Chinese Food Review: Ching Palace

Chinese Food Review: Ching Palace

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the phrase “Chinese New Year”? Is it the loud fireworks? The money you receive in the hóngbāo (red envelope) from your parents? Or is it the exciting and colorful Lion Dance? Well, what you should really be thinking of is the food! I’m Dong Ha and it’s time for some hardcore food reviews on the Ching Palace!  


Ching Special Fried Rice

240

The Ching Special Fried Rice has chicken, small cubed meat, chopped spring onions, scrambled eggs, and gorgeous yellow rice. However, the reason why the rating isn’t any higher is because of the sliced chicken. The chicken tasted bland and nothing special is in the chicken. It feels as if it is just there. But just to make up for that flaw, this dish tastes really good with the Mapo Bean Curd and also the Sweet and Sour Pork.

Rating: 7/10

Braised Noodles with Beef

240

Looking at this is bad enough, and tasting it… ummm, no thanks. A 2 out of a 10 is a really reasonable score for this “dish” in terms of taste and quality. The vegetables and the noodles were soggy and the beef tasted revolting. Furthermore, the noodles just smelled so oily (can you even smell oil?). I personally asked the waiter if I had to pay for this. However, she told me the cook followed the original recipe. Well, if the cook did follow the original recipe then he/she followed the WRONG recipe.

Rating: 2/10

Shrimp with Chili Sauce

350

My definition of good shrimp is succulent and warm for my teeth to sink into. But this shrimp was very soft to the extent that I thought that I was eating jelly. Even worse, the dish was a bit cold. However, to make up for that, the shrimp was coated with a very unique, spicy sauce. I think this dish can reach its full potential if the shrimp was served warmer and had more texture to it. Because seriously, who likes eating cold shrimp?

Rating: 6/10

Mapo Bean Curd

260

Looking at it might make you regret your decision to order it, but never judge a food by its plate. The tofu from the Mapo Bean Curd tastes really soft and fresh. Moreover, eating it with the sauce gives you this hint of spice that elevates the quality of the tofu. Aside from that, the little bits of meat taste really good. I especially found it amazing after mixing it with the Ching Special Fried Rice. The combination of tofu, that hint of spiciness, spring onions, and meat would be like a party in your mouth. However, I find the sauce just a bit too watery. Furthermore, the other downside of eating this dish is that it usually requires you to order rice since it is a complement for the Mapo Bean Curd. Overall, if you enjoy tofu and a little bit of heat, this is the dish for you.

Rating: 7/10

Sweet and Sour Pork

₱240

This was the best thing that the waiter recommended to me! The skin of the sweet and sour pork was so crispy, the smell was heavenly, and the sauce (I did not share with my mom. We even fought for it). Furthermore, the vegetables tasted really good with the sauce. The reason why I didn’t make it 10/10 is because there just wasn’t enough for me!

Rating: 9/10

Pros of the restaurant in general

  • High quality tables in the restaurant. A very clean environment.
  • A variety of food. More than 100 dishes are available.
  • Kind waiters and staff.

Cons of the restaurant

  • WiFi isn’t available to the customers.  
  • Some food just taste wrong.
  • Limited parking space.

Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆


Did you agree with my food review? I’d love to hear from you. Also, if there’s any restaurant you want reviewed, let me know in the comments — maybe it will be the subject of the next food review.

This is Dong Ha signing off! Until next time!

Written by Dong Ha C.

Disclaimer: Reviews are uncommissioned, unpaid, and represent the personal views of the author. They should not be taken to represent the views of Dragon’s Print and Cebu International School.

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2 Comments

  1. Jinhua Zou

    Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Dong Ha! As a 100% Chinese, I am very happy to see people are trying to explore the Chinese food in Cebu city.

    1. Daniel Goldstein

      I hope the sweet and sour pork is really 9/10 rating. It would be very disappointing if not.

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