Amazing Jing for Life: My Gastronomic Experience at "Paradise Dynasty" in The Podium

I am a self-confessed fanatic of Chinese Cuisine. I am a foodie, yes, and I consider myself an adventurer when it comes to trying out and eating out different cuisines and varieties of food, even for the most unusual or exotic ones, but I guess, there will always be one or two that could really poke our taste buds and give much favor among the rest. With this, I do admit that one of my favorites in the international cuisine, is the Chinese food! I guess, it all rooted from my childhood, since my mom and dad are both excellent cooks, and they usually do Chinese cooking and prepare them on our dining table. Ahhh, I can still savor the smell and the taste, most especially the stir

-fried beef with veggies and sweet and sour fish fillet... so love it!

So today, I'll be sharing with you my Gastronomic experience I had during my dining at the plush Chinese Resto, the "Paradise Dynasty" located at the new Podium Mall in Ortigas.

Paradise Dynasty at the second level of the new Podium Mall

The very posh and cozy ambiance inside the Paradise Dynasty

When The Podium mall had finally opened its newly constructed area on the other side, I just had a thought of visiting it since, you know how we people think, right? We get to feel excited if there's anything new or we wanted to try the new place for ourselves, you know what I'm saying amazing peeps?! :) So when I finally get to step my feet on the new Podium mall, the first time I got through was the Chinese Restaurant called "Paradise Dynasty." As it name already implies, I got real curious of what they had to offer us that we can absolutely feel that we're dining in "paradise."

Anyway, to give you a brief background of the place...

HISTORY

The Paradise story began with a small spark that fired into great influence. The little spark began with Seafood Paradise – a humble 25-seater eatery in Defu Lane in 2002, which gained popularity with its sumptuous and reasonably-priced dishes. Spurred by this success, our founder Eldwin Chua opened a second outlet at the iconic Singapore Flyer to make Seafood Paradise a prominent showcase, and gained not just a local fan base, but an international crowd appreciative of Singapore seafood delights.

Staying firm to his belief in creating great food at good value for food lovers, Eldwin continues to grow the Paradise brand. Today, Paradise Group houses a total of 11 culinary concepts across 9 countries, serving customers at more than 30 restaurants in Singapore and 60 restaurants worldwide.

ABOUT PARADISE DYNASTY

Poised as a diners’ paradise for Oriental cuisine, Paradise Group offers gourmet menus of exceptional value in a wide variety of restaurant concepts together with a catering arm.

Promising a sensorial experience with service from the heart, every concept immerses the diner in an atmosphere that captures the finer points of Chinese culture, particularly the finest from its rich array of culinary delights.

True to our mission to improve, enhance and create for its our customers’ the ultimate experiential enjoyment, Paradise Group marries tradition with innovation – a match made in heaven.

Now that we've been know about Paradise Dynasty's background, I would now like to take you to a very delightful tour of their special Chinese dishes.

The Special Dynasty 8 Flavors of Xiao Long Bao for Php388.00

Touted as a world-first, Paradise Dynasty is proud to present eight first-of-its-kind legendary xiao long bao with flavours such as original (white), ginseng (green), foie gras (tangerine), black truffle, cheese (yellow), crab roe ( orange), garlic (light grayish) and Szechuan (red).

Note: For you to really enjoy and experience the distinct 8 flavors of the special Xiao Long Baos, just follow the chronological arrangement, taste the original first down to the Szechuan.

Proper way of Eating Xiao Long Bao:

Lift it out of the steamer basket by its strongest part, the topknot (use your spoon for support if needed.)
Resting its back on your spoon, nibble a small hole to let out of the steam.
Sip the tasty soup from the spoon.
Dip it gently into the dish with vinegar (add some ginger if you wish).
Enjoy! If you wish to savour the full flavor, you may want to eat it without the ginger and the vinegar.

Well, if you's ask me, I am kinda "rebellious" or "pasaway" in Tagalog, I started out with the Black Truffle because anything with a truffle is my "thing." :)) It was so tasty and very authentic, I must say, my next fave one was the garlic, then the cheese, also the crab roe, very tasteful actually and of course the garlic then the Szechuan, my least two flavors were ginseng and foie gras, please don't ask me why, just let it that way :))

Lettuce Roll with Homemade Sesame Sauce (not in photo) for Php288 for about 10 pcs./serving

This one, I gotta give to whoever made this very awesome pairing of lettuce and homemade sesame sauce. Kudos to the one who had skillfully rolled up those healthy and fresh lettuce. I never expected that I would enjoy eating these that much, huh?! I guess I had three of these and that homemade sesame sauce is really a must-try, Perfect match indeed!

Crispy Fried Crystal Prawns tossed with Salted Egg Yolk for Php588.00

Imagine how much salted egg yolk they had to consume and make a mixture of it to come up with a very tasteful and sinful dish such as this one. I could really tell how special this one is, I could really savour the salted egg yolk's flavor plus the prawn,,, ugh, so sinful yet heavenly. But I tell you, if you are a person having an unstable blood pressure, be mindful okay? Always eat and drink in moderation. And drink more Chinese tea when you're having this. :)

Kung Pao Chicken for Php298.00

If you are craving for a tasty yet saucy chicken with lots of textures, this one, you gotta have. This has given me enough reason to munch on more of my rice, no regrets actually since I really did enjoy the whole dish. More rice please....

Chilled Tofu with Century Egg for Php188.00 (pardon me for the missing pieces)

Since I am also a fan of Century Eggs, which I know some of you are not, I find this dish so fresh, healthy and fair. Why fair? Because you can combine it or pair it with any available dish you have on your dining table and still, it'll make a great option for pairing. The sauce is absolutely distinct and delish, once you try it, you'll get back over and over until it's done, promise!

Charcoal Custard Lava Bun for Php188.00 3 pcs./serving

Once opened it actually looks like this

For our dessert, we had the Charcoal Custard Lava Bun, here, we can apply the famous line, "Looks could be deceiving." or better yet, the famous saying, "Don't judge the book by its cover." As you can see, we're not used to having a desserts as dark as this one, :) but take note! Once you open it, you are welcoming a guilty pleasure that's synonymous to amazing! Can't you see the oozing and very tempting lava inside?! :))

That's it! I hope I was able to tease you errr clearly discuss with you my, dear amazing readers the gastronomic and paradise-feels I had in Paradise Dynasty. The place is so wholesome, you can come and dine in with your family, loved ones or friends. They also have function or private rooms for special events or if you just want to have more privacy while dining. The food is so special and the value for money is just right. As of now, they have two branches, aside from The Podium branch, they also have one in 2/L, S Maison, Conrad Hotel, Mall of Asia Complex Pasay City, Philippines (first branch).