Remember the original Lugang along Connecticut street in Greenhills? I remember it was the hottest and hardest table to get for the first few yeas. Now that Lugang has branches in the malls the owners reinvented the space to a fine dining Cantonese restaurant.
They did a magnificent job with the modern Chinese interiors. A lot of the artwork as well as the mural by the stairs were painted by a local artist.
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The glass leaves that dropped from the high ceiling draws everyones eye as soon as you enter.//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js
Good news for the seniors and pwd is the new elevator.
The second floor was a big open area that could be subdivided into private rooms of different sizes.
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This was painted by a local artist with the face of the owner! So cute.
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“Coming from a long line of respected restaurateurs, Lawrence Koo from West Villa, brings his vast knowledge of Cantonese cuisine to the table, while Executive Chef David Cheung boasts three decades’ worth of experience overseeing the action in the kitchens of Hong Kong and China’s premier restaurants such as West Villa and Lei Garden.”
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Some bloggers and media people were treated to a full set menu.
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The pride and joy of West Villa in Hong Kong is their prime cut char siu. From a kilo of pork only about 10% is good enough to be served. The rest will be used in fried rice or employee meals. You can see from the picture below that the pork was cut quite thick yet it was very tender. It was indeed good and very lean. So lean that I missed the small bits of fat that’s usually charred into crispy edges.
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The crispy, really crispy pork belly is sure to be a hit with pork loving Pinoys.
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Fish maw is highly prized by Chinese women because it’s high in collagen and they believe it will give them good skin. I was told fish maw costs more than the controversial fin. In my opinion it tasted better too. I loved the double boiled soup a lot. The flavor was strong at the same time subtle specially with the lingering taste of almonds. I’m used to sweet almond soup for dessert but this was the first time I’ve had it savory and it works!
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I always thought double boiled soup meant boiling it twice and for a long time. It actually meant the soup was steamed in a double boiler for several hours. Doing it this way keep the chicken pieces whole as shown below. If you boil the soup in direct heat the meat will be crumbled. They have a Hong Kong chef in charge of just steaming.
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The only dish that I didn’t like that much was the chopped conch seasoned with curry powder and stuffed into a shell and topped with cheese. It wasn’t bad but just wasn’t my type.
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Everyone in the table raved about the super, duper tender stewed short ribs. Even the tendon melted in my mouth. All that was lacking was a bowl of rice. This is a must order and it’s enough to feed 6 or more people.
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The first time I had lobster with cheese sauce in a Chinese restaurant I thought it was odd since cheese isn’t exactly a Chinese ingredient. It didn’t really matter since the cheese flavor was usually very mild. Well not with Xiu’s version. They used pure cheddar cheese so the taste was strong just like eating mac n’ cheese. This is usually served with noodles but they omitted it since we had so much food. But I couldn’t let all the luscious sauce go to waste so I requested fried mantou to dip in the sauce. Boy was it a great idea!!!
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The lapu lapu was cooked perfectly. They served it deboned already.
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The premium soy sauce chicken used Hong Kong chicken with thicker and fattier skin. It was just ok for me or maybe I was already so full by that time.
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Sweet and sour pork may seem simple but it’s one of the hardest dishes to get right. I’m quite anal about the pork being crunchy with the sauce just coating the meat without drowning it. Xiu’s version had a very light and airy crunch that lasted a long time. The best thing I liked about it was the tender meat that was very flavorful. At other restaurants it may tast good from the outside but bland inside. This was full flavor all throughout.
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Lettuce sautéed with Chinese bagoong was unique and a favorite of the owners.
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The crab with tons of fried garlic looked so tempting but I really couldn’t eat another bite. But the others in my table said it was good.
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Too full to eat crab but I just had to try the black ink rice made from fresh squid ink. No bottled ink here. I loved it!! It tasted like a better paella negra. They used lots of garlic and ginger in the rice. No wonder it was so tasty. I had some saved lobster on my plate so I ate it with the rice. The others put crab meat and crispy garlic on the rice. Any way you eat it this is a must order for me.
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Their specialty are these giant buchi balls that are hollow. It took a special process to make this. They can even make it bigger!! It was nice and chewy and not too sweet. I wish I had some thick dark chocolate to dip it in though.
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Congratulations to all the HK and local chefs! You did a great job. I can see all of Manila wanting to try Xiu and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Xiu’s food doesn’t use msg and is not salty but still very flavorful. It’s more subtle too than other Chinese restaurants. Best of all the food isn’t greasy.
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Check out the Xiu’s menu below. (click the arrows)
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Press Release
Xiu brings authentic Cantonese cooking from Hong Kong to Manila
It’s about two hours by plane from Hong Kong to Manila, but if you’re really hankering for food from this cosmopolitan city hailed as a “Gourmet Paradise,” take a drive to Connecticut Street in Northeast Greenhills, San Juan, where a restaurant masterfully captures the flair and flavor of authentic Hong Kong cuisine.
Chinese translation for “elegance,” Xiu gives guests a true taste of Hong Kong the minute they walk into this well-appointed fine dining restaurant. A marriage of Old World charm and modern aesthetics, this two-floor, 230-seater restaurant with five private rooms exudes luxury and ease all at once: note the striking indoor fountain, blend of earth tones, rich golds, and calming shades of blue, and refined details like lattice wood work, silk, and geometric and floral patterns. References to the Chinese phoenix (Feng Huang) in Xiu’s interiors reinforce this state of balance, as the creature, which is composed of the Yin and the Yang, symbolizes virtue, grace, and beauty, as well as the harmonious unity of opposite forces.
An array of traditional Cantonese dishes along with more innovative trends from the Hong Kong fine dining scene (focusing on live seafood) are the appetizing offerings of this restaurant that follows closely in the heels of Lugang Café, Tuan Tuan, and The Dessert Kitchen—three favorite food establishments brought to you by HTCG.
Known as one of eight major cooking styles of China, Cantonese cooking traces its roots back to the Guandong Province (formerly known as “Canton”). Today, the cooking style, largely responsible for shaping Hong Kong’s culinary scene, is characterized by its sparing use of spices, as well as the proper handling and preparation of ingredients to keep their freshness and enhance their flavors.
It’s a tall order, but one that Xiu achieves daily thanks to its fruitful collaborations with key players from Hong Kong’s vibrant culinary scene. Coming from a long line of respected restaurateurs, Lawrence Koo from West Villa, brings his vast knowledge of Cantonese cuisine to the table, while Executive Chef David Cheung boasts three decades’ worth of experience overseeing the action in the kitchens of Hong Kong and China’s premier restaurants such as West Villa and Lei Garden.
As Xiu’s chef de cuisine, Cheung leads a team of seven Hong Kong chefs, each with many years of training and exposure in a Michelin-grade restaurant. Cheung has also provided assistance in cooking up the menu for Xiu, bringing in the finest of Cantonese recipes to Manila.
The proof, of course, is in the pudding—or in Xiu’s case, dishes that are as much a visual feast as they are a gastronomic one.
Tease your taste buds with a Double-Boiled Fish Maw and Almond Soup, a specialty of the house that starts with ingredients placed in a ceramic jar or pot that is submerged in boiling water then steamed for several hours. Double-boiling, a traditional Cantonese cooking method, is clean as it does not let ingredients get in contact with boiling water, thus preserving their natural essences. One main ingredient, the rare and precious fish maw, teems with protein, collagen, complex carbohydrates, and other nutrients—but very little fat. It also possesses healing, energy-boosting, and anti-aging properties. Served with almond soup, which is good for the lungs and skin, and you have a filling dish that is both healthy and delicious.
Birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions call for a plate or two of Honey-Glazed Prime Cut Char Xiu. This savory treat promises melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and juiciness with its combination of prime cut pork with perfect marbling, secret marination, and meticulous cooking and roasting techniques.
Seafood lovers, meanwhile, have a large range of live and fresh catches that can be cooked in a variety of ways. Try Elephant Clams with Truffle, Deep-Fried Eel with Fermented Red Bean Curd Sauce, or Steamed Crab with Vermicelli, among others.
Extensive selections of pork, beef, chicken, rice, noodles, and soup, all artfully plated by the chefs, are yours for the picking. Whatever your fancy, make sure to finish off your feast with delectable bites of Longevity Balls.
Suddenly, Hong Kong just got a little closer to home.
Xiu Fine Cantonese Dining Restaurant
115 Connecticut Street, Northeast Greenhills, San Juan City
telephone: 650-7189 / 0947-7070228
website: http://www.xiu.com.ph
instagram: Xiuph | #XiuPH
Shoot First Eat Later 
Yummyyyy!!! 👅
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