COCONUTS CRITIC’S TABLE — Chef Florabel Co-Yatco is one marvellous chef/restaurateur who I truly admire. I love how her self-effacing yet shrewd personality translates into her culinary innovations which look and taste simple yet are spot-on.
Her first restaurant venture — her namesake, Florabel, at The Podium — is one of my favorite restaurants. The first thing which made me check it out is its strategically intriguing location, tucked in a quiet corner of the mall, but its food offerings were what made me stay and had me coming back for more.
On several occasions, I would also rave about her restaurants (Crisostomo, Elias, and Café Ten Titas which, sadly, already closed), without knowing that she owns or co-owns them. She’s good at tweaking familiar Pinoy recipes while keeping the core of their flavor.
I guess what I’m hinting at is that Chef Florabel captures the styles of cooking that bring out the flavors I enjoy most. Her latest restaurant venture, Dragon Chef, offers “hearty and hip Chinese cuisine” in a quaint setting that has a classic-meets-pop-culture element, underscored by rich reds and blacks on the furnishings that recreate that lush Shanghai feel very well.
Its warm lighting is superb, further setting a nice atmosphere. You may be reminded of Johnny Chow in Resorts World upon seeing Dragon Chef, and that’s because Chef Florabel also happens to own the former and both restaurants are Asian in influence—although Johnny Chow boasts of more menu items; Dragon Chef is co-run by Ricky Laudico also of Marciano’s and SumoSam.
Another thing they have in common? The hard-to-miss lady staffers in bright-colored wigs! These undeniably give it the hip vibe that would separate it from other traditional Chinese restaurants.
Zeroing in on the “hearty” element, Dragon Chef has a limited yet nice selection of Chinese fare, although I would have to point out that some of their prices are steep—now that can be heart-breaking! I was just hoping that the taste of their offerings would make spending worth it.
We took a risk and dined at Dragon Chef when we were about to watch a movie scheduled to start in less than an hour. We quickly went through the menu then ordered the more affordable ones: Xiao Long Bao (P148), Tuen Mun Spareribs or Spareribs in Fragrant Garlic (P288), Braised Beef Brisket (P398), Creamy Mushroom Rice (P238), and bottomless Green Tea Lychee (P108).
While waiting for our order, they gave us complimentary roasted peanuts whose sweet-salty taste I liked. I was checking my watch from time to time to check if we were going to be late for the movie already.
Good thing, our orders arrived not long after. I’m not sure whether that’s because they’re just efficient that way, or because they only had four clients, including my friend and I, at the time. Bonus points go to the staffers, who were polite and attentive—gotta love the service!
Though we were in a hurry, we still got to fully appreciate our meal. The Xiao Long Bao had a nice, firm wrapper, but the soup was lacking in flavor, which was easily solved with some sauce.
The Creamy Mushroom Rice didn’t appeal to me right away because it looked almost like porridge, but after munching on a spoonful of this special rice, I needed no further convincing to take one spoonful after another.
The creamy sauce isn’t mixed all over, it’s just on top, and I love how it balanced the rice well. Despite the rich flavor and thick consistency of the cream, the rice still proved to be a good match to the viands we ordered.
The Spareribs in Fragrant Garlic is a new favorite of mine. It’s got fragrant garlic, come on! What’s not to love? The tender, tasty meat is perfected with the crunchy bits of garlic, which was cooked just right—not salty and bitter.
The Braised Beef Brisket, on the other hand, had a nice sauce, but best of all, the beef is so tender.
The Green Tea Lychee was a good choice. Its refreshing taste cleanses the palate, a perfect breaker to Asian food items. It’s bottomless, so don’t be shy to ask for refills.
It was past nine when we ate here, and Dragon Chef seemed like a peaceful place to hang out in—except during peak hours, I could imagine it getting packed to the point of being annoying due to its small space.
What’s more, although their menu had some items tagged with “Kids Love This!” I don’t see Dragon Chef as a kid-friendly place; I think it’s just too refined to suit kids’ playful nature. And perhaps this is the greatest downside of this place: It’s not as conducive for family gatherings, with kids running around, as other Chinese restaurants.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, we made it to the movie just in time.
Located at 4/F Trinoma, Quezon City, open daily from 11AM to 10PM
Coconut’s Critic’s Table reviews are written based on unannounced visits by our writers and paid for by Coconuts.
