Tea of Spring (Shangri-la Mactan)
Whenever I’m in Cebu, Shangri-la Mactan’s Tea of Spring is an absolute must-visit. This is not like your everyday Chinese restaurant, what with the creative twists it introduces to the cuisine. And while it is not cited in any best restaurants list (other than Tatler), my previous and current dining experiences make me conclude that Tea of Spring is definitely and infinitely worthier of the accolades hurled at some other less-deserving place(s). *ahem*
Here’s my review of the place and what we had.
Setting. Like a glorious and classy China court, Tea of Spring has dark wood interiors and authentic artifacts. The silverware and china are all high-grade, becoming of an imperial feast. The dining area is quite limited in capacity, so do make sure you make a reservation. Ask to be seated at the circular enclaves, with comfy-cushioned couches and a round table.
Beautiful chinaware to serve our food on
Complimentary roasted salted peanuts
The house tea was clear and smooth, served from a teapot with a very looong spout
Our daring delicacy of an appetizer — Pork Knuckles. While this was nothing new to me, to my dinner-mates it was an exotic adventure, hehe. Delectable and has a spicy kick.
My drink was the Mactan Iced Tea, which had a lemony pineapple tang. A really refreshing cooler when blended with the syrup.
We ordered the Hainanese Chicken Rice upon special request of my companions. I’m not a big fan of the dish in general, but have to admit that this rendition was faithful to those you get on Singapore’s hawker stalls.
One of us ordered this — the Imperial Szechuan Hot and Sour Soup — which we ended up splitting with the four of us, hehe. It was absolutely delicious! Meat, tofu cubes, mushrooms, and chunky seafood bits complement its spicy goodness. Easily an unforgettable A-grade classic.
The Beef in Brown Sauce was tender and easy to chew. It had a strong flavor taking after the sauce.
Somehow against my will, we ordered the Deep Fried Fish Fillet with Lemon Sauce, which turned out to be not so bad at all. I liked the sesame-seed encrusted batter and the tart-sweet sauce that tasted like meringue candy.
The Kung Pao Style Prawns was another winner in my book. Big, succulent deep fried prawns with cashew nuts and a spicy kung pao glaze.. perfect with rice!
The Tea of Spring Fried Rice was a very fragrant variant of Yang Chow, with fried egg and generous portions of shrimp.
For our desserts, we had the Chilled Red Bean Cake, which I jested tasted like Play-Doh. It had a custard-like texture and was not excessively sweet.
Our hands-down favorite was the Deep Fried Glutinous Rice with Mango — a variation of the famous Thai dessert. It was crisply toasted on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside. Props to the chef for such a unique and delightful concoction!
Chilled Red Beans with Coconut Ice Cream. As a red bean junkie, I liked this a lot. The coconut ice cream blended well with the red beans’ pasty texture, creating a sweet sensation that ends a great meal very well.
Service was excellent, as expected. The servers were very knowledgeable of the menu, and attended to our every need with utmost courtesy. I especially appreciated their noticeable warmth and accommodation, in ways that would put other similar 5-star establishments to shame. Another winning point is the price range — at just under P1000 per head for the full set, dinner here was surprisingly a really good steal.
Overall verdict. Tea of Spring is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the country, not just in Cebu (and this is coming from one who grew up with the cuisine). The excellent food quality, opulent ambiance, and the relatively low price point should make it a downright automatic pre-qualifier in any self-respecting food reviewer’s best restos list.
Tea of Spring
Garden Level, Shangri-la’s Mactan Resort & Spa
Punta Engano Rd., Cebu
Tel No: (63 23) 231-0288 ext. 68224
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just looking at those pictures, makes me miss traditional chinese food back home
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