ZNH: So delicious, so modern, so Chinese

Zhongnanhai means "The Central and Southern Seas." It refers to a place and a lifestyle. Within its closely guarded walls, the Chinese elite enjoyed all the best China could offer. It was home to the likes of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, and the first president of the Chinese Republic, Yuan Shikai. To be "called to Zhongnanhai" was a mark of success; a much coveted honor, as one had a chance to rub elbows with important thinkers, economists, policymakers, and businessmen.

Zhongnanhai is also the name of the newest restaurant offering excellent Chinese cuisine.

Forget the ubiquitous bird’s nest soup, Cantonese-style noodles, or pork smothered by a red-orange sweet and sour sauce. Perish the thought that you will see those standard fixtures found in most Chinese restaurants: revolving lazy susans atop round tables.

Zhongnanhai Chinese Bistro – call it ZNH for short – in Greenbelt 2 decidedly breaks the cliches. Its interiors are comfortably modern. The menu defines contemporary Chinese cuisine at its delectable best.

What sets ZNH apart is the range of its cuisine. "Extensive" accurately describes the menu. Whereas run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurants are content to serve Cantonese fare solely, ZNH’s menu offers Shanghai, Beijing, Szechuan, Hunan and Fujian cooking as well. There are 170 dishes to choose from.

"We want to introduce culinary specialties from the different regions in China," explains Arnold Co, moving force behind Mac-Co Holdings Inc., which owns the restaurant, as well as the Philippine franchises for Max Brenner Chocolate Bar, Oliver’s Super Sandwiches and Haagen-Dazs. "Zhongnanhai Chinese Bistro positions itself as an alternative Chinese restaurant with a hip, non-traditional setting, but with a strong, value-for-money proposition." He relates that he has done his research, and has, in fact, embarked on food-tasting trips to China. Eventually, chef Chan Chun Hung of Hong Kong was tasked to whip up the gustatory delights.

No detail was spared to ensure a thoroughly authentic, yet unconventional dining experience. The music played at the restaurant, claims the amiable and articulate Arnold Co, is that by pre-Cultural Revolution Shanghainese divas set to more contemporary beats. With this unusual piece of trivia, we set out to enjoy a thoroughly unique and exceptional feast.

For the 13-course food-tasting lunch hosted by the ZNH exclusively for the Philippine STAR, we started our meal with a Shanghai specialty, Green Onion Pancake, which was light and delicately flavored. This was quickly followed by a tasty Steamed Shrimp Dumpling in Basil (Beijing-style) and Michael’s Steamed Crispy Radish Roll-over (Hong Kong), named after a friend of the owners. Judging from the roll-over’s medley of flavors and textures, Michael must indeed be a multi-faceted man if the dish was named in his honor.

The dishes came quickly afterwards. Steamed Dumpling in Chili Sauce – hot, spicy and true to its Szechuan origins; Drunken Chicken Shanghai-style which was marinated in Shiaoxing wine; and Xiao Long Pao with Crabmeat, hot dumplings best eaten with the aid of a soup spoon as the savory broth within the dumpling tends to burst out as one bites into the delicious morsel.

A soothing Braised Shredded Garoupa Soup with Vegetables with tender slivers of white garoupa fish in a rich broth followed next. We were told that the secret to a superior soup starts with the broth. A pot-full of rich stock is kept constantly boiling to extract flavor for an exceptional soup.

Ruth Co, Arnold’s svelte and elegant wife, shares the secret to the unusual taste of the food. Only the best ingredients are used and no local substitutes are made to preserve authenticity. Furthermore, a premium is placed on the freshness of ingredients. Produce is obtained directly from the farms to ensure its superior quality. To prove her point, Ruth let us taste naturally dried red dates which stayed sweet and moist without the infusion of sugar.

We had already eaten a substantial amount of food, but more entrees were served. Soft Bean Curd with Crab Meat, rich and yellow-orange with sinfully delicious crab fat gave us temporary amnesia with regards to the perils of increased cholesterol levels. The dish entailed considerable chopstick-wielding skills, but we persevered and in fact, helped ourselves to second servings.

This was followed by Braised Chicken with Basil Leaves in Rice Wine (Beijing-style) and Stir Fried Diced Eight Treasures Minced in Spicy Sauce (Shanghai-style), an unusual combination of minced meats, peanuts and chilies.

Dan-Dan Noodles in Spicy Sauce, a Shanghai favorite was the penultimate addition to the hearty meal. By then, we were thoroughly satiated and felt that we could no longer eat another mouthful.

But then dessert was served. Who could resist Steamed Glutinous Rice Balls Stuffed with Egg Custard, which was also a visual feast, as it came with a miniature (and edible) sculpture of a colorful bird?

However, as a self-confessed sweet-tooth, I would have to declare that the piece de resistance and my personal favorite was the Shanghai-style Poached Pear with Fragrant Flower. It was a refreshing and unusual concoction flavored with lemon zest and fragrant flower – a tiny, brown plant which only the Chinese and accomplished botanists can identify, in a warm, light, honey-flavored syrup.

Dining at ZNH was definitely an enlightening experience. The unusual entrees proved the extraordinary ranges that Chinese regional cuisine could span. The service, under the supervision of operations manager Andrew James Olivar, formerly of Westin Singapore, was impeccable. The attentive staff was trendy with their unusual dyed and gelled hairstyles.

We probably ate too much. Perhaps, our next visit should include an exploration of the ZNH Tea Menu: Eggplant Rose Tea (removes and helps in eliminating body fat), Fat Losing Leaf (specializes in losing fat, lowering cholesterol levels, and reducing blood pressure) and German Wild Lover (reduces cholesterol and glucose levels) are particularly attractive, while 15 other varieties of unusual tea concoctions clamor to be sampled too.

The verdict? Excellent food, impeccable service and reasonable rates (prices start at P48 per dish) are an auspicious combination. ZNH rocks. The good luck gourd or wu-lu embroidered on the staff uniforms is probably superfluous.

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ZNH opens to the public starting Tuesday, November 9. It will be open for lunch, merienda and dinner from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends. It is located in Greenbelt 2, Makati, at the former site of Restaurant 12, right beside Kai. For inquiries, call 758-1111 or 758-2222.

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Joy Angelica T. Subido is the First Prize winner in the 2004 Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Awards. She has been a Philippine STAR Lifestyle Section contributing writer since 2000.