Oriental old-school goodness

Friday, January 20, 2012

NOT everything old is boring history; some things are defined as classics.

At Lau Hock Kian Restaurant, Malaysian Chef Loi Lee tries to serve up just that: flavorful dishes staying true to the taste of old Fujian (Hock Kian), China.

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The restaurant located at the Foodland Building in Banilad, Cebu City aims to introduce to locals what Chinese food is like in that province in the mainland. It tries to bring to the table its brand of authentic Chinese food. That said, the place hopes to attract the Filipino-Chinese community as well.

The place looks like it was plucked out of some block in Old Cebu in the late ‘80s, giving diners that nostalgic feel of what restaurants were like back in the day.

Going back to the food, an appetizing opener is its bestselling fish maw soup.

Imported from Singapore, this is basically sundried eel bladder soup. An uncommon delicacy, this is made of sundried eel bladder, ground pork, mushrooms, eggs and green onions. The soup is pretty pleasant, and the eel’s texture closely resembles that of pork rind, although soaked in the savory broth.

Another fun bite is its Hock Kian kikiam. Deep fried ‘til golden, these ground pork/vegetable combo treats go great with the sauce. The okra with special sauce is another treat, this time with a certain level of spice to it. Not too hot though, just right to whet one’s appetite. What makes this dish extra special is that it’s topped with fried dried fish, rounding up the dish with its mild saltiness.

Can’t get enough bite-sized offerings? Another favorite is the steamed fish fillet with ham and mushroom. All three ingredients work well together, creating a fusion that is tender and flavorful.

For the larger selections, there’s humba (braised pork). No, it’s not the humba found in street diners. The thin slices of saucy pork belly are tender, succulent and not absurdly sweet. Pair them with the white steamed buns (cua pao) that come with them, and that’s basically a gratifying do-it-yourself Chinese sandwich of sorts right there.

Another favorite is the Singapore chicken rice with chicken breast fillets brought in from Hong Kong, poached and perfected—Singaporean style. This is served with two kinds of sauce: ginger-based and chili-based. To add more flavor, the bowl of rice that comes with this is prepared with chicken stock. Rounding out the entire course is its trademark Hock Kian Noodles.

Open from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, this place for Chinese food enthusiasts may be able to impress diners with its attempts at serving, ala carte, only the original oriental.