Chinese New Year dinner at Gloria Maris restaurant

The Chinese population in the Philippines is very small so Chinese New Year is not a public holiday. We usually celebrate it simply by having dinner with family in a Chinese restaurant. This year my cousin Bobby chose Gloria Maris in Greenhills as the venue for our family reunion. Gloria Maris is one of the biggest Chinese restaurants in Manila. As expected the whole restaurant was fully booked for the night.

ground floor

reservation list for the ground floor

We occupied two tables on the 2nd floor. We were there early so the place was still empty. I enjoyed the peace and quiet which lasted for all of 20 minutes.

stitched photo

reservation list for the 2nd floor

Most Chinese restaurants serve peanuts and they come in all shapes and flavors. Some have the skin on, some glisten with oil and salt while some have loads of garlic. These peanuts were dry roasted and didn’t have any visible salt. They were one of the best peanuts I’ve ever eaten. I could taste the peanuts’ natural sweetness and flavor.

peanuts

Despite the restaurant’s full capacity, the service was surprisingly good. We never had to wait for the food. Overall the food was satisfactory considering the kitchen had to cook for at least 100 tables all at the same time. There wasn’t really anything outstanding. I was just happy everything was edible and nothing to complain about.

assorted cold cuts

steamed shrimp

noodles

Peking duck

mashed taro w/ golden mushroom

wintermelon soup

braised mushrooms

minced duck in lettuce cups

lapu lapu w/ tauso

Tauso or crispy soy bean is a slightly salty and nutty topping usually used on steamed fish. It’s a favorite way of serving fresh fish in Chinese restaurants in Manila. The crispy soy bean adds a delicious flavor and texture to the smooth and delicate fish. This product comes from Taiwan. If you can find this in your local Asian store I suggest you try it. Simply add a few spoonfuls to your steamed fish fillet and you’ll find yourself with an empty jar in no time at all.

tauso or fried crispy soy bean

masachi or mochi
(glutinous rice balls stuffed w/ a black sesame filling)

ube or purple jam jelly

almond jelly w/ lychee

In the middle of dinner 2 dragons swooped down on us and created a racket. Well human dragons anyway. Notice the dragons being fed red packets of lucky money. The dragons are supposed to bring good luck to the establishment and to the people who feed them the red packets.

Gloria Maris
Greenhills Shopping Center,
Ortigas Avenue, San Juan
telephone: 722-5508 to 10, 721-3504