The Famous Lugang Cafe, Greenhills

I've been itching to post since I woke up, and no, I'm not exaggerating. My internet has been down since I came home from church and it's been such a pain. I haven't been able to do schoolwork that much either cause it's crucial for me to utilize the internet for facebook ideas and stuff like that. Now that it's back (7 hours later)- this is the first thing I'm doing!

I think the lights are gorgeous!

Well Lugang Cafe has everyone talking. Some say they're popular for their dumplings, Xiao Long Bao in particular, and others say the desserts give people a run for their money. I'm here to tell you that it's frankly a bit of both.

Even at 10pm, you've got to admit, the place was pretty packed!

I love the interior which radiates a posh and modern atmosphere although it might not be suitable for those lengthy lunches and conversations (it's heaps echoey and noisy cause of the high ceiling!). Other than that, I find the place quite refreshing from the typical Chinese/East Asia restaurant atmosphere. The waitstaff are very efficient, they had recommendations here and there too. 

Steamed Pork and Vegetable Dumplings!
They were sooooo good!

Our appetizer comes in the form of Steam Pork and Vegetable dumplings. I loved them cause the vegetables are under minded like they usually are! I thought the dish was lovely, well thought, and refined.

3 Cup Chicken!
The smell of basil was fragrant and definitely out there!

Mains were 3 Cup Chicken and Crab Rice Congee. The 3 cup chicken, why 3 cup? It's 1 cup soy sauce, 1 cup Xiao Tsing Wine Rice Wine, and 1 cup sesame oil. And for those reasons, I was expecting the dish to be a bit saucy, not the dry looking things that they were. The flavors needed to be infused more cause at some point, it would be right on the lines of bland. There was some basil in the pot which I thought was a rather nice touch cause it infused the chicken ever so subtly.

Crab that looked like he was drowning in congee.

The crab congee was just fine. Like it's okay, it's fine, it's a little bit boring. The rice were not whole grains, they were slightly ground- perhaps it would contribute to a faster cooking time? I've got no idea but it irritated me. Plus the broth used to cook the congee didn't have any hint of seafood at all which was disappointing. This dish was a total downer even though it's one of their specialties, if I recall correctly!

The Bellagio and Kris behind it!

My portion- for now!

What meal would be complete without dessert? For the ultimate calorie splurge/experience, we had The Bellagio which was a towering cone shaped dessert which consists of shaved ice, taro balls, red beans, pearls, sweet potato, and pretty much every Chinese thing that you reckon a dessert would have! It was good, but not great. It was quite an experience though- having 3 people eat a dessert that was good for 6! Something similar to it would be Meet Fresh does more justice for Asian Desserts!




Lugang Cafe


155 Connecticut St. Greenhills
San Juan, Metro Manila
T: +632 721 9100
+632 570 9011