Chinese o’clock
This new restaurant reminds us that comforting Chinese food is always a good idea.
The thing about going on a night out is that you’ll never really know what can happen. You have to mentally prepare yourself for all the possibilities like, IDK, ending up in a casino? (Only if you’re 21 years old and above, kids.) Regardless of what happens along the way, ending the night (or starting the morning early) with Chinese food is always a good idea.
Located at the upper ground level of the retail area in City of Dreams (COD) Manila lies what may be the coziest casual Chinese restaurant — Jing Ting. It’s the fourth Chinese restaurant in the COD complex that’s open to the public, but there are a lot of things that make it different from Crystal Dragon, Noodl8, and Crystal Lounge.
Jing Ting means little house or resting place, and it is inspired by “Hutongs” — a part of Beijing’s culture of people hanging out and building relationships. Since the restaurant is a few steps away from City of Dreams’ Chaos night club, Pangaea, and casino area, it aims to be of the same comfort. Besides the fact that it’s open ’til 4 a.m. (yup, you read that right) for you to chill out and rest your aching feet from all the walking and dancing, the warm and cozy interiors make for a great breather. Think: cherry blossoms, moody light fixtures, and really spacious booths.
But even if you’re not in the Pasay area, Jing Ting’s take on Chinese cuisine alone is enough to get you driving towards that end of the south. It ain’t your usual siomai and hakaw place — it specializes in Northern Chinese cuisine that has bold and savory flavors, and comprises mostly of meat and wheat-based noodles and dumplings. A real standout is the “Xinjiang Style” spicy lamb skewer, which is cooked to perfection and served with a blend of cumin spices on the side. The “Genghis Khan” prime beef short ribs and the crispy five spices eggplant (with lots of pork floss!) are also some of the favorites. But if you’re up for something light, their chilled honey and red bean cake might just be what you’re craving for.
But no Chinese food is more comforting than a big hot bowl of noodles and a hefty serving of dumplings. Even if you go there in the wee hours of the morning, it shouldn’t be a problem since Jing Ting’s chef Allan can whip up a bowl of hand-pulled wheat noodles in just two minutes. The noodle options are plentiful, but you can never go wrong with a clear chicken soup or beef broth. Did we mention chef Allan can also make 600 dumplings in an hour? You can even watch him make them by hand through the open kitchen all while you devour as much as 30 pieces of dumplings in a single order. They have the classic Beijing pork “Jiao Zi”, but the poached pork and kimchi “Jiao Zi” dumpling is a must-try as well.
Flavor and ingredients are really at the heart of comforting Chinese food, but Jing Ting highlights more than just that. With a strategic location, great ambiance, accommodating operation hours, big servings, and reasonable prices, Jing Ting lets us indulge and even makes us want to stay awhile.
Jing Ting is located at the UG level of the retail area in City of Dreams Manila, Pasay City. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. For inquiries, email guestservices@cod-manila.com, or visit www.cityofdreamsmanila.com