Modern China revisited
September 29, 2005 | 12:00am
Counting calories curtails the enjoyment of good food. Thus, knowing that lunch was going to be at Modern China, I didn’t bother with breakfast. Modern China happens to be one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Makati City. Serving Cantonese, Shanghai and Northern dishes, its cuisine may be described as "authentic yet adventurous." On one hand, you can expect traditionally cooked dishes that taste as they should. Then again, one is pleasantly surprised at the unusual and delicious alternatives on the menu. Each visit at Modern China has me marveling, "I didn’t realize that Chinese cuisine could be so progressive!"
The chef recommended the seafood dishes and I was secretly pleased. See, I had resolved to eat a healthier diet, but was sorely tempted to have the mouthwatering Southern-style pork again. Thus, it was a good thing that the menu was already set. Meat was clearly out-of-synch with the rest of the seafood-based selection, and I successfully resisted the temptation of pork.
The description of the fried stuffed prawns was understated: "Fresh prawns with marinated minced shrimp coated with shredded rice paper." This did not prepare us for the huge specimens that found their way to our table. Initially, we thought that the prawns were made unusually big because of the batter coating. Cutting through the thin rice paper coating, however, we discovered that there seemed to be no breading mixture. The prawn’s flesh was, expectedly, firmer than that of the shrimp. However, we barely noticed the difference in texture as we enjoyed flavorful mouthfuls. The shrimp was so fresh that it was actually sweet. This initial dish was so excellent that we were prepared to stop right there and eat prawns solely for the rest of the meal.
However, the fried seafood bean curd roll (P260/order) was too tempting. We bit into the plump fingers and discovered that it was filled with diced assorted seafood and tender bean curd. Although this was supposed to have been deep-fried, there was hardly any trace of oil. The dish came with a dipping sauce, which I decided to forgo to be able to appreciate the subtle flavors even more.
The steamed egg with mixed seafood (P260) came in a fluted dish. It wasn’t much to look at, as the only thing that lent color to it was a light sprinkling of orange crab roe. With the first mouthful, however, the old adage, "Don’t judge by appearances," came to mind. Each spoonful of soft egg white with random bits of seafood was delicious and soothing. It was a thicker and better alternative to soup; yet, it could be a complete meal on its own. Light yet substantial, this dish should be a favorite of people who appreciate good food, but are not partial to the bloated feeling one gets after eating too much. Of course, key to the success of the dish is what the chef calls the superior sauce. But what exactly goes into the superior sauce? I have eaten in enough restaurants to know that what the chef calls his superior sauce is usually a euphemism for secret sauce. The chef would hedge and quibble until he could avoid revealing what goes into it, so I didn’t bother to ask about ingredients.
I thought it couldn’t get better, but the Japanese prawn salad (P480 for four) found its way to our table. "Fried crispy shrimp in combination with Japanese crab sticks, fruit salad and seasonal vegetable" seemed ordinary enough. However, by then, I knew that I shouldn’t rely too much on the description on the menu, as the merits of the dish were most probably understated. How right I was! As expected, the prawns were fresh and tasty, the crab sticks were the superior brand available from the store, the lettuce and cucumber were crisp, and the tomatoes were ripe and firm. What makes Modern China’s prawn salad stand out is its excellent dressing. True, mayonnaise-based dressings are generally considered run-of-the-mill. Not this dressing, though. With horseradish or wasabi, the mayonnaise-based dressing of the prawn salad is raised a notch higher. Definitely, to be able to achieve the perfect balance with wasabi each time takes much skill. The wasabi was discernible; yet not strong enough to induce sinus clearing. Each mouthful of prawn salad was a medley of different textures and flavors: salty, sweet, crunchy, juicy, creamy and tangy. Delicious.
We hesitated to dig into the crab rice, as it would take considerable dexterity to be able to pry out the flesh of the fat crab with silverware. As we lifted the crab’s red carapace, we were pleased to discover that the crab was already quartered. It took minimum effort (and less mess) to extricate the sweet, white crab meat. I appropriated the carapace with its hardened, tasty, and bright orange fat. Everyone else avoided it and the perils of cholesterol, but I was unrepentant. Each mouthful was well worth the additional time I would spend on my timeworks exercise machine later on. The crab sat on a rich bed of rice cooked with mushrooms and Chinese sausage, which, on its own, could be considered a full meal already.
We ate a lot and we couldn’t possibly eat more. Well, surprise, surprise. There had to be dessert. This was Modern China, after all, that serves excellent pastries made with chocolate bars. We shared the Snickers turtle pie, Modern China cheesecake (with a strawberry topping) and an ube-langka cheesecake that made us realize that Modern China was in tune with traditional Filipino favorites, too. At P190 per serving, the desserts are actually cheaper now than they were a few months ago. Was this right?
Lourdes Chu, consultant of Orientalia Cuisine Inc., the company that operates Modern China, says that, indeed, desserts are actually cheaper now than they were six months ago. Prices in the restaurant have generally remained stable, mainly due to the company’s constant efforts to buy the best ingredients from reputable suppliers at the lowest prices. In these times of escalating costs, this is delicious news, indeed.
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