Chinese cuisine has always been a comfort food to me and there’s never a week that passes when I don’t think about ordering Chinese food takeout. But as someone who’s rather picky about where to eat, there are only a handful of Chinese restaurants that I personally trust would give me a really good dining experience. Among them is newly-opened Red Spice at Okada Manila—the one place that immediately had me hooked from the very first sip of its Hot and Sour Soup.
The menu at Red Spice covers a wide array of Cantonese dishes, from delectable dim sum and tasty rice toppings, to fresh vegetables and seafood and comforting noodles and soups. Each dish is also guaranteed to be unique, all made under the hands of seasoned chefs including the head culinarian who hails from Hong Kong.
Now, I say this with confidence: Red Spice’s food ranks high on my list of Chinese meals I’ve ever got to eat in my lifetime. I knew it from the moment I had the Hot and Sour Soup which is a dish I don’t often order on account of it being too acidic for my taste. At Red Spice, it just had the right balance of flavors that do not overwhelm the senses.
Then, there’s the Hakaw Shrimp Dumpling which notably has bamboo shoots that add a surprisingly refreshing taste to the normal shrimp dumpling we usually get. And don’t get me started on the Wok Fried Prawns with Salted Duck Egg Yolk as well as the Fruit Wood Crispy Duck, undoubtedly my favorite dish on account of its crispy skin, tender meat where the flavor just seeps right through, and the accompanying plum sauce that compliments the dish so well.
Other dishes I got to try and would recommend you get are the Stir-fried Scallops with Broccoli, Pork Knuckle, Red Spice Crispy Fried Rice, Steamed Fish, and Barbecue Pork Buns. Trust me: no plate went unfinished and left-overs were immediately brought home to enjoy later on.
And how can I forget the dessert? Red Spice offers some of the most heavenly sweet treats that you can have at the end of your meal. If I could, I would have their Mango Glutinous Rice Dumplings (or what I’d like to call “mango mochi”) and Mango Pomelo Sago every day. So refreshing!
Red Spice is open 24 hours a day and is located at the Upper Ground Floor, Pearl Wing at Okada Manila. It can comfortably seat more than 200 pax and also has a semi-private area for intimate gatherings of 8 to 10 pax. It also includes an easy access to the casino and is great for families, even those with small kids, thanks to its casual yet elevated vibe.
Needless to say, I look forward to eating at Red Spice again and discover even more dishes to love!
Have you tried eating here? What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments below!
All photos from Red Spice
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