Dim Sum All You Can at the Red Corner

Mark your calendars as the Red Corner makes your dim sum dreams come true with its Dim sum All You Can treat every Monday and Friday. From 11am to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm, this Chinese joint operated by Hong Kong Kitchen serves a galore of dim sum like sio mai, nori sio mai, chicken feet, sio pao and a whole lot more.

A few days ago, I personally tried what they had to offer during a luncheon meeting together with Ms. Carol, PR Officer of the restaurant. There I discovered that aside from the dim sum galore once can expect, the buffet also includes soup, noodles, rice, soup, vegetables and at least two Red Corner Specials of the day.

The sweet corn and egg soup started my lunch and even though how delectable it was I had to restrain myself so that I can have space for more food.

I then tried got three pieces of their crunchy lumpiang shanghai to satisfy my craving for lumpia the day before. It was generously filled with meat seasoned so well that I didn’t even bother dipping it in the sauce it came with.

Their sio mai beckons and I didn’t waste time giving in to the gastronomic temptation. It looked good and yes, it definitely tasted better that I came back for another round.

So was their Nori sio mai or Japanese sio mai. Just the same sio mai but wrapped in nori – the one used in making sushi. It gave a hint something Japanese to a Chinese specialty giving sio mai a new dimension in taste and presentation. Hmmm, I could try dipping it in wasabi next time to complete the experience.

The Spicy Minced Pork had been waving at me even just as I entered the restaurant. Of course, I was intrigued to how spicy it was but it turned just to be a mild one but it had something different in the taste – something good that definitely went well with the eggplant.

The Fookien style Fried Noodles provided the right mix of egg noodles and the works – vegetables, pork, and egg, among others. It was a complete meal itself cooked with such nice flavour and visual gastronomic presentation.

The Sweet and Sour Pork is among their best sellers and I don’t need to ask why the moment I took a bite. (Still) Crunchy fried pork swimming in delectable tangy sauce that makes each bite yearn for more.

It was perfect with the Yang Chow Fried Rice that is another meal unto itself. Lightly seasoned but the flavors come out well yet paired with all the other dishes, it was just as good.

And I almost forgot the Chicken Feet! Good thing I was reminded or I would have not tasted the very savory dim sum with the star anise giving most of its flavour. It was jelly like in consistency that it just slides between the teeth, separating the bones.

Dessert was my favorite – Almond Jelly with Sago. I just love how it is flavored light and not overly sweet yet giving my taste buds a hint of sweetness that reminds me its dessert, just a healthier one.

But I really did miss the sio pao. I was already so full that eating one might make me create a scene. And also I just can’t take one get and get one bite for as with all other buffets, No Leftovers, Please! And sharing is not allowed. Good thing this buffet costs only PhP198/pax – a really giveaway offer to the Ilonggos for lunch and dinner, twice a week. So I might find myself back there very soon, hungry for more! (But I’ll have a sio pao first).

Red Corner by HongKong Kitchen

Plazuela de Iloilo, Mandurria, Iloilo City

Tel. Nos. 333-3807 / 301-0864

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

Fruits from the grocery

These packs of cut up fruits were bought from SM Delgado's grocery. Got enticed by their color and luckily, they were as good as they looked, especially the papaya. Each was just less than Php 22, really a bargain!

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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