From indulgent lobster noodles to refreshing blueberry sorbet
Few will disagree when I say every day should be Mother’s Day!
To celebrate, here are some of my tasty picks, befitting the woman who means everything to us.
Roasted Golden Sesame Duck
I always look forward to China Blue’s curated menus. Without a doubt, it is one of the trendiest Chinese restaurants in town, with some of the most creative offerings. Traditional dishes are given new life and new flavors in a manner that’s appealing to the eye and pleasing to the bite.
“Tribute to Mom” is chef Jereme Leung’s special menu for Mother’s Day. Must-savor is the Roasted Golden Sesame Duck that I find most intriguing. Imagine the already decadent China Blue Roast Duck that’s soft and juicy on the inside with crisp dark amber skin, encrusted with sesame seeds for crunch and nuttiness. The duck is served with a Barbecue Sesame Gravy.
Another luxurious Mother’s Day dish is Pork Tendon with Fish Maw Dry Scallop Sea Moss Sauce.
Available only from for lunch and dinner on May 11 to May 12.
Lobster Noodles
It is no secret that Crystal Dragon at City of Dreams Manila is among my favorite restaurants. On my recent visit, my dear friend Chinese executive chef Danny Khoo Teng Jin made me sample a few of the dishes they were creating for Mother’s Day.
The Aromatic Braised Lobster Trails over Chinese thread noodles was divine—wok-kissed, smoky and elegantly seasoned.
The dish is tedious to make. Once the noodles hit the wok, the chef tosses it nonstop until every strand is coated in the sauce. The chopstick tossing is the secret to keeping the noodles light. While at the City of Dreams, I never fail to ask what my other friends nearby are cooking.
Chef Ed San Jose of Haliya Modern Filipino Restaurant designed a feast to pay tribute to one of our most colorful festivals, the Pahiyas. For Mother’s Day, you may experience the reimagined dishes of Quezon like the Hardinera Wellington, San Jose’s take on the Lucban meatloaf.
Haliya’s hardinera is enrobed in puff pastry to lock in all the flavors.
The Pahiyas comes alive as well with the Lucban Longganisa Spring Roll made with the famed Lucban longganisa and a dab of cream cheese. It is dipped in pimiento aioli.
To complete the fiesta fare, there’s Pancit Habhab. San Jose worked on the recipe for the noodles to achieve perfect crunch. Then, poured over the noodles is a sauce made of pork pata stock. Pork pata gives the Haliya habhab an added layer of flavor and a distinct consistency. A drizzle of pinakurat vinegar does the trick to make the dish edgy.
If you haven’t tried Haliya Halo-Halo, you must. I have written about it before, but it is worthy of another mention. I described it as theatrical, as it comes in a spherical three-layered container. It contains the usual leche flan, langka, ube, avocado krema, buko jelly and meringue. It is sweetened with condensada, capped with crushed ice and caramelized saba ice cream, and adorned with an assortment of fruits, including strawberries and blueberries. (@cityofdreamsmanila on Instagram)Boat Noodles
Those in search of something more exotic must visit Nara Thai for its Boat Noodles.
Few noodle dishes are as robust in flavor as Boat Noodles. The Nara rendition is a combination of rice noodles swimming in beef broth made aromatic by a special mix of Thai herbs and spices. The noodle soup is served with pork balls, beef slices, fresh cilantro, beansprouts and basil.
After a hearty bowl of noodles, cool down with Nara’s cold desserts.
Partake of the Thai Halo-Halo with coconut milk, kaong, black grass jelly, red beans, sweet corn, jackfruit and Nara’s homemade coconut ice cream. The ingredients are layered over shaved ice and drizzled with sweetened condensed milk or coconut milk syrup.
I love Nara’s Durian Sticky Rice served with smooth and rich coconut ice cream.
Though not cold, the Bua Loy Kai Kem Coconut Milk Rice Dumplings with Salted Egg is something I have a penchant for—chewy little rice balls and salted egg-stuffed dumplings swimming in a pool of coconut milk. Sweet and salty—divine!
Nara will also serve Frozen Thai Milk Tea on Mother’s Day. (@narathai on Instagram)Tres Leches Cake
Wildflour is baking a Tres Leches Cake for Mother’s Day. Picture a sponge cake soaked in a blend of condensed, evaporated and whole milk. In between them are layers of cream capped with mangoes and strawberries. (@wildflourmanila on Instagram)Mango Mascarpone
Skilled baker Tata Lantin of Macarose is filling sponge cakes with whipped sweetened mascarpone cheese. Ripe mangoes give it a fruity finish. The cake is delicate, light, not too sweet,and overall heavenly.
I am so proud to say that this cake was inspired by my mascarpone cream cake. (@iammacarose on Instagram) Sorbet
In time for Mother’s Day, celebrated pastry chef Miko Aspiras has added new flavors to his gelato line.
At his namesake gelato shop at SM Aura this weekend, fresh Blueberry Sorbet will be available. How refreshing!
The Pistachio and Olive Oil Sherbet with Roasted Pistachio Nut Kernels is also interesting. This, I can’t wait to try. (@gelatobychefmiko on Instagram) INQFollow the author @iamreggieaspiras on Instagram and Facebook; visit reggieaspiras.com
Reggie Aspiras has been writing her food column Kitchen Rescue for Inquirer Lifestyle since 2003. Her columns have been collected in three books released in 2005, 2007 and 2011.