First Bite: DaTang

Venice Grand Canal Mall has been a destination of choice for new establishments. When it first opened, the strip near the picturesque attraction is filled with never heard of before restaurants offering European fare. But it is now slowly adding more establishments offering other cuisines. And one of the newest additions has a familiar name. 

Hello, DaTang.

DaTang is Datang Jardin's newest sister. Though the two share the same name and concept, everything else is different. 

Unlike DaTang Jardin's bright interiors, DaTang has dark hued furniture in black and bold red giving it a more serious vibe to it worthy to be a hangout place of Shaolin masters.

As we wait for the start of the program, we were offered Iced Chinese Tea and Sangria. 

If you like sweet drinks, then the Iced Chinese Tea is not for you. It tastes just like its name. It's the slightly bitter tea, only iced. But I liked it as I enjoy drinking tea. 

But the Sangria was hăochī! It had a lovely sweet taste thanks to the fruit chunks. I might be a bit biased here though as I love pomelo. 

After the welcome remarks, ribbon cutting and a fun lion dance, we all started to feast on the 8 course meal prepared for us.

We started with Soy Sauce Chicken (PHP260). 

The first thing we noticed was its bright red bone. But we were assured by the staff that the dish was cooked. Though the chicken was tender and flavorful, we can't help avoid the middle as it was too red for comfort. 

I enjoyed munching on the Cold Stewed Pork with Peanut (PHP380). It had a slight sweet taste which I liked. The tender pork went well with the steamed peanuts.

My favorite during lunch was the Seafood Salad (PHP280). The bowl of fresh squid, mussels, octopus and green tomatoes with five flavors sauce was spectacular. It had a nice spiced taste to it that would almost make you question if it's a Chinese dish or not. 

The Stir-Fried Rib with Fried Garlic and Chili (PHP480) was great too! It was a bit tough for me to eat it with chopsticks so I opted to use fork and knife to slice through the succulent meat. The beautifully seasoned ribs were addicting and made me crave for rice. There was a generous serving of fried garlic too with a sprinkle of chili. However, it seemed that the garlic bits were too fried to the extent of losing its delectable flavor. 

If you enjoy Korean chicken wings, you'd definitely like DaTang Deep Fried Chicken Wings (PHP280). Each bite was oozing with sweet garlic flavor. Heard though that the bigger cuts tend to have reddish meat so it's best to stick with the smaller wings. 

The Steamed Fish in Traditional Style (PHP480) caused a bit of confusion for us. Awed by the thickness of the fish, we asked what fish they used for this dish. The server quickly answered dory and we can't believe his reply so we asked him to verify with the chef. Another server said that it's lapu-lapu. And after a few more minutes, we finally got an answer from the chef. It's maya-maya. 

I usually go for steamed fish when in a Chinese restaurant as I always look forward to a dish with delicate flavor to serve as a break from all other dishes with strong flavors. And just like the ones I love, DaTang's steamed fish was superb. The soft fish meat with the slightly sweet sauce was great!

Last savory dish served to us was Chinese Yam & Ribs Soup (PHP480). The ribs were on the bland side if eaten as is. It's best to have a bite of the meat with the sweet red dates. 

To cap our lunch, we had Golden Fried Bun with Condensed Milk (PHP120).

This dessert made me remember R as he is addicted to this. And just true to its description, the buns were fried to perfection. I'd definitely get an order of this for myself (no sharing!) in my next visit. 

Overall, I enjoyed my DaTang lunch. I had new favorites which I can't wait to have again. Till next time, DaTang!

DaTang is located at Ground Floor, Venice Grand Canal Mall, McKinley Hill, Taguig City.

Posted in: Mixed