ERICJAZ FOODIES: OUR FAMILY DINNER AT LUNG HIN

Chinese cuisine is one of THE YAPPY BUNCH's favorites. And whenever a strong craving arises, we have our usual places to go to that serve the greasy and saucy dishes we are very familiar with and love.

Sometimes though, it is just fitting that you go somewhere special. And for our 5-Star staycation in MARCO POLO HOTEL, we didn't need to go far to get that extra-ordinary serving of award-winning delicious Chinese food -- we just have to go up to the 44th floor and indulge in the wonders of LUNG HIN RESTAURANT!

Welcome!

When you enter LUNG HIN, you'll be immediately greeted by their awards and recognitions. Hmmm... This just made me more curious of the meal ahead. (Mas awarded pa LUNG HIN sa akin e! Ha ha ha ha ha!)

And for this year...

Woah!

LUNG HIN is definitely not our favorite Binondo style Chinese restaurant -- it's like where the emperors eat! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

This long hallway leads to their different function rooms.

We were reserved in a quiet space by the window.

ROLL CALL!

Master Mati and the Yubhub (both wearing blue).

Me and the bunsoy Andrei (BOTH wearing white with blue linings).

I swear we didn't talk about wearing the same colored clothes! It's just the power of being soulmates! Naks!

Time to order!

Brace yourselves... FOOD IS HERE!

The Master Mati and I loved Century Egg and immediately got a plate to share (P220.00).

The plump Century eggs were drizzled with a thick yet sweet Balsamic Vinegar and served with pickled gingers. I generally don't like ginger but when it is pink and pickled, I'll eat it as a palate cleanser.

The Yub's favorite these days are Pork buns and when he saw that LUNG HIN offered these (at P220.00 for 3 pieces), he immediately went for it.

The buns were served warm and were light, not greasy at all.

We loved that there was a slight crunch. And inside, the flavors of the pork asado had the right sweetness and flavorings.

Of course, Chinese restaurants always spell DIMSUM for us but in LUNG HIN, something tells us that we won't get the usual Shrimp Hakaw that we're used to.

Yup. What they have was laced with GOLD (P220.00)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you're grossed out with having a mineral in your digestive system, don't be. You won't even notice it because the Shrimp Hakaw is just so darn good!

The steamed rice wrapper had the right thickness and when you bite into the Hakaw, it's not soggy or mushy -- the wrapping alone had the rice chewiness to it. The dimsum was full of fresh sweet shrimp that will make you wanting more!

We also got the LUNG HIN Pork Siomai in Truffle Sauce (P220.00)!

At first I was doubtful if Truffle would go well with our beloved siomai, but ding ding ding! It DID!!! And we ordered one more! YUM!

Since we should always have vegetables, we had the LUNG HIN Steamed Stuffed Vegetarian Treasure in Inari Bag (P480.00)!

It's like our favorite Taro Puff dimsum but with vegetables and served with crunchy Broccolli. We likey!!!!! This went so well with our dimsum and savory rice!

I asked the server for recommendations and he mentioned that the Three Flavored Prawns (P1,680.00) was a bestseller.

Don't let appearances deceive you: each prawn is B.I.G and fat. My guys zoinked all of the prawns leaving me with a small serving but it still satisfied me to a high degree.

Tipong BA in Rocket Science.

Oh that's so corny.

AND wrong. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

The 3 flavors were the Salted Egg, Sakura, and Blueberry.

The Salted Egg was the usual popular flavoring. My bunsoy Andrei however super enjoyed the Sakura which was tossed in a sauce similar to a sweet mayo dressing. He loved it so much that he asked for extra sauce and added it to his rice. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

As for me, I was left with the most weird flavor, the blueberry. But seriously, it was not bad. At first you would go ICK? But after chewing it, you'll appreciate the fruity glaze with the meatiness of the shrimp.

I was actually cutting my rice intake but whaddaheck, we were on vacation. So when the hub suggested we try out the LUNG HIN Yang Chow fried rice (P480.00), I said "yes" so sweetly you would think that I was planning to audition in Little Miss Philippines.

(Which rejected me by the way.... -- Jaz)

I'm glad we did because the shrimp was fresh and the veggies still had that light crunch. The rice too was very flavorful that I could eat a bowl without the need for ulam.

BUT, that doesn't mean my guys hit the jackpot. I still WANT to get ulam. May reklamoes???