The Phenomenal Mama: {Weekend Footnotes} Summer Palace + The Wholesome Table

Yesterday was Resurrection Sunday! I hope everyone found the time to say a short prayer of thanks to the Lord who died on the cross for us.

Happy Ressurection Sunday! Let's all remember that it's not about the bunny and the eggs... It's all about the Lamb. {John1:29 "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!} #RessurectionSunday #easter

A photo posted by The Phenomenal Mama (@thephenomenalmama) on Apr 4, 2015 at 8:39pm PDT

Anyhow, it's time for another Weekend Footnotes post as I share with you the meals which my family enjoyed.

Summer Palace

My in-laws usually go out of the country for Holy Week, but this year they decided to just stay put and enjoy a 3 day-staycation at Edsa Shangri-La. So one day during their stay there, we visited them and had dinner at the Chinese food outlet of the hotel, Summer Palace. Summer Palace is one of The Phenomenal Papa's fave Chinese restos. The food is always consistently good and the service is the best.

My husband ordered the Char Kwai Teo which is not on the menu, but the chef is a Malaysian Chinese, so if you request for this item, he will gladly prepare it for you even if it's off the menu. It's similar to hofan, which we all love, so naturally everyone loved this as well.

Shishamo is one of my fave items to order everytime we eat in a Japanese restaurant. I always have it grilled and then drizzled with calamansi and dipped in soy sauce before I take a mouthful. But this is my first time to order it in a Chinese restaurant, and have it fried with spicy salt. It's a different take but its yummy just the same. My daughter do not share my palate for this fish since this fish is serve with its roe intact. Good for me... mas konting kahati. teehee!

Scallops with Mushroom on Homemade Tofu. The homemade tofu of Summer Palace is a must-order everytime we eat there. It's very different from the silken tofu that we all know. This one is more savoury and is topped with seaweeds. This time around, the husband thought it better to order it with scallops to change things up a bit.

Fried Enoki mushroom with Mayonnaise. This one is good as an appetizer, but since it came in the middle of our meal, we ate it with rice na din. The kids all loved the crunchy texture. I just tried one, trying to stay away from too much fried foods.

Peking Duck Wraps. First way of our PekingDcuk

Pekling Duck on Lettuce Wraps. Second Way of the Peking Duck. This is a dish that is often served whenever we have Chinese lauriat dinner, but somehow the way it was cooked that night was sooo good. I was secretly thankful that they were enough leftovers to bring home. Ang sarap!

Fried Spareribs with Spicy Salt. Alam na kung sino ang nag-order! I almost freaked out when I saw that more than half of our dishes were fried. Ano ba? Obviously, the husband cant be trusted to be left alone when ordering our food. Teehee!

We were given a complimentary platter of buchi... which my kids wiped out in minutes. What's new, di ba?

The husband is a whisky aficionado, and has a growing collection at home. You couldn't be any happpier to see this that night.

Summer Palace
Second Floor, Tower Wing
Edsa Shangri-La
(63 2) 633 8888 ext. 2777 and 2739

The Wholesome Table

Right after Sunday worship, we headed to BGC for lunch at The Wholesome Table. It was a good thing we got there early and was able to get a nice table inside. I don;t think anyonw of us wants to eat al fresco in this scorching Manila summer.

I love the farm to table concept, and wouldn't mind paying premium for this. I appreciate that they indicate if a food is vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, nut free, gluten free, etc.

Chicken Dukkah Salad. A hearty salad made with dukkah coated grilled chicken, roasted squash, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, crumbled feta cheese and sunflower seeds, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. P460

Organic Mushrooms Fritters. Mozzarella-stuffed button mushrooms wrapped in our homemade Italian sausage, breaded and crisp-fried and served with a fresh cherry tomato passato. P340

Creamy White Bean Soup. White cannelini beans with leeks, onions, garlic, turkey sausage and creme faiche. P160 (shown on the extreme left)

Katipunan Ale. P290

Truffled Lapu-lapu. Pan-fried lapulapu with mustard cream sauce, parsley potatoes, arugula, onion relish, and lemon vinaigrette. P870

Meatloaf. Thick slices of homemade meatloaf served with creamy organic mashed potatoes and topped with bacon mushroom gravy. P580

Double Mushroom Melt. Two grass-fed beef patties, sautéed wild mushrooms, romaine lettuce, Fontina cheese, and rosemary mayo in a potato bun. P590