A Series of Fortunate Experiences (A restaurant review)
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A Series
of Fortunate Experiences
Name & Location
Fortune seafood restaurant is a Chinese restaurant nestled in an
accessible place just along McArthur Highway, Tarlac City. The restaurant is
just across JECSON HOSPITAL. It is 10-15 minutes away from the city proper
where you can go and have quality time with your family and friends for the
city offers various activities for individuals to delight in after a sumptuous
meal. Although the parking space is only limited to a few customers, the
restaurant is well situated in a place where it is reachable by different modes
of transportation such as buses and jeepneys.
Atmosphere & Decor
Aside from the pleasant smiles
and heartfelt greetings from the staff that welcomed us as we entered the
place, the moderately air-conditioned room had definitely set our mood and made
us feel cozy and relaxed. In line with that is the perfect brightness of the
light given off by the elegant and exquisite chandeliers that were
complementary to the white-painted walls and ceiling. Despite being located just along the busy
highway, the boisterous sound of vehicles did not penetrate through. It was
quiet.
Other things that caught our
eyes were their big round tables covered with spotless white linen and their white
ceramic crockery and silver serving utensils.
Adding up was the convenience of the rotating centerpiece, or the
so-called "Lazy Susan", in distributing the food. The upholstered
wooden chairs were of perfect size that fit customers' comfort as well. Lastly,
the table setting has good amount of space between them.
Unlike other gaudily-designed
Chinese restaurants, the place did not project an exclusive or prominent
atmosphere that could have made us feel tense and uptight. In other words, it is
more likely just a dining room away from home.
Menu & Dishes
The menu is geared towards
Chinese and Filipino food fusion providing a plethora of delectable dishes with
reasonable prices designed for sharing.
We started our meal with an unlimited serving of corn with crab
meat soup packed with flavorful and thick broth. The soup is seasoned with
shredded crab and coarsely ground yellow corn. Egg white is also added to the
soup minimizing the strong smell of the crab. The soup was constantly served
all throughout our meal time.
Soy Chicken with Seaweed
The soup was followed by another appetizer that roused our taste
buds as we grabbed a bite of this unique yet interesting chicken dish. The
chicken was made to be succulent by half baking it. Then it was stir fried to
perfection using sesame oil and Chinese soy sauce. The sharp taste of the pickled
seaweed created a taste of contrast with the chicken. As we were feasting to
this sinfully exquisite dish, we were surprised to discover some sweetened
peanuts nested underneath the chicken accentuating every flavor of the dish. A
saucer of vinegar with garlic and cucumber chopped into smaller pieces
complemented the chicken dish.
Patatim with Lohanchay
For our second dish, we were served with crisped deep fried pork
belly, or locally known as “Patatim”,
deliciously served with fresh and finely sliced white onions and cucumber
dipped in soy sauce. The pork belly was an instant favorite with its right
thickness creating a crunchy outside while surprisingly offering a juicy and
tender interior. The pork belly was wonderfully paired with Lohanchay, a dish consisting of various Chinese vegetables
cooked in soy sauce-based liquid with other seasonings. Appealingly decorated
with red tomatoes, fresh leeks, chopped white onions and chili, Patatim with Lohanchay is a divinely mouthwatering
fusion of the East and Southeast Asian culture.
We also tried their flavored beef seared with oyster sauce giving
a melt-in-your-mouth experience. The beef was deliciously topped with plenty of
stir fried young corn and carrots providing a clean and well balanced taste.
The freshly cut tomatoes and cucumber were also a fantastically rich
accompaniment to the dish.
Calamares
We initially opted to order their best seller, Pork Spring Roll,
or popularly known as “Lumpiang
Shanghai”, but it was not available at that moment; however, the restaurant
Manager was gracious enough to recommend an alternative in the form of deep
fried Calamares. The squids were horizontally cut into bite-size pieces and
were breaded evenly with their special batter.
Ingredients, Drinks, & Price
From fresh seafood and vegetables to chilies and spring onions,
the ingredients are all staples of a true Hong Kong cuisine upstaged through
contemporary plating. Together, these ingredients bring out the aroma of the
food that effectively enticed us to instantly dig in.
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Understandably, “Fortune” is known to be on the pricier side of
restaurants. We ordered a set from the menu which is normally quite costly; however,
we got more value for our money with this decision compared to ordering
individual dishes. So if you want to enjoy a bountiful and satisfying feast for
a special occasion--or for simply pleasing your Chinese craving for that
matter--this restaurant is worth the try.
Service, Servers, & Owner
Something that is very notable about this place is their top-notch
service. The waiters and waitresses were all well-dressed that matched the
theme and the vibe of the restaurant. You will note a distinction between those
who are employed in the restaurant to those who are in their On-The-Job
training through their uniforms. Nonetheless, they equally gave their best
service by being uber attentive and available at all times. They were literally
gathered around us eager to serve. This made us feel like we were VIPs. Our
waiter at that time was knowledgeable enough about the names of the dishes;
however, some of them seem to be clueless on how a certain dish was cooked and
how many people can consume a certain platter size. Although their Manager, as we presumed, came up
to us once in a while to shed some light to our queries and to give
recommendations. He even informed us that a dish in our set was unavailable and
provided alternatives which were served immediately on our table. This kind of
service is not something that we often experience in most family restaurants.
Recommendation
Dining in this restaurant before dinner time during the weekend is
highly recommended to avoid the traffic jam, especially if reservations were
not made. As we know, this kind of restaurant is usually fully-booked and is
truly busy on the weekends. The location is easy to find and it is one of the
most famous family restaurants in Tarlac City. They offer a variety of delectable
food specially seafood. If you are planning to go with your family and/or
friends, the set meals are highly recommended. They would also allow you to
choose other viands just in case you do not like what was in the set or if a dish
is unavailable. All food was served hot without delay with quality taste from
every heaping of each ingredient. The staff were attentive and friendly. We
definitely had an unforgettable dining experience in this place. For these
reasons, we highly recommend Fortune (Hong Kong) Seafood Restaurant in Tarlac.
-Team Erudite (Food Fighters)
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