ERICJAZ FOODIES: CRYSTAL JADE

Saturday, October 23, 2010

CRYSTAL JADE

Crystal Jade recently opened in Greenhills and has been receiving grrreaaat reviews from foodies-foodies everywhere. Me thinks the reason why it gets so jampacked EVERY SINGLE DAY is because it is the ONLY branch of the famed restaurant in Hong kong which serves the famous soupy dumplings or Xiao Long Bao...

(Jaz - Come 2013, it has already opened another branch in Fort Bonifacio :) )

So on one no-work day (for me he he he) I was with with my ORIGINAL foodie group (My family!) and tried what all the fuss was about.

Of course the place was flooded but we were able to get good seats thru the help of their lovely and efficient staff (Yup they were very accommodating).

Oh well... GREAT taste is the eyes of the tongue holder ha ha ha ha! Some of us liked it... some did not... But over all it was a great unique experience!

Would I go back there again?? Yup!!! With my new generation foodies of course!!! (Yubhub... and Mati.... soon to come Andrei... when he does not cry so much... tee hee!)

Now let's get on to the important matter of CRYSTAL JADE...

CRYSTAL JADE finally opens in Manila!

I was not able to get a picture of the long lines in CRYSTAL JADE but we were able to get seats in 10 minutes or so.

Here's my Dad and Ate Jit... They should always sit together because they eat in lightning speed. It's more like "now you see it now you don't" or "eat or be eaten" for them. My other brother, Kuya Jon joins their ranks!

Me and my ever lovely Mommy!! Me and my mom (plus the eldest Kuya Jay) savor our food and chew each morsel carefully that we would always be left at the table during family meals.

Well AT LEAST, we do not get our tongues burned from slurping a hot bowl of soup just because we cannot wait for it to cool it off unlike that OTHER group :)

And just in case you are wondering, YES! My secret is foiled... I am wearing again my favorite yellow blouse which you may remember from Modern Shanghai (See HERE!!) and Cafe Antigua (See HERE!!!). Yellow is my favorite color you see...

Now back to ahem... CRYSTAL JADE...

CRYSTAL JADE in Virra Mall, Greenhills is not as big as you would expect it to be but they maximized the space and strategically placed the tables so more diners could eat in the restaurant.

First up is CRYSTAL JADE's Noodle with Dried Shrimp and Peanut in Spicy Sauce (P288.00). This noodle dish was strongly raved about by Anton Diaz of My Awesome Planet that I just had to try it.

This is my first time to set eyes on a soup that is just brimming with oil and spice! I can't wait to slurp my way into this CRYSTAL JADE noodles!

Faster woman!!!

My noodle cup! I remember later that I got impatient in CRYSTAL JADE and put the whole bowl in front of me!

And just because we cannot have enough carbs, we ordered CRYSTAL JADE's Fried Rice with Diced Chicken, Sausage, Shrimp and Egg in Yang Chow Style (P248.00). We loved this as each spoonful was so flavorful that you could finish a whole order with the utmost of ease. Deeelicious! My sister said she was instantly brought to the busy streets of Hong Kong with the taste. She can't get enough of it!

Of course, if you're going to eat at CRYSTAL JADE, you CANNOT not order their famous Xiao Long Bao (P158.00 for 5 pieces). It would just be sacrilegious and scandalous to even forget this when you're at this restaurant.

As they say, the original is always the best! How do you find CRYSTAL JADE's Xiao Long Bao?

We also had a plate of CRYSTAL JADE's Crispy Chicken Fillet in Lemon Sauce (P288.00). I tell you, I am really not a fan of the "sweet and sour" dishes or meats with lemon sauce. But this one I liked. The chicken was extra crispy with meat tender while the sauce was not at all cloying. The tartness of the lemon was mild and did not overpower the already flavorful chicken. I could see myself ordering this with the salty Yang Chow rice. The two dishes go well together!

Time to eat at CRYSTAL JADE! I immediately "dived" into my noodles with gusto...

But when I had already gulped what I was chewing, I remembered I may need to have ANOTHER profile pic.

Selfie!!!!

I'm not sure if this is the proper way to do it though... Next time I'll try a duck face maybe at Peking Garden (pun in-tended!).

Let's eat at CRYSTAL JADE!

He he he! My dad did not want to turn around and my mom does not really like posing!

BURP! Done with the noodles! I ate this myself because my family was not really a fan of peanuts in their Chinese noodles.

Yehey! More for the bunso (baby) in the family!

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Sometime last December 16, 2011 I was out early from work and I thought of asking my Hub to eat at CRYSTAL JADE because he has not tried this restaurant yet.

As much as I wanted to get the spicy peanut noodles again, I tried something new which I saw in other food blogs as well....

I ordered CRYSTAL JADE's Noodle with Spicy Chicken (P288.00)! It was steamed chicken with noodles and a full ladle of their tangy garlic chili oil.

I was more than excited to eat this at CRYSTAL JADE since I love everything spicy!

And my Chinese stalker is ready to... eat!!

I don't know about you but black chopsticks somehow make my meals in Chinese restaurants more special. Adds a certain tint of class don't you think?

Before I go on... You might not be able to recognize....

THIN Jazmin!

Check me out mixing my noodles in CRYSTAL JADE! I still had cheekbones and one chin!

To think this was a year after our first meal in CRYSTAL JADE!!! Hey Jazmin of December 2011! What diet did you do back then?? I am sure I did not shy away from carbs.

See that smile? Because I knew back then that I ordered something my husband would not even taste. (He does not like anything spicy... Yey!). So this whole plate? ALL MINE!

Now I could rule the world!!! Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!

You would feel the same way after you put a big juicy chicken chunk in your mouth....

... and chew it all down with a good slurp of that spicy, oily, and chewy noodles!!!

Oops! But if you're with a hot Chinese boy (like my Yub)... mind your manners! Just slurp quietly... like your whispering something then end with a pa-cute giggle... ("sluuuuurp... hi hi hi!")

We ordered once more CRYSTAL JADE's fried rice.... Yub loved it even if there were veggies...He just picked them out and put it on my plate.

And of course CRYSTAL JADE's Xiao Long Bao!

It was my husband's first time to try it and I was tempted not to warn him about the hot soup! I want his tongue to BUUUURNNNN (since he always eat so fast)!!!

But the "nice Jazmin" spoke up and told him to be careful of the hot soup inside the CRYSTAL JADE dumplings....

I warned him just in time...

Curses....!!!!

I was only able to get 1 piece of CRYSTAL JADE's Xiao Long Bao because I wanted my hub to enjoy almost all of it.

... and because I want to have a lot of room for this!

CRYSTAL JADE's Crispy Pork Chop!!! Sorry I was not able to get the price but we were surprised with the big serving of this dish! This could be good for 4 people already!!