SPECTACTULAR MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL MENU AT CRYSTAL JADE

Crystal Jade Dining In ushers in the "ber" months with its THE MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL MENU. A spectacular new menu along with the ROYAL MOONCAKE CLASSICS are now available for diners to enjoy

MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL SET MENU

ROASTED PEKING DUCK

The duck looked impressive. That dark red glistening skin is drool worthy. If you just want the duck , you can order it ala carte as follows :

Half P2000

Whole P3500

Dual Servings P300

Trio Servings P600

The chef chopped the duck for us and assembled the pieces with some greens inside and hoisin sauce in crepe. I tasted the sweet from the hoisin sauce, the crispiness of the duck skin vis avis the little fat and meat from the duck. The slivers of cucumbers inside provided the freshness giving the palate a brief respite from all those heavily rich flavors... so good!

CHILLED CRAB SERVED IN TEOCHEW STYLE
Teochew cuisine is well known for its seafood and vegetarian dishes. Its use of flavouring is much less heavy-handed than most other Chinese cuisines and depends much on the freshness and quality of the ingredients for taste and flavour. As a delicate cuisine, oil is not often used in large quantities and there is a relatively heavy emphasis on poaching, steaming and braising, as well as the common Chinese method of stir-frying.- Wiki

I noted how simply cooked the crab was. There was no sauce to distract you with. Indeed this style of cooking relies heavily on the freshness of the ingredient. The chilled crab was huge and I surmised poached. It was cooked perfectly . My claw came out whole. Yay!

It was just me with my crab and my choice of condiments...

DOUBLE-BOILED SEA WHELK SOUP WITH

MATSUTAKE MUSHROOM & VEGETABLES

A bowl brimming with the silky deliciousness of matsutake mushrooms and fresh vegetables in a broth prepared for hours bythe Crystal Jade Master Chefs

It was a clear soup that looked simple but had complex flavors. The earthiness of the mushroom and its different texture combination intrigued.

But first what is a whelk ? I thought it was a kind of mushroom . But no per Wiki, whelk is a common name applied to various kinds of sea snail. Hmm no wonder there is a layer of flavor that tasted of the sea.

DEEP FRIED PORK RIB WITH MINCED GARLIC

SERVED WITH SEASONAL FRUITS

a crunchy bite of specially marinated pork ribs garnished with lots of garlic for that extra crisp.

This is "kamayan" food. So put down your fork and knife and just lift up that chunky rib to your mouth and gnaw away. You can dip in ginger sauce, soy with chili or vinegar. Rice please

STUFFED CRAB CLAWS WITH SPECIAL MUSHROOM SAUCE

Another masterpice, an out-of-the-ordinary dish that gives crab claws new taste
with its unique mushroom "wrapper"

That is one fat, plump and succulent claw I would not mind ordering again . I loved that it was paired with that crunchy and verdant broccoli.

STEWED EEL WITH BEANCURD SKIN SERVED IN CASSEROLE

For the healthy-consncious, the dish highlights the flavour of the fresh eel mixed with fried beancurd skin adding extra body to the dish

I love unagi so I was not weirded out with this. The fish and mushroom were Im guessing battered and deep fried first before stewing. So the texture is reminiscent of the iconic sweet and sour pork but of course with a different sauce

FRIED RICE WITH DICED CHICKEN AND MINCED GARLIC

Crystal Jade's version induces a savoury aroma from its garlic flavor,
tender chicken and special herbs

The piggery would love this rice . Paired with the delicious ribs and fresh crab, I'm pretty sure they will order extra.

CRYSTAL JADE MINI MOONCAKE

For dessert, CJ is featuring the mini mooncake befitting the Mid-Autumn festivities.

It may be smaller than usual but definitely huge in flavor.

A sweet ending to a bountiful spread, the mini mooncake delivers just the right balance of sweetness, saltiness and richness.

"The brand's rendition is based on a proprietary recipe that renders a thin golden-brown and moist pastry skin, and a generous filling crafted with low-sugar premium natural white lotus for a more wholesome treat " - Crystal Jade Dining In

ROYAL MOONCAKE CLASSICS

I became really curious when I saw that CRYSTAL JADE'S pretty and delicately-hued pink and blue mooncake box not only holds four precious mooncakes but 6 dice as well. Naturally I googled it...

Mooncake Festival Dice Game

Per Wikipedia,

The Mooncake Festival Dice Game also known as Pua Tiong Chiu or Bo Bing Chinese dice game traditionally played as part of the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The history of the game dates back to the 1600s when it was conceptualized by Chinese general, Zheng Chenggong of the Southern Ming along with his lower officer Hong Xu. Zheng at the time the game was invented was stationed with his troops in Xiamen where they are preparing to take Taiwan from the Dutch which was occupied by the Europeans since 1624. The game was an attempt to boost the morale of Zheng's homesicked troops every Mid-Autumn Festival.^[1]

The game known as Bo Bing (lit. gambling for cakes) in China, traditionally involves six dices and a China bowl with 63 different sized mooncakes as prizes for the winning players. The game became popular in Xiamen and is considered a folk game. In modern times, daily necessities, household appliances and money were sometimes given as prizes instead of the traditional mooncakes.^[1]

In the Philippines, the game is known as Pua Tiong Chiu among the Chinese Filipino community.^[2]
Now this is exciting, you can play your own Pua Tiong Chiu with the family when you bring home a box
of Crystal Jade's moon cake.

Now a taste...
Before I took a bite though, I paused a bit to admire the care and artistry evident in the mooncake Im
having a stare fest with. It was really a beautiful piece.

Nestled inside its core is a golden orb. Like yin and yang, the mooncake itself was sweet contrasting with the saltiness of that yellow-orange ball that was the yolk.

The outer layer was silky almost creamy, while that of the yolk was crumbly. The contrast in texture and taste was perfect. I finished one mini by myself huhu.

You can bring home a box if you want . Just order one from the server. There are two variants in a set - 2 pcs. of White Lotus Plain and 2 pcs Double Egg Yolk. Each set comes in an exquisite box and a pouch with dice and instructions for a dice game.

Crystal Jade Mooncake Classics - P2088 per box.

Other Must-try ...

Ms. Aida Velaso (COO and General Manager Crystal Jade) also shared with us her favorite Bolo Buns, XLB and Blueberry Yoghurt Drink. All 3 items were indeed scrumptious and are must-try.

Although not part of the Mid-autumn menu, you can order them ala carte.

BOLO BUN

Reminiscent of the famous michelin-star pork buns of another restaurant, Crystal Jade's version was a bit bigger with some sort of a chewy-crunchy-delicious yellow custard (?) on top. The whole bun looked like a pineapple. And so it should because per Ms. Aida Velasco (COO Crystal Jade), Bolo means pineapple in Chinese.

Crystal Jade's fruit drinks were fresh and delicious as well. Choose from a plethora of options from their Drinks Menu. New on their menu are the Blueberry Yoghurt as well as Strawberry Yoghurt drinks.

Last but not least, one can not visit Crystal Jade Dining In without ordering their world famous XLB.

About Crystal Jade Group

Founded in Singapore in 1991
Committed to preserving the rich traditions of Chinese Cuisine
Various dining concepts from fine dining , casual dining to specialty bakeries
Famous for its well-loved Xiao Long Bao, Cantonese barbecued meats, Hong kong dimsum an bolo buns
100 outlets in 20 countries
"In 2014, LCapital Asia (the private equity arm of LVMH Moet Hennesy/ Louis Vuitton) officiated a 90% stake buy in Crystal Jade.
"In June 2015, Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) announced its almost S$70 million investment in the group as well"

Crystal Jade The Brand

One-MICHELIN star
Founded over 25 years ago
Brand mission "to spread the word on Chinese cuisine and culture"
core principles of Chinese cuisine while drawing influence from modern gastronomy

Overall...

FOOD.
What a wonderful way to experience CRYSTAL JADE'S spectacular MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL MENU. It was really hard to pinpoint my favorites but I would say the duck and crab were of course top marks followed closely by the claw and the rib.

I also can not get over how exquisitely gorgeous in presentation and taste,their mooncakes were. Mid-Autumn Festival is not complete without those delicious pastries. If you order their Mid-autumn menu, mini mooncakes are already included as dessert. Or you can just order the mooncakes in a box that is so lovely to behold, you would not want to part with it haha.

AMBIANCE.
Fine dining- visualize gleaming cutlery, black-suit-clad servers, crisp white table linen. But casual as well . There was no dress code. I loved how spacious and grand it looked with its high ceiling , tall columns, etc.

PRICE.
Yes it is pricey. But you get what you pray for.

SERVICE.
Cheerful, meticulous yet unobtrusive.

***

The MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL SET MENU shall run from

September 10 to October 30, 2018

Set A 10 ppl P23,800 +

Set B 8 ppl P19,800 +

Set C 6 ppl P13,800 +

Thank you Miss Aida Velasco (COO General Manager) for having us and Ms. MK for the invite.