Jing Ting introduces us to a whole new side of Chinese cuisine. Whereas most Chinese cuisines commonly adapt Cantonese or mainland China cooking styles, Jing Ting adopts a less common (but just as delectable!) cuisine from Northern China. Located in City of Dreams Manila, Jing Ting provides a casual dining experience, with more of quick service food, hefty servings, and affordable prices. Upon sampling their food, you come to realize that Jing Ting provides more than just delicious food, but a look into the history and culture of Northern China.
Jing Ting means “little houses,” and refer to the little houses in the Northern part of China located in alley ways where Northern Chinese communities would gather. As a prominent symbol of Northern China, the name seemed only fitting with the restaurant, its ambiance, and its cuisine.
Northern Chinese cuisine is distinctly different from Cantonese or mainland Chinese cuisine. While the latter cuisine is dominated by seafood and rice, Northern Chinese cuisine has more land based meats like pork, beef, and lamb as well as wheat based dishes like noodles and dumplings. Due to the cooler climates of Northern China, many dishes are also spicy and infused with chili oil in order to help keep its residents warmer. Aside from chili oil, Northern Chinese cuisine is full of different flavors and spices that are quite distinctive from what is traditionally experienced in other Chinese restaurants. Such spices include coriander and cumin.
Jing Ting is helmed by Yang Chen Fei, more commonly referred to as Chef Allan to Jing Ting’s Filipino guests and staff. His first time out of China, the chef de cuisine of Jing Ting spent three months training Filipino chefs in the art of hand pulled noodles. He, himself, started making hand pulled noodles when he was nineteen years old and spent fourteen years mastering the technique. He can make a bowl of hand pulled noodles in two minutes and six hundred dumplings in an hour.
During one of Jing Ting’s media previews, we were able to try out their best-sellers and discover the amazing flavors of Northern China
Appetizers
Cold Shredded Rice Roll with Spicy Sesame Sauce (Php 178)
Using steamed rice flour in order to make the noodles, this dish consists of flat noodles mixed with a complex sauce made up of chili, ground sesame seed, and sesame oil. The contrast of flavors between the sesame and chili makes for the complex yet delicious taste.
Dumplings:
Chopped Beef and Celery “Jiao Zi” Dumpling (Php 390 for a bowl of 8)
Poached Pork Kimchi “Jiao Zi” Dumpling (Php 378 for a bowl of 8)
Beijing Pork “Jiao Zi” Dumpling (Php 378 for a bowl of 8)
Best enjoyed with chili dip, a mix of soy sauce, and chili oil, these dumplings reflect the tastes and culture of Northern China. An interesting dish is the Kimchi Dumpling which, surprisingly, actually originates from China! Chef Allan explained that this dish came from some ethnic groups in China that resided near Korea, resulting in having similar dishes and tastes.
Chef’s Recommendations
“Genghis Khan” Prime Beef Short Ribs (Php 1,380)
The succulent meat dish is marinated for twelve hours prior in a marinade composed of mostly vegetables and cumin. Chef Allan recommends that one drizzle the cumin powder and sprinkle the calamansi juice onto the meat for a richer flavor.
“Xianjiang Style” Spicy Lamb Skewer with Cumin Spicer (Php 768)
The dish’s presentation is not its only impressive feature. The tender dish holds a rich flavor with a combination of cumin and coriander. Xiangjiang Style refers to its grilled cooking style that makes this dish one of Jing Ting’s best sellers.
Braised Pork with Homemade Toasted Burger (Php 268)
Also referred to as a Chinese burger, this dish features crunchy buns with pork fillings in between.
Noodles:
Poached Hand-pulled Noodles with Pork and Mushroom (Php 298) and Sweet Soy Noodles with Pork and Assorted Vegetables (Php 268)
This culinary feat is one of Chef Allan’s masterpieces. The noodles are all hand-pulled and freshly made with absolutely zero artificial flavorings. Despite being hand-pulled, the noodles maintain a consistent texture, size, and quality. The Poached Hand-pulled Noodles are spicy, but not too spicy so as to appeal to the Filipino taste. The Sweet Soy Noodles is a mildly sweet dish mixed with meat and vegetables.
Desserts
Chilled Honey and Red Bean Cake (Php 148)
Palace Snow Skin Pastry Roll with Sesame and Peanuts (Php 198)
Both desserts originate from Beijing and are the perfect ways to end a meal at Jing Ting. These desserts are light but flavorful, capping off your meal in the tastiest way possible!
Craving already? Come on down to Jing Ting for a not so usual, but extremely delicious, taste of Chinese cuisine.
Jing Ting
https://www.cityofdreamsmanila.com/restaurants/jing-ting
Upper Ground Floor, City of Dreams Manila
Aseana Boulevard corner Macapagal Avenue Brgy. Tambo, Paranaque City
Operating hours: Daily 10:00 AM to 4:00 AM
