Skip to main content

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


Popular posts from this blog

Ready-to-cook Pancit Molo balls

It was only today that I remembered buying a pack of ready-to-cook pancit Molo. Locals are fortunate to buy them at groceries here saving them time, money and effort in the tedious preparation of pancit Molo. Anyway every pack of the RTC pancit Molo has the balls and the lang-lang . Its the balls that entice the buyers and the lang lang that "dictates" the price and weight. For this blog entry, I opted for the AR brand (150 grams for PhP 21) since they had the more photogenic combination at that time though I'm more partial to the Cares brand. Separating the contents makes you realize that what you actually bought but for that price, it's already a bargain, can be cooked in many ways and can serve 2-3 people. It is then up to you what you can make out from a pack or more. For this preparation, I used 2 chicken broth cubes and just estimated the amount of water. Upon taste test I added a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper and few drops of soy sauce. I boiled the lang

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 (

A new flavour for the Dinagyang 2011 Food Festival

Aside from the dances, drums and colorful costumes, Dinagyang also means food and Iloilo City has a lot to offer during this 3-day event. The festival brings them to the streets with the much awaited Dinagyang Food Festiva l . For four days, major streets in the city are lined with food stalls and kiosks that everywhere one turns it all about food. As this article states, major streets in Iloilo City will have a food festival there will be plenty of places to indulge in during D inagyang 2011 . ILOILO City's world-famous Dinagyang Festival will turn the spotlight on Ilonggo cuisine this year. Tourists are encouraged to try chicken barbecue the Ilonggo way and other tasty local dishes during the festival. There are also the world-famous Ilonggo delicacies and other concoctions to bring home after enjoying the Dinagyang ati-atihan and Kasadyahan competitions. Not only that. The 1s t Iloilo Convention and Visitors Bureau (ICVB) International Food Festival 2011 will attempt t

Valenciana

A close relative of paella, this dish originated in Valencia, Spain and probably brought by the Spaniards when they colonized the country. Always a staple in family gatherings, this yellow rice is a complete meal in itself, with pork, chicken, liver, chorizo, shrimps, bellpeppers, peas and raisins to name its basic ingredients. RECIPE Saute your choice meats and vegetables. Cook malagkit rice with turmeric and broth cubes then mix sauted meat and vegetables when almost done. Garnish with hardboiled eggs and onion leaves.

SIDRO: Iloilo's very own gourmet doughnuts

Just listening to Isidro Panizales Jr. animatedly talking about his life before and after being a “doughnut-preneur”, is like the different flavors of Sidro Doughnuts . Each variant seems to reflect different aspects of his almost three decades of living in America. From his work in corporate America for more than 10 years to that one little spark of deciding leaving work to pursue his delicious passion – life is like a box of doughnuts! IN A DOUGHNUT HOLE Sidro is an offshoot from the name Isidro but as Sid says, it’s a tribute to his father.  The first Sidro Doughnuts came out of the kitchen and delivered to one lucky doughnut-phile on Dec. 18 last year.  It comes in two sizes – Junior Doughnuts which at 30 grams each are perfect for parties and occasions. But if you can’t enough, there are the Regular Doughnuts which is more than 3x at  100 grams and comes with more toppings and flavours.  Choose among nine specially concocted creations - Bugnay Berry, Calamansi, Dulce