Cantonese Food Festival at The Café, Hyatt City of Dreams Manila

If you will be spending the Father's Day weekend at City of Dreams Manila through a luxurious staycation, or if you are simply looking for a restaurant where you can celebrate the occasion with the family, then you shouldn't miss the Cantonese Food Festival themed buffet at The Café, the all-day dining restaurant of Hyatt City of Dreams Manila (Philippines).



Guest chefs Xi Qing Hui and Zhao Pan Fei from Hyatt Regency Dongguan (Guangdong, China) will be preparing authentic Cantonese dishes during the food festival which will run until June 19, 2016 only.



While all food stations will be retained during the food festival, the Asian station will be dedicated to everything Cantonese including a wide selection of dimsums, soups and noodle dishes.



Cantonese dining will not be complete without roasted duck, roasted pork belly, barbecued pork, as well as the classic Cantonese main dishes.



We were invited by Hyatt City of Dreams to sample the Cantonese dishes served during the launching of the food festival last June 14. Here are some of our recommendations. Note however that selection of dishes vary every day, and some of the dishes listed below may not be available during this weekend.

Seafood Roll

MUST TRY: The Seafood Roll is our favorite among all the dimsums served. It has a clean and fresh taste, with well balanced savory flavor from the shrimp and the crab. It is perfect with soy sauce and chili paste.

Simmered Bok Choy with Bamboo Piths and Pork Balls

The Simmered Bok Choy with Bamboo Piths and Pork Balls is a soup dish with a very light and refreshing taste. The bok choy were not overcooked and retained its crunchy texture and fresh green color. We enjoyed every sip of the warm broth with its light meaty flavor.

Double Boiled Consomme Soup with Ginseng and Egg White 

The Double Boiled Consomme Soup with Ginseng and Egg White is a comforting soup dish with a very mild taste of ginseng and wolf berries. It is has a nostalgic taste especially for many Filipino Chinese families.

Steamed Prawns with Vermicelli in Premium Soy Sauce

MUST TRY: This Steamed Prawns with Vermicelli in Premium Soy Sauce is one of the crowd favorites. The vermicelli is infused with the flavors of the prawn and made extra special by the premium soy sauce.  The prawns are perfectly steamed, with all its sweet fresh taste preserved inside the shell.

Crispy Crab Claw with Asian Cream Sauce

MUST TRY: Another bestseller is the Crispy Crab Claw with Asian Cream Sauce. The super meaty crab claw was shelled and coated in batter and fried to golden perfection. It is then served with a cream sauce that enhances the natural flavor of the crab.

Snapper with XO Sauce

MUST TRY: One of my favorites was the Snapper with XO Sauce. The fish was cut in fillets and fried until crispy and then coated with XO sauce. It's very flavorful and is perfect with a bowl of steamed rice.

Roasted Pork Belly, Barbecued Pork & Roasted Duck

You can't go wrong with these classic Cantonese dishes. The Roasted Pork Belly was moist and with the skin ultra crispy. The Rosted Duck was very tender and went well with the plum sauce expertly made by the visiting chefs. The Barbecued Pork was very flavorful and perfect with hoisin sauce.

Steamed Longgang Chicken with Preserved Sausage, Broccoli and Dry Endki Mushrooms

The Steamed Longgang Chicken is a specialty dish in Shenzhen, China and this version of the dish is made with preserved sausages which gives it a sweet-smokey taste. The broccoli went well with the mild sweet taste of the sauce.

Wok Fried Pork Neck with Chinese Mustard, Lily Bulb, and Black Fungus

MUST TRY: Another one of my favorites was the Wok Fried Pork Neck which has a mild barbeque taste making it perfect with steamed rice. The added vegetables gave the dish a contrasting crunchy texture and color.

Wok Fried Rice Noodles with Beef, Yellow Chives, Choy Sum, and Onion

The Wok Fried Rice Noodles was cooked with strips of beef and vegetables. It's not oily contrary to the common notion about Cantonese cuisine. It has a light taste which made it more enjoyable to eat.

Here are some photos of our plates containing the different Cantonese dishes we tried. Our top favorites are the roasted pork belly, the crispy crab claw, the snapper with xo sauce, the work fried pork neck, the seafood roll, the pork siomai, and the hakaw. 

The Cantonese Food Festival is available this weekend for lunch buffet (P11:30am to 3:00pm) and dinner buffet (6:00pm to 11:00pm). Buffet Rates are at P1,488 nett for Saturday Lunch and P1,988 nett for Saturday Dinner. Sunday Brunch and Sunday Dinner are both priced at P1,988 nett per person.

Reserve your table now by calling +63-2-6911234 extension 1162.