Fu is THE Chinese restaurant of Serendra. By the owners of Hai Shin Lou, it serves favorites from the Pasay Road house such as the hakaw (steamed shrimp dumpling) and the roast duck while introducing new inventions by their Hong Kong - trained Chinese chef, such as the SUCKLING PIG SUSHI (P180 for 4 pieces).
While waiting for my lunch dates Leica and Philip, I observed out of boredom that the interiors had a LOT of black and that the chairs had squares in them, a big no-no in feng shui, as I recall. Talking to Pat Montinola, who manages the place and joined us for lunch later, she explained that the whole feng shui bit just didn't bother them. The Fu team wanted to own up to a different ambiance, where the Chinese experience isn't full on traditional but instead you concentrate on the greatness of the food. In fact, the menu, she said, was designed to cater not to families, like a traditional Chinese restaurant would, but also to singles and couples who simply want their yang chow. True enough, as I browsed through the menu, I noticed that they had three price categories for the small, medium and hefty eater.
We started with the hakaw (Leica's request) but I could not resist the Suckling Pig Sushi which was so beautifully photographed on the menu. It is, simply, sushi with a thin layer of suckling pig skin on top. It was hard to put the entire sushi with the pigskin into your mouth at one time, which I believe is the idea, so I didn't quite enjoy it the way I should have, but I'd give the go an A for creativity. As for taste experience - I'd leave China to China and Japan to Japan and Pinoy lechon to the Philippines for this one.
As Leica devoured the hakaw (well, ok I finished half), I finished my bowl of Hang Chow Fish soup. Very good Chinese soup. I love how the Chinese make their broths filling. And it was just perfect as it was, no need for pepper.
For the main course, we had to have the roasted duck. That was my request. My friends Viva, Louie, Judd and I would frequent Hai Shin Lou when I was still in law school and just pig out on duck after exams.
We also had the Peppercorn Spareribs which was very yum. It was not too spicy, just right; and it was sliceable and just tender enough.
For dessert, Philip insisted we try the Cold Snow Balls. This is a must try, if only for the experience. We suggested to Pat that they sell it by the box. Unfortunately, it won't keep, the balls must be enjoyed immediately, so that suggestion was thrown out the window. So you must come to Fu for this. Philip described it as "like butchi but not". It did remind me of butchi because (1) it was served as a dessert and (2) it was round with filling. But the ball itself is not fried; it's like kutchinta in texture, with coconut shavings. Then you pop it in your mouth to discover the mango filling. And you must enjoy it cold. Very yum.
All in all it was a great experience. It's always refreshing to find a place where traditional meets hip. I was reminded of Shui Hu Ju (68 Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong, (852) 2869-6927), and that can only be a good thing.
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