Man Ho means Marriott in Cantonese. When the luxury hotel decided to open a premium restaurant serving the popular cuisine, they decided that the appropriate name would be their own, except translated into the ancient Chinese dialect. The restaurant itself is located at the bottom floor, next to the second lobby entrance. Large windows allows natural light to seep through a modern space with touches of traditional Chinese art.
Food at Man Ho does not stray away from traditional. However, the restaurant has found a way to give their food the certain care and attention that makes it worth a visit: they’ve hired seven Cantonese chefs to work on particular parts of their menu. A chef is assigned strictly on developing the dim sum, one chef is on Peking duck and roast goose duties, while others focus on their particular speciality. This has resulted to a fine dining experience of unpretentious dishes filled with flavour.
We recently dined at Man Ho and discovered three recommendations for your next visit:
1. The Bird’s Nest soup is the ideal starter for a heavy meal. The Cantonese delicacy is made out of edible bird’s nest swiftlets, solidified by using the animal’s saliva. Regularly, top quality nests are found and harvested before used for cooking. This has contributed to its status as being a rare ingredients to find, and one of the most expensive that human’s consume. In Man Ho, the bird’s nest is melted into a broth, resulting into a vibrant soup with a gelatin-like texture.
2. Soft and savory, the beef tenderloin with mushrooms in black pepper sauce is a meat lover’s dream. It is suggested to pair this protein-heavy dish with one of the restaurant’s fried rice options. Skillfully cooked in a single skillet, the combination of beef, mushrooms and bell peppers sautéed in an aromatic black pepper sauce will get diners to salivate as soon as they catch a whiff of it.
3. The crowd favorite at almost any Cantonese establishment is its selection of roast items. It is no different at Man Ho. Taking a peak into the kitchen and seeing chefs carefully cook a roast goose, seem almost ceremonial. A metal bar holds up the goose, as large spoons of hot oil are poured over it. This it a traditional way of preparing the bird, giving it its signature crunchy skin and tender meat. Keep in mind that the art of goose roasting includes not pouring too oil much as well, to avoid burning it. For ultimate roast lovers, it is recommended to order the roasted platter, which includes Peking duck, pork asado, soy chicken, century egg and jellyfish.
Man Ho is located at the Marriott Hotel Manila. For Reservations phone +63 2 988-9999.
Photography by Jeff Ong
READ OTHR FOOD RELATED STORIES…
