Often, ambiance comes as a second thought to most when looking for good food. But there are times it can enhance the dining experience. Take, for instance, a visit to Marco Polo’s Lung Hin restaurant in Ortigas. Located on the 44th floor of the award-winning hotel, the restaurant grants one a view of the booming business district. To match the excellent view, Lung Hin has also introduced some new menu items to excite your palate.

At the helm of our culinary experience was Lung Hin’s executive chef for Chinese cuisine, Raymond Yeung. He’s quite an enthusiastic fellow. His passion for the culinary arts was evident as he explained each new dish and the process behind preparing it. As a special treat, he even held a live cooking demonstration of one of the meals to show how much care goes into the food prep.

First and foremost, the staple of any Asian restaurant fried rice. We were served fried rice with roasted pork belly and soy sauce. It’s a feast on its own, requiring just the right amount to not overpower the other dishes served. Just looking at the different dishes was enough to relieve hunger. In all its golden brown glory, the signature roasted goose was a delight to chew through. It wasn’t as gamey as one would expect.

Then, there was the braised spike sea cucumber and foie gras. While the sea cucumber served felt like a new and exotic taste, the foie gras left a strong kick to the taste buds. It’s the kind of flavor that lasts a while. It had worked in its favor as its taste was immaculate. Other dishes served were the baked chicken with Himalayan salt and braised slipper lobster with porcini. The salt elevated the dish’s simple taste, whereas the lobster and porcini mix made a good blend.

Finally, the highlight of the lunch was the pan-fried Wagyu beef with black pepper and barbecue sauce. This was the dish Chef Yeung had done a live demonstration for. As he explained the cooking process and placed each ingredient, it was a sight that left our mouths watering. Once served, it was pure bliss, soft and had small bursts of flavor with every bite. Plus, the black pepper and barbecue sauce brought the dish to another level. It was just the right amount of sweet and savory. Of all the dishes served, this was the clear winner based on how empty the plate was afterward.
You can try out these dishes and other new menu items from the Lung Hin restaurant on the 44th floor of Marco Polo Ortigas.