A few weeks ago we went to Choi Garden in to have a hot pot lunch. For those who don’t know what hot pot is (also loosely known as shabu-shabu), check this definition out by Wikipedia:

Hot pot, or less commonly Chinese fondue, refers to several Chinese varieties of steamboat stew.
It consists of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the
dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are
placed into the pot and are cooked at the table. Typical hot pot dishes
include thinly sliced meat, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, and seafood. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce. In many areas, hot pot meals are often eaten in the winter.

Here are snaps of our meal. (Pardon the pinkish cast on the photos, the place has the worst lighting for neophyte photographers like me.)

An array of condiments and spices for your own sauce concoction

Mine had sate sauce, light soy sauce, spring onions, ginger, and garlic

Sliced local fat beef (cost: PHP296)

Other stuff we had on the table: sliced chicken (PHP128), shrimp on skewers (PHP188/4 pcs), fresh egg (PHP10), and fish fillet (PHP200)

Shihboy working the sweet corn (PHP90)

shrimp balls (P228) and fresh meat balls (P118)

Cooking the beef in wintermelon soup (P158)

cooked shrimp and meat balls

cooked beef

Everybody wants in on the action
Setting. Like a traditional oriental court, complete with trimmings and lanterns that would have put the production designers of kung fu movies to shame. OK, so I’m exaggerating. Point is, the place feels very oriental, reminding me of the classic restos in Beijing.

Service was acceptable, although I didn’t really pay close attention as we were busy chattering about. I can say though that it was commensurate to the (very) reasonable price point.

Price. Total damage for all 4 of us: PHP2000, inclusive of drinks, which means PHP500 per head. Not bad if you compare it to my other dining conquests, but scouring through the ingredients list I couldn’t find anything that really warrants the price point. Still, overall a relatively nice value for a very filling meal in Greenhills.

Overall verdict. I would have loved to do a full-fledged review of the place, but I’ll reserve it for some other time when I get to sample their yummy-looking a la carte items (yummy-looking at least on the menu). For me, the hot pot meal was good but not great. You can definitely get better stuff at this price point elsewhere, particularly in Binondo.

Choi Garden Seafood & Sharks Fin Restaurant
#12 Annapolis St. cor Purdue St.
Greenhills, San Juan City
Tel. #: + 63 2 727 6042, +63 2 727 7489