What would you do if a lion gets up close and personal with you like this one did with me? If it were a real lion, I would probably be frozen in place and praying that I am not on the menu. With a dancing lion like this one was, all I could manage was a squeak and a giggle.
I was fortunate enough to be part of the opening of Dragon Court at the Manila Prince Hotel. I knew to expect a dragon and lion dance, a lauriat meal, and a dice game. After all, these are staples of Chinese events (as far as I know), and I was not disappointed.
Opening with a bang
The dragon and lion dance is performed to bring in good luck … and what is a Chinese extravaganza without a dragon and lion dance, right? This isn’t the first one I’ve seen, but it is the first one that interacted with me directly. Who knew they were so flirty? Lol! It was just so entertaining.
Dragon Court interior
The interior of Dragon Court has a very old-world Chinese charm. Off to the sides are private rooms for private parties that could seat anywhere from ten to thirty people, depending on the room. The tables in the public area are widely spaced so it does not feel overcrowded.
The Food
I’ve noticed in Chinese restaurants they don’t serve the food at the same time and they usually serve the rice last. I never understood this practice since, as a Filipino, I like eating rice with my viand. That being said, there is no disputing that everything we were served was delicious! Let me show you my favorites.
Hands down whenever I get a chance to eat dimsum, you can be sure I will order hakaw and siomai, and hope that I will not be disappointed. Thankfully, the siomai and hakaw of Dragon Court are definitely something to write home about. Not only are they flavorful, but each piece is chock-full of filling, and I did not feel at all cheated.
We can’t go wrong with ordering lemon chicken. The chicken is tender, sweet, and definitely not dry. Cooking this at home, it would be easy to overcook it. From what I experienced, this was cooked to perfection.
You can be sure that this eggplant and minced pork dish is good because I am very allergic to it, but I couldn’t resist tasting it anyway … after making sure I took an antihistamine first. My only regret is that I could only risk one tablespoon of this lest I break out in hives. In my opinion, it was the best dish served.
Dice Game time!
We ended our lunch with a fun dice game where everyone goes home a winner! The rules are simple, and at every round, most of us won a lolly at least. Except for one, who messed up in every round except for the last round, where he won the first prize. It must have been fate. 😀
I was prepared to have my belly filled with delicious food. I wasn’t expecting to have so much fun and interaction. I will certainly keep Dragon Court in mind next time we have a family event in Manila.
If they still have the Dice Game set menu, I will recommend that to my family and friends as well. Not only was the food good, but it was a lot of fun to play as well!
More power, Dragon Court! And see you again soon.
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