savoring the food at the Mandarin Palace

Along Aguirre Avenue in BF Paranaque, there's a relatively new Chinese restaurant that got me and my aunt, Tita Ising, curious. The opportunity to try it out came when my Mom and my brother were about to leave, a few days after Lola Estay's funeral. The four of us, including Tita Ising's god-son, trooped to Mandarin Palace for her despidida for Mommy and Biboy.

As we entered the restaurant, a disclaimer greeted us at the front door, showing proof that this establishment is indeed quite new. If we'd get service that was inferior to what we expected from such a good-looking restaurant, we'd been warned. We entered at our own risk, basically.

The area looked very nice inside. The lighting and the temperature inside were pleasant despite the bright glare of the sun and the heat outside. I particularly liked the whiteness and the shapes of the bowls and the plates... remembering that these factors influence the way customers perceive their food.

Then the food arrived. We ordered some of my favorites: stir-fried beef with broccoli, tofu and mushrooms, and the hot and sour soup. Everyone liked the beef but the soup and the tofu dish were not very popular with the rest of the lunch group. But they liked the lemon chicken, the dish that I wasn't a big fan of.

The beef slices were tender and the broccoli florets were crisp. The sauce was not very salty. It tasted just like the version I love in Ding-Hao (in Calamba).

My family wasn't a big fan of the hot and sour soup because they found it too hot (thanks to the chili) and too sour. But I liked it; it reminded me of the soup I'd buy at the airport in San Francisco just before going through the final security check and walking to the gate for my flight back to Manila.

The tofu and mushroom dish had a complex taste that I think came from the mushrooms and from the bamboo shoots that were stir-fried in one very strongly flavored mix. To me, the dish had a lot of earthy flavors injected with a degree of sourness. My family didn't like this dish a lot; their palates must have been overwhelmed.

While I loved the food, the lunch service was a different story altogether...

The waiting staff were apparently new at the time we ate there because they made two mistakes while we ate there. For one, they gave me the wrong beverage even after making sure that they got my order right. Then, while Tita Ising was getting food from a serving platter, a waitress took a plate that Tita Ising was still using without asking for her permission. We found that we couldn't really be disappointed with the staff because of the disclaimer at the door.

Despite the bloopers, I think I'd go eat there again one day, when Mandarin Palace's staff are more experienced. The reason: I liked the food we ordered.