Xiao long bao, in nine long courses
Solaire’s new Chinese chef Canhua Wang has only been in Manila for a month but is already whipping up new gastronomic adventures for patrons of the popular Red Lantern at Solaire Resort Entertainment City in Parañaque. The amiable chef, who hails from Henan, China, has worked in a number of countries including Oman, Kuwait and Germany before touching down in the Philippines. The exposure to different cultures has definitely brought a spin to a very special xiao long bao menu.
In a city that loves xiao long bao, to come up with a dinner comprised entirely of variations of this popular dumpling can be a daunting challenge. But not to Chef Wang, who was clearly eager for us to try his creations. The menu consists of no less than nine courses, each more stunning than the one before it. This will impress even the most jaded of xiao long bao afficionados.
The appetizer features a Kurobuta pork xiao long bao with a deeply flavorful soup and beside it, a generous piece of pan-seared foie gras on a rectangle of toasted brioche, topped with crisp duck skin. You start with the xiao long bao, then follow with the luscious duck skin and foie gras. You hardly even need the swipe of hoisin on the plate. To help cut back on the richness, the first few courses are matched with a Spring Needle jasmine tea.
The soup course that follows is still a xiao long bao, but it’s the biggest one I’ve even seen and it encloses a rich broth of crab meat and crab roe. You’ll be happy for the dish of black vinegar in front of you and don’t hesitate to ask for more finely sliced ginger, as this balances the unctuousness of the crab soup.
Now the main courses begin in earnest. The first is the vegetable course of the menu, with the xiao long bao stuffed with chopped wild forest mushrooms and served on a bed of sauteed asparagus, tea tree mushrooms and thinly sliced carrots. The drink pairing with this is a non-alcoholic concoction of “sober” whiskey, agave, Earl Grey and peppercorns. The pairing of tea and non-alcoholic drinks works perfectly with the delicate yet rich xiao long bao.
The next comes stuffed with fresh abalone and shrimp, the dumpling skin tinted red with beetroot juice. It makes not just for a pretty plate with stuffed morel mushrooms and bok choy. This is xiao long bao course number four and yet the flavor of each dumpling is clean and distinct.
That follows for the remaining five xiao long baos to go, and the next one filled with fish maw and chicken is light, while the flavor of poultry is more pronounced in the accompanying roll of braised boneless chicken, ginger, shallots and spring onions.
We return to seafood in course number six; the xiao long bao is filled with Hokkaido scallop and shrimp. Beside it is a whole scallop, steamed and served on its shell on a bed of glass noodles and spring onions. The tender scallop echoes the experience of the xiao you just ate, and is so good just by itself.
If you had any misgivings that a menu consisting entirely of one dumpling would not be enough to fill you up, the next course dispels that right away. The black truffle pork xiao long bao is served with a good-sized square of tender, fatty Dongo Kurobuta pork and broccoli florets.
You may in fact be starting to be feel stuffed at this point but the menu has to be respected so it’s now on to a xiao filled with Alaskan king crab, served alongside a delicious crispy bundle filled with more crab. Finally, you come to a mildly spicy Sichuan-style Wagyu beef xiao served with two pieces of stir-fried wagyu oyster blade. You’ll be happy that the accompanying tea is a 20-year-aged pu-erh, deep and smooth plus very good for the digestion.
The meal is capped with the lightest of strawberry snowball mochi and a bowl of refreshing mango sago with pomelo. This entire meal is priced at P3,888++.
It seems a shame that for now, this lovely menu is available only on Saturday, Oct. 17. But with a good response, the menu could be offered again for a longer time. We can only wish that for all xiao long bao fans out there because chef Wang’s excitement to share his creativity with this dumpling can be clearly tasted on the plate. We just as eagerly look forward to the next gastronomic adventure with this very talented chef.
