My Birthday Lunch

My birthday was last September but the celebration lasts for months since I have to treat different groups of friends and co-workers. That’s how it is in the Philippines. The celebrant does all the treating. But on the day of my actual birthday I was treated to a scrumptious lunch at a very good family friend’s house since their dad had the same birthday as me. Lucky, lucky me!!

Since we were a big group they had lunch catered at their home by Century Seafood Restaurant.

menu

Misua or any kind of noodles is always present in a Chinese birthday meal. It’s supposed to represent long life. That’s a colored quail egg on top.

birthday misua

The highlight of our meal was this chicken soup filled with all sorts of goodies like dried scallops, black mushroom, s. fin and the tender meat of the coconut which added a sweetness to the soup. Thank goodness I shared the soup with my friend otherwise I couldn’t eat anything else.

double boiled chicken soup in coconut

Each culture has it’s own way of making roasted baby pig. In Spain it’s called cochinillo, in the Philippines we have our own lechon de leche and for the Chinese they have the suckling pig. Each has it’s own way of cooking but the end desired result is a crispy skin and succulent meat.

Chinese suckling pig

It was served like this. You’re supposed to put the thin piece of crispy skin in between the bread (siopao bun) and dab a little hoisin sauce. I skipped the bread and just munched on the skin and got seconds. Yummmmm!

I have a new favorite Riesling. So sweet!

2010 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese

dried whole abalone with black mushroom & broccoli

roast duck, fried shrimp with salted egg & stir fried boneless eel

At this point I was so full already. Everything was excellent including this delicious lobster.

stir fried baby lobster with ginger & onion

fried crab with tausi & garlic

The shell with all the sinful fat is my favorite part.

oil simmered lapu lapu

A revelation to me were these sweet and crisp French green beans. It was my first time to try these beans and I love them! Pairing them with fat succulent scallops were just perfect.

fresh scallops with French green beans

sea cucumber with fish maw & vegetables

Did I say I was full? I couldn’t help but try the sukiyaki beef. I planned to try a small piece only but the thin, buttery slice of beef was too good to resist. One more please? Next to the soup and green beans this was my favorite dish.

sukiyaki beef with x.o. sauce

birthday bun

Five cakes and 1 was mine.

birthday cakes

When Elizabeth called me to ask what kind of birthday cake I wanted I wasn’t ashamed to request Karen’s Green Tea Layer cake since I was obsessed with anything matcha and I wanted to try Karen’s version.

Karen’s Kitchen Green Tea Layer Cake

Oh boy!! I was in matcha heaven. Dense layers of green tea sponge cake topped with green tea buttercream and a layer of chocolate ganache. If you love green tea then you must try this cake. Thanks to Elizabeth and her family for my cake and the fabulous birthday lunch.

The Century Seafood Restaurant
Ground Floor Century Park Hotel
Pablo Ocampo St. corner M. Adriatico St.
Malate, Manila
telephone: 524-1821 to 27

Karen’s Kitchen
107B, #210 Zodiac Street, Palm Village,
Makati, Metro Manila 1211 Philippines
telephone: (632) 898-2280
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