Feel like royalty in Choi City Seafood Restaurant, BTC Cebu City

I got the chance to dine in Choi City Seafood Restaurant at the South Arcade, Banilad Town Centre (BTC), Banilad, Cebu City during lunch last Saturday. The timing was just perfect as I came from a class which left me really hungry.


Upon entering the restaurant, I felt like I am in a hotel or a high-end restaurant. The place was very classy and neat and the staff were really-professional looking, courteous and warm which really gave a nice first impression.

I entered one of the function rooms and inside were my buddies.  The function room is one of several which are separated by movable dividers which can be removed should a client desire a bigger space or should a group use the entire hall for a certain function.

The place can be a good venue for medical societies or holding meetings or parties. They can also provide an LCD TV which can be connected to the laptop for presentations. (Attention fellow PSMID: how about having some of our meetings here?)

How about the food? Well, I was definitely NOT disappointed.

The appetizers: Xiao Long Pao (Soup dumpling), Seafood Bean Curd Spinach Soup and Siomai.

The soup dumpling was a first for me. As you chew it, the tasty soup bursts at one time inside your mouth giving you an alternative way of enjoying your dumpling. The siomai was good and so is the bean curd soup which was actually very soft tofu mixed with spinach in a soup.

Then came the main course.

Fresh squid with broccoli

It was very evident that the squids were really fresh. You can tell even from the picture. It was not hard chewing them unlike other squids wherein you would be tempted to do a tug-of-war with your teeth. Not this squid.

It was not like eating rubber. I enjoyed its taste and its texture.

Steamed Lapulapu in soy sauce

Again, from the taste, one can tell it was really fresh. I just cannot adequately describe how I also like the fish. We were told that seafoods both fresh and especially live seafoods prepared only after you order are the bestsellers in Choi City.

Peking duck

I am not really a fan of Pecking duck from some Chinese restaurants. This one I like in particular. The skin is crispy, the meat tender and it reminds me of Filipino lechon.

another Pecking duck dish made from its meat

This maybe a version of our "ginaling" or "giniling". I forgot the name of the said dish.

Now who would not take a bite of these crabs? Choi City really is making good account of their reputation as a good seafood restaurant.

Lechon Macau

Choi City may be a seafood restaurant but they have non-seafood dishes that also taste great.

Like the Lechon Macau (photo above). We were told that much of the visible fats are removed from this and the meat selection is rigid. The result, the Lechon Macau is not greasy. Inside your mouth, you can feel the crunch of the crispy skin part then the tenderness of the meat. You won't need soda or softdrinks to "wash away" the oils. "Dili sya sum-ol". One needs tremendous self-control so as not to consume the entire serving of this dish. (Still, this is not advisable for daily regular consumption, OK?)

The dessert: Very "humot" Malay Cake and Taho (from soy).

Taho

The Malay Cake is something na "nakakawalang malay sa sarap". It is pleasant to the smell and much more pleasant to your taste buds. The Taho on the other hand is a very good substitute to the street taho. It is not too sweet and the syrup is just right.

Why were all the foods tasted of high quality? I just learned that it is because the chefs, which include authentic Mandarin-speaking Chinese chefs from famous restaurants abroad, really put premium to high quality standards. They will never sacrifice quality over profit which is backed by the restaurant's management team and owners. These chefs are ably supported by competent Filipino chef counterparts, kitchen and other trained service staff who work together as one big happy family.

The entire staff knows what they are doing and it is very evident from my experience last Saturday that they were responsive to their customers' needs. It is really like you are in a hotel minus the hotel itself.

But is Choi City only for the rich? I was surprised it was not.

The place may look like that of a high-end restaurant and so is the food but the price considering everything that I have mentioned, is actually affordable. According to the owners, the Choi City food served anywhere else tastes in the same way as in Cebu's Choi branch. The management guaranteed that they welcome everyone and they serve everyone in the same way.

To experience Hongkong food and authentic Chinese food without travelling overseas, I recommend Choi City Seafood Restaurant. You may even celebrate your birthdays there and you will be treated by a very entertaining and heart-warming song and dance performance by the entire staff.

Heck, they even actually performed for me last Saturday. LOL.

Choi City is located at South Arcade, Banilad Town Centre, Banilad, Cebu City. They can be contacted at telephone number 239-0999.