LUGANG Café (not a cafe) is a three-story restaurant on Connecticut Avenue in Greenhills serving Taiwanese and Cantonese cuisine. It is a franchise of the Bellagio-Lugang Xiaozhen Group, a Beijing-based restaurant chain with over 26 branches all over China, and comes with all the perks of a professional franchise: glossy menus with pictures that make you salivate, waitresses with walkie-talkies, a customized version of “Happy Birthday To You” to be sung by the waiters. But none of the tackiness associated with some franchises at all.
In fact, while it is by no means a fine dining restaurant, it felt refined and stylish. Big wooden doors with Oriental door knobs welcome guests; high ceilings with long, pipe chandeliers accomplish a good first impression; purple faux velvet chairs and beige plastic chairs make for comfortable, non-intimidating elegance; and a long, beautiful sketch of a sleek Dragon on the second floor wall add a touch of culture.
The menu is extensive, with indications of Taiwanese regional specialties and spicy dishes. The bestseller is the Xiao Long Bao, a soup-filled dimsum that in late 2010 made news with the entry into the Greenhills market of Crystal Jade, another restaurant franchise. Here, it is delicate and delectable. Be sure to make that slurping sound when you prick into it as you may burn your tongue with its broth otherwise. This is filled with pork but vegetarians may opt for the angled loofah version.
As Taiwan, like the Philippines, is surrounded by water, it is no surprise that some of their bestsellers are fish. The steamed fish head is testament to the cooking expertise of the Taiwanese, a melt-in-your-mouth experience that includes the unique texture of jaw cartilage. The same play on texture is experienced with the Soysauce Braised Pork Knuckles, the joy of eating which relies on impressive softness of the pig’s fat, ligament and tendons.
Most of the dishes are spicy, such as the Kung Pao Prawns, which are so juicy, and the stir fried beef with chili, which has beef sliced so thinly it is a delight to eat. But there are items that compliment this. The stir fried dragon beans (sigarillas) is cooked with garlic and can temper any spicy viand; the pineapple fried rice is very pineapple-sweet (in fact too sweet, with the pineapple flavor overpowering all others); and the Glutinous Rice and Stewed Pork, which we know otherwise as Machang, is both savory and sweet and would compliment the pork and duck offerings.
There are some items that don’t shine as much as the others. The Hakka Stir Fry with Dried Squid is clearly something to order on the side. The Spicy Pork Ears are just to break the monotony, with its curious flavor. But the rest of the menu is worthy of being feasted on; an honor to eat. The Hainan Bone Chicken has sauces that make for a very satisfying experience; the Szechuan Dan Dan Noodles comes with peanuts, presenting a very appealing Asian flair; and the Garlic Pork Roll, with its refreshing interpretation of pork skin, is as delightful as it is refreshing, a wonderful appetizer.
Don’t miss out on the indulgent and very tall Bellagio Breeze, which is made of monggo beans, ice and milk. Otherwise, they also offer extremely appetizing flavored shaved ice desserts. But after becoming terribly full, I suggest to try the Arabian coffee instead. The mechanism that it comes in, which will be served on the table, is a sure conversation piece and the coffee that drips out is excellent. •
Lugang Café, Greenhills. 116 Connecticut St., Northeast Greenhills, San Juan City. Tel. (02) 775-7599. Open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. Major credit cards accepted. Wheelchair access only until the first level. Parking lot across; no valet parking. Approx. P500-P1000/head, order sizes are for sharing.
