Mid-Autumn must-go

LET’S stop for a while from all those exploring and let me regale you with my favorite Mid-Autumn Festival feast: at Lotus Court.

It’s my favorite time of the year… and most of the time the only invitation I make sure I attend. That is because, it is at that time when Buddha Jumped Over the Wall soup is most likely offered. Among many things of course.

This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival was more quiet than the past years, but the food has been just as sumptuous. And yes, the performing children were just as good. This year’ s performers were from the Colegio de San Ignacio presenting two songs and two dances. Let’s segue to their names, I’m sure they will be very happy to see their names here.

Performing the Rain Kiss the Flower umbrella dance were Ylla Gonzales, Jasmin Patalinghug, Therese Andrea Gravador, Relyzza Senillo, Kristel Mae Villanueva, Dayan Canuday, Anne Cielo Pajota, Andee Bartolome, Abby Gempesaw, Daynielle Adaro, and Jiemarie Doyo.

Happy Together was performed by Shin Cariel Ang, Lyka Yzabel Dapitan, Maria Beatriz Falcon, Ashly Alanah Lacson, Rowmelle Rayana Sampulna, and Krystel Mikylla Perez.

Beautiful Feelings was performed by Daynielle Adaro, Rosario Gempesaw, Dayan Canuday, Anne Cielo Pajota, Jasmin Patalinghug, Relyzza Senillo, Neslyn Canda, Therese Gravador, Ylla Gonzales, Jiemarie Doyo, Kristel Villanueva, and Marjorie Salcedo.

While the singers were Elmer Cabig and Mikaela Cellona. Now the food. I wasn’t disappointed, there was a vatful of Buddha Jumped Over the Wall soup and a wide array of choices composed of a total of 30 appetizers, dimsums, roasts, main courses, rice, soups, and desserts.

I got stuck with the chicken feet at the dimsum table. I got three servings. Burp. Sorry. I still left enough room for the Buddha Jumped over the wall, and the eight treasure soup. Tucked in two steamed Shanghai dumpling and shrimp polonchay kaw. Before returning to the chicken feet. Burp.

I made a beeline for the main course because it’s supposed to be a feast and devoured the belly of the steamed garoupa in black bean sauce and nibbled on some slices of roasted pork. I wanted to return to the chicken feet but my brain reminded me that I was supposed to be on a diet. I drowned my tummy with tea before nibbling on coffee jelly and a piece of mooncake for dessert. Not that I wasn’t still tempted to return to the chicken feet...
Actually, the feast was a real one. For appetizers, they had seafood salad with XO Sauce, barbecued pork with honey, marinated chicken, and jellyfish with sesame seeds.

The dimsums were steamed Shanghai dumpling, shrimp polonchay kaw, pork and shrimp siomai, and steamed pork bun. Plus of course, the chicken feet.

At the action table were the roasted pig, roast Peking duck (2 ways), second way: deep-fried duck with salt and pepper, deep-fried spring roll, and ham soi kok.

Aside from the Buddha soup, there was also the eight treasure soup. The main course was composed of steamed crabs with garlic, steamed garoupa with black bean sauce, pan-fried beef tenderloin with XO Sauce, braised whole pork knuckle in brown sauce, mixed vegetables with assorted seafood and quail eggs, and vermicelli Singapore style.

You got a choice of yang chow fried rice Hongkong style, and steamed rice.

The dessert table had chilled mango sago, coffee jelly, almond with glutinous rice, buchi, mooncakes, cakes and pastries, and assorted fresh fruits.

As you can see, I wasn’t even able to partake of half of what was offered. All because of… the chicken feet. Burp.