Red Lantern Lights The Way To Authentic Chinese Flavors at Solaire Resort & Casino

The very best of China's diverse regional flavors take the spotlight at Solaire Resort & Casino's Red Lantern...

From suckling pig to Peking duck and authentic dimsum, you'll find all your favorites at the elegant Red Lantern with its wide array of Chinese regional dishes. Just let Red Lantern light the way to experience and savor the best regional flavors of China at Solaire Resort & Casino... 

Executive Chef Jack Ang (R) recreates classic regional dishes with the finest and freshest ingredients for real, honest and authentic flavors. Authenticity is, after all, essential in recreating the rich culinary heritage of one of the world's most popular cuisines. And Executive Chef Jack Ang is up to the task with his elegant dishes.

Inside Red Lantern, the amber lights add an ethereal glow to one of many private rooms, perfect for intimate gatherings. It's a dramatic setting for an authentic Cantonese feast.

As Executive Chef Jack Ang made his recommendations for our dinner, the courteous staff served richly seasoned boiled peanuts for starters. The Red Lantern Iced Tea (R) topped with a tart calamansi sorbet is the perfect beverage to open up your palate for the epic feast prepared by Executive Chef Jack Ang.

Our authentic Cantonese feast began with Executive Chef Jack Ang's comforting Fresh Crab Meat and Winter Melon Soup (P 420), a thick and hearty soup with succulent chunks of crab adding a briny sweetness with every sip. The flavors are subtle and delicate, warming both your palate and body.

As we wait for the main courses, we were served the Crispy Fish Skin & Cucumber with Sweet Basil Sauce (P 530), with the light and crisp texture of the deep-fried fish skin delivering delectable and tasty salty notes balanced by the refreshing cucumber. A flavorful starter, this one would be perfect with an ice-cold beer.

Then, the mains arrived, starting with the impressive Peking Duck (P 5,200 Whole/P 2,600 Half), one of the signature dishes at Red Lantern. The dish is presented by the staff before preparing it in two ways...

The duck is delicately carved by the staff on one side of the table for the first of two ways, wrapped in pancakes. Just watching the staff carve the whole duck with precision and skill is an experience in itself. Each slice is then laid on the soft pancakes topped with the other ingredients...

...and then served on a large bamboo steamer. The rich and savory notes of the sliced duck wrapped in soft pancakes come through with balanced flavors without overwhelming the palate. One more piece, followed by another, you just can't stop...

The remainder of the duck is then minced and served. The stir-fried duck meat served on lettuce offers equally rich flavors, capped by the refreshing crispness of the garden-fresh lettuce. The layers of complex flavors are delicately balanced, with each note from the different ingredients combining in a seamless blend.

But Executive Chef Jack Ang has even more flavorful surprises up his sleeves. The Deep-Fried Butter Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk (P 1,280 Small/P 2080 Medium/P 2,980 Large) combines the briny sweetness of plump prawns with the distinct notes of salted egg for yet another tasty dish at Red Lantern. Each bite delivers an audible snap, a sure sign of the freshness of the prawns.

The robust notes of fork-tender beef is highlighted with the Chinese Style Pan-Fried Beef Fillet Steak with mushrooms topped with fresh scallions (P 1,480 Small/P 2,280 Medium/P 2,980 Large). The bold beefy notes are kicked up by the thick and sweet sauce, followed by the earthy hints of the mushrooms and the clean flavors of the scallions for that perfect finish.

But there's just one more dish to complete our dining experience at Red Lantern. The Dong Po Style Pyramid Pork Belly with Mantou (P 1,680), with its intricate yet elegant presentation is an absolute must-try. Each layer of the pork belly is ornately arranged and stacked into a distinctive pyramid cone shape draped in a rich sauce. It's a visual feast in itself, but it gets a whole lot better when you place a strip of pork belly on soft and warm mantou...

The pillow-soft mantou absorbs all the flavors of the Dong po style pork and its rich sauce white retaining its form all the way to the last bite. The pork belly just melts in your mouth coating your palate with a savory richness and subtle sweet hints. One more piece? Absolutely.

No meal at red Lantern is complete without fried rice, and the Red Lantern Yang Chow Fried Rice (P 510 Small/P 760 Medium/P 1,100 Large) pairs well with the signature mains. Extra rice? Yes, please.

An indulgent trio of desserts capped our dinner at Red Lantern, with (L-R) Deep-Fried Kataifi Roll with Avocado Paste (P 180), Chilled Snow Lady with Mango (P 260), and Chilled Lemongrass Jelly with Calamansi Aloe Vera. The Chilled Lemongrass Jelly is sweet and comforting, cleansing the palate with its mildly tart notes from the calamansi while the Chilled Snow Lady with Mango is light yet decadently rich.

But it's the Deep-Fried Kataifi Roll with Avocado Paste that impressed me the most, offering both flavor and textural contrasts with every crunchy bite. Impressed, Red Lantern is definitely one of the must-try dining outlets at Solaire Resort & Casino. Need some illumination on authentic Chinese regional cuisine? Just let Red Lantern light the way...

Red Lantern is located at Solaire Resort & Casino, 1 Asean Avenue, Entertainment City, Tambo, Paranaque City or call 632-888-8888 for reservations and inquiries. 

Dude for Food is now on Facebook and Instagram, check out the FB Page and IG Feed for regular updates on good eats. Better yet, click "Like" and "Follow" and enjoy the ride...just look for the FB and IG widgets on the right sidebar.