Clark Marriott Hotel takes it up a notch with the opening of its Wu Xing restaurant, the first in the Philippines, serving traditional Chinese cuisine and authentic Peking Duck. Wu Xing is also Marriott’s first F&B outlet brand ever to be introduced and launched within its global branding.
“Wu Xing is poised to be the newest dining destination not only for northern Luzon diners but also for Metro Manila,” Clark Marriott general manager Goeran Soelter said. “Now people have more reasons to make the trip to Clark.”
The restaurant is helmed by award-winning Chef Raymond Yeung who, besides a 30-year experience in Chinese cuisine, also graduated from a 5-year course at the Chinese Cuisine Training Institute (CCTI) Hong Kong in 2000 to further hone his craft.
“We tried the different and popular dishes in Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Hong Kong and got the best of them in developing the menu for Wu Xing,” said Chef Yeung.
Beijing cuisine puts its popular Peking duck on the forefront which is the main attraction in Wu Xing. The duck is sourced, of course, only from China, where creativity now find its way through the hands of Chef Yeung.
“Traditional Chinese cuisine was developed through almost 500 years of Chinese history. At Wu Xing, we follow the Beijing style of preparing and cooking our Peking duck using Clark Marriott’s specialized equipment,” Yeung added.
Traditional Beijing would mean marinating and roasting using star apple firewood to help bring out the flavors and aroma of the duck. This makes the meat extra tender and the skin crispy.
Wu Xing’s cuisine is all about the flavors reflecting the five elements—wood, fire, earth, water, and metal—that are found in the universe. This is showcased by the fine, elegant interior design of the restaurant in earthy hues with black finished to show sophistication.
The main dining room with thoughtfully planned interiors and furnishings has a total capacity of 106 guests in the main dining area. It also has five stately private dining rooms (with own private restrooms) that can accommodate from 6 up to 16 diners in a room, or a total of 48 guests at a given time. But let that take a side step as we feature the highlights of Wu Xing’s cuisine.
Roasted Peking Duck is served two-way—crispy skin and tender meat rolled in hot Chinese pancakes with cucumber, onion leeks and special Hoisin sauce. The remaining meat and bones then are served with a choice of scrumptious Duck Soup, Minced Duck wrapped in Romaine lettuce, Deep Fried Duck in Salt and Pepper, or Fried Rice with Duck Meat and Salted Olive. Our personal choice is the deep fried in salt and pepper.
Other delectable dishes that bring out the essence of Wu Xing are: The Giant Xiaolongbao that took up all the space of the bamboo dimsum basket,so it comes with a short paper straw for the soup; the delectable Char Siu Sou or Barbecue Pork Puff Pastry should not be missed; Crispy Soft Tofu with Hoisin Sauce dip is superb; Roasted Pork Belly (try it dip in mustard sauce) and Honey Glazed Barbecue Pork are one of the top sellers; and Hot & Sour soup with Har Gow ornamented with edible gold leaf strikes glitz and glamour.
In the Master Chef’s selection that we got to taste are the Deep Fried Tiger Prawns with Shrimp Mousse, and the surprising Deep Fried Enoki Mushroom. Braised Beef Cheek with Tofu in five spices was another star, followed by two choices of Fried Red Brown Rice (with egg white, barley, pickled radish and cashew nut), and the Sakura Fried Rice (with shrimp, pork belly, salted olive and soya sauce).
A peek at Wu Xing’s menu will show more appetizing dishes such as: Marinated Ox Tongue, Oven Roasted Pigeon, Wok-fried Duck Tongue, live seafood offerings of grouper, crab, shrimps, lobster, or sea mantis as well as familiar dishes like Kung Pao Chicken, and Ma Po Tofu.
The restaurant also offers the crown of Chinese gastronomy—the Buddha Jumps Over The Wall Seafood Soup at PhP2,880 a bowl as well as other exotic fare like Imperial Bird’s Nest Soup with Chicken Mousse Tofu, and for a much discerning diner, a Braised African Dried Abalone in Abalone Sauce is priced at P6,880 per 80g. The monicker already suggests how delicious it is so price won’t really matter.
These are just some of the fine food that makes that hour and a half road trip to Clark more palatable for lovers of Cantonese cuisine.
For inquiries and table reservations please contact +6345 598 5000 or visit its official Facebook page Wu Xing by Clark Marriott.
