Peking Garden, Greenbelt 5 – Christmas is the season to celebrate with families and friends. And with that, we decided to dine at Peking Garden, Greenbelt 5. Feasting authentic Chinese food once in a while reminds us of the warm meals we used to enjoy at home.
It was almost 7 when we arrived at the restaurant due to heavy traffic on Ayala Avenue. Thankfully, we had a reservation because we were not expecting the restaurant to be jam-packed.
It was also great that one of our friends was already there to secure our seats. While waiting for our other pair of friends, servers provide appetizers so we do not get bored while waiting. They serve crunchy fried wanton skin on a small plate, which is best paired with congee.
When our toddler saw it, he looked at us seemingly asking for permission if he could have a try. His dad unhesitantly gave him a piece which made him immediately smile. And it did not stop there, he asked for some more until he was satisfied.
We checked the Peking Garden menu to see what Chinese food they offer. I suggested we try the sweet and sour pork and golden squid with salted egg. Our friend added Chinese-style beef tenderloin and Yang Chow fried rice to our orders.
Of course, the Peking Garden experience will not be complete without ordering their ever-famous Peking Duck. By adding 500 pesos, you can request for your duck to be cooked in two ways.
The first way is usually wrapping thin duck skin or meat slices in a fresh lumpia wrapper. For the best experience, add a piece or two of the cucumber and scallion slices and a little bit of hoisin sauce.
For the Peking duck second way, we chose to have the usual minced duck wrapped in iceberg lettuce. After chitchatting for a few minutes, the whole Peking Duck arrived.
Peking duck
Usually, Chinese restaurants slice the duck in front of the customers, and we enjoyed a spectacular slicing show as we drooled over the thin crispy slices of the shiny Peking duck skin. At first, the chef sliced the duck skin and placed them one after another on the plate.
Then he moved on to slice the meat, which is to be eaten wrapped in fresh thin pancake. After the slicing ceremony, he gave the plate to us along with all the other needed ingredients to enjoy our Peking Duck.
Golden squid with salted egg
We did not waste any second and immediately indulged in the bird since it is best eaten while hot. Soon, the Golden Squid with Salted Egg arrived, but my toddler was busy eating the duck, so he did not even notice his favorite food.
I even sliced them into smaller pieces and let him try but he just ignored them. The squid was fried and coated with salted egg to perfection. You do not need a lot of strength to chew on the squid because they were not overcooked.
I have tried other overcooked squid, and I could not even break the pieces using my sharp-edged teeth. In the end, I had to spit them out and leave the rest on the serving plate.
Chinese-style beef tenderloin
You can never go wrong with the Chinese-style Beef Tenderloin. In our experience, children like it best because of the sweet sauce covering each beef slice. Best of all, the tenderloin part of beef promises easy-to-chew meat no matter how unskilled a chef is at cooking.
And the Tenderloin beef is worth its price because as you can see, it is topped with the very pricy red onions. (We have a shortage of onions here in the Philippines right now.) This dish should be served on special occasions!
Kidding aside, the beef slices are chewy yet tender, so even young kids would not have a hard time cutting the meat on their own. The sweet and savory sauce coats every strip of meat making every bite a remarkable experience.
Yang Chow Fried Rice
When the Yang Chow Fried Rice arrived, the server did not place it on our table. Instead, the waiter served them in separate bowls for each of us. Then, he left the remaining fried rice on our table.
There was no special taste in Peking Garden’s Yang Chow Fried Rice. I find it to be just like any other fried rice offered in other restaurants. Since our toddler was not fond of rice with toppings, he did not touch his bowl.
Peking duck second way
The second way of our Peking duck arrived, along with fresh iceberg lettuce. Growing up, it was one of the meals we used to enjoy at home during holidays. I scooped a spoonful of the minced duck, added them to a lettuce wrap and put a bit of hoisin sauce.
You get that fresh feeling from the crunch of lettuce and a filling sensation from the warm and hearty duck meat. The hoisin sauce adds more flavor to your lettuce wrap making you crave more.
Sweet and sour pork
Not all Sweet and Sour Porks are the same, and Peking Garden’s version is one we will look forward to again in the future. Other versions had lost the crunchiness of the outer coating of the pork when drenched in sauce.
But with Peking Garden, you can get that crackling sound when you have a bite of the sweet and sour pork. This is one of the characteristics that we are looking for when ordering this dish. There was also not so much fat included in the pork pieces, so this is definitely a must-try!
The takeaway
Apart from enjoying the company of our friends, we also had a blast stuffing ourselves with authentic Chinese food. So, the next time you are looking for a place that serves good food, you can check
Peking Garden, Greenbelt 5.
I hope you have enjoyed our food review! Share this post to your families and friends who might be looking for a place to dine over the holidays!
