beijing shredded pork (served with pancakes) - Php260)
I ordered the Stir-fried beef with chili peppers without the chili peppers. LOL. I'm really not a fan of spicy food. But i loved this order so much and will definitely keep coming back for more. It tasted a bit ordinary according to my brother, which had wish we stuck to it's original state, the spicy one. But then, I wouldn't have fell in love with this dish if we had. :P
(stir-fried beef with chili peppers (actually, without chili peppers) - Php280)
That's enough dishes for 4 persons to eat in one night. But the next time we dine here, we would definitely like to try the Fish head, which we heard is extremely superb. Also, been curious with their desserts. their fresh mango smoothy looks delectable and their very tall Red beans, candied pineapple & condensed milk on shaved ice caught my diabetic dad's attention.
(some sweet selection)
Overall, this place is similar to Crystal Jade but also different since not all their dishes are similar. I like different dishes in both restaurants so I will definitely be coming back.
Lugang Cafe
116 Connecticut St. Northeast Greenhills
San JuanMetro Manila
Telephone Number: 721-9100 ; 570-9011
Hope you enjoyed reading my experience.
(click image to enlarge)
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