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| Xiao Long Pao. Where else? |
Just like Hainanese chicken, which has taken a long time in coming to Manila, the Xiao Long Pao is another Asian delicacy that has kept us holding our breaths. For the longest time, we settled for the version of Su Zhou (one on Mabini in Mandaluyong/ San Juan and another in Manila) so when Crystal Jade arrived, whose reputation for the dumpling has earned it the many awards it boasts of proudly on its doors, Filipinos came knocking on those doors.
I immediately asked the waiter on my first visit what Cong. JV Ejercito orders. First because he was first to recommend Crystal Jade. Second because it is HIS town (mayor for 9 years and now Congressman, not to mention both his dad was mayor for 17 years and his mom's now mayor!) so they MUST offer him the best on the menu. Third because I know that he not only loves to eat but he knows how to eat well. (I learned to appreciate XO sauce and discovered the not-on-the-menu chicken at Choi Garden thanks to him.) The waiter pointed to this:
More than that, do not miss the hand-pulled noodles. This is of excellent quality that even Romy Dorotan, who (probably as he used to better dumplings in the State of New York in the US of A) did not appreciate the XLP, loved.
But you can also opt for these noodles with peanuts. Really different.
Eating with the family? Pork it over. Sumptuous.
Still have room for dessert? Get the bill and leave. There's Haagen Dazs strawberry ice cream and Milky Way halo halo just outside.
CRYSTAL JADE. Ground Floor (Unit 1170121) Virra Mall, Greenhills (beside Haagen Dazs), San Juan. +632 570 6910 or 12. Open 11am to 10pm daily. Major credit cards accepted. Wheelchair accessible. No reservations and there may be a line outside. Parking in Greenhills is a majormajor hassle but there is valet parking by the movie theater.
I immediately asked the waiter on my first visit what Cong. JV Ejercito orders. First because he was first to recommend Crystal Jade. Second because it is HIS town (mayor for 9 years and now Congressman, not to mention both his dad was mayor for 17 years and his mom's now mayor!) so they MUST offer him the best on the menu. Third because I know that he not only loves to eat but he knows how to eat well. (I learned to appreciate XO sauce and discovered the not-on-the-menu chicken at Choi Garden thanks to him.) The waiter pointed to this:
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| Spicy Pork Dumpling |
But you can also opt for these noodles with peanuts. Really different.
Eating with the family? Pork it over. Sumptuous.
Still have room for dessert? Get the bill and leave. There's Haagen Dazs strawberry ice cream and Milky Way halo halo just outside.
CRYSTAL JADE. Ground Floor (Unit 1170121) Virra Mall, Greenhills (beside Haagen Dazs), San Juan. +632 570 6910 or 12. Open 11am to 10pm daily. Major credit cards accepted. Wheelchair accessible. No reservations and there may be a line outside. Parking in Greenhills is a majormajor hassle but there is valet parking by the movie theater.
