When
eating out, Chinese restaurants are hardly top of mind for me as I prefer
Japanese food. (Go blame my anime addiction turned I-want-to-be-Japanese-but-it’s-impossible-so-I’ll-just-eat-everything-Japanese
nature.) This is the reason why for the longest time, I have never tried Lugang
Café. It’s not Japanese. *turns away* But F has been raving about Lugang Café’s
coffee and was very nice of him not to tempt me during Lent season as I sacrificed
coffee for 40 (long) days. Come end of Lent, we finally went to Lugang to try
that F-recommended coffee.
Hello, Lugang Café!
It wasn’t exactly my first time here as I
visited the same branch with my friend A. But I just had a drink then as I was
too full to eat anything else. This time though was different as I came from
work and famished.
F was already inside when I came in and I let
him order for me as I have no idea which ones are good. He ordered the
following: Steamed Xiao Long Bao (PHP248), Taiwanese Steamed Minced Pork (PHP220),
Stir-fried Beef Noodles with Taiwanese Barbecue Sauce (PHP280), Aweto Flower,
Mushroom and Jelly Fish (PHP290) and a pot of Arabian Coffee (PHP240).
In less than 15 minutes, our xiao long bao was
served. It was served hot and I found out from F how to eat it the right way. [Dip
it in the sauce, place it on the spoon, and then nibble a bit of the dumpling
and sip the juice then eat the whole thing.]
The warm xiao long bao sure hit the grumpy spot.
It made my tummy happy. The pork was rich in flavor and I just love that it was
really juicy.
The Taiwanese Steamed Minced Pork was rather
soupy but it was yummy too. The bits of pork were slightly sweet and salty at
the same time. It somehow reminded me of pork adobo but minced and saucy.
The stir-fried noodles on the other hand somehow
reminded me of Thuk Thai’s noodles. The sweet barbecue sauce made it hard for
me not to have a forkful after another. The tender beef bits added texture to
the dish making this a winner plate.
The Aweto flower dish was rather interesting. F
asked if I was grossed out by it but I actually found it yummy. He mentioned that
the taste of this dish is something that requires getting used to. That
statement made me wonder though if I just gulped down the whole thing before I could
taste it or simply because I love food.
Anyway, the dish was slightly tangy and the texture was quite unique. It
had some rough parts and it was rather gummy as well. Overall though, it was a
great dish.
Now for the awaited Arabian Coffee…
It comes with this cute antique-looking
contraption and when the water boils, magic happens. Okay, fine, I was
exaggerating. But it sure made my small eyes bigger.
It was like watching a laboratory experiment.
The coffee somehow evaporates and gets transferred to the other pot and then
when you turn the tap, the coffee returns to the glass pot and *tada* coffee~
<3
I am not a coffee expert but I did enjoy the
sweet aroma. It wasn’t too strong too as I fell sound asleep after 2 hours.
It was a pleasant dining experience. Interestingly,
my friend A’s birthday dinner was scheduled the day after this dinner and guess
where? Yes, Lugang Café again.
Lugang Café
is located at 3rd Floor, Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong
City.
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