Luk Foo: Quick Chinese Fix

Saturday, November 12, 2011
For regular readers of my blog, I will look like a big liar for always telling that I try my best to veer away from Chinese cuisine. However as much as I honestly avoid eating anything Chinese, being born Chinese, will deem it inevitable.

Last Sunday was like any other Sundays, except that we weren't able to prepare and cook for dinner. And what's a family without cooked food by 6PM to do? Yes, eat out. Ours though was in a Chinese restaurant as expected.

We live within the sunken industrial CAMANAVA region, and my parents are quite impatient when it comes to eating out. So instead of checking the resto-filled areas in Quezon City, we just settled for Luk Foo Cantonese Kitchen in Monumento, Caloocan.


We are already regulars in this Chinese restaurant. My dad would often eat lunch here with some friends. My mom would normally grab a takeout order of Pancit Canton for merienda. My date and I, on the other hand, would usually order cold cuts and dimsum for late evening dinners.

But despite the countless times we've been to Luk Foo, the restaurant still exudes the same homey elegance which has been welcoming us for the past 2 years already, along with the friendly servers who greet us with a familiar smile.

Our dinner at Luk Foo usually starts with an order of their Special Cold Cuts Combination. However this time we skipped it in fear of taste fatigue, so we started with Hot Sour Soup (P250) instead, the soup choice we always opt to order in Chinese restaurants.


Luk Foo's Hot Sour Soup is a great Chinese starter. The soup is rich and thick, generously filled with meat, mushroom, bamboo shoots and tofu. Its taste is of a harmonious mix of spicy and sour -- a truly delicate yet powerful blend of red peppers and vinegar.

We also ordered some Hakaw or Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (P80) which is soft dough shell-covered shrimps.


As lovely as this delicate cockle-shaped dimsum looks, it was not as flavorful as we've wanted. The dough is soft, yet it didn't compete quite well with the ones we had at Hong Kong Emperor.

Instead of ordering their Yang Chow Fried Rice like we always do, we veered away from the common and got their Luk Foo Fried Rice (P270).


The Luk Foo Fried Rice tasted quite similar to Yang Chow, except that the former has various toppings -- asado, roasted duck, fish fillet, broccoli and nuts. It was actually a complete meal on its own as it was a mixture of rice, meat, fish and veggies.

My dad love their Roasted Duck (P320), so we ordered one.


The meat was tender and moist, juicy and very flavorful. However, my dad was quite disappointed since the skin lacked the slight crispiness that he likes. He even teased the manager for the inconsistent quality of the Roasted Duck, sharing that the last time he ordered for the same dish, its skin had a beautiful crisp.

We also had an order of their Salt and Pepper Spareribs (P260), one of the few on my Chinese food favorites.


Although I didn't expect it to be as flavorful as King Chef's Spareribs with 8 Spices, I found it a little underseasoned. The meat was quite overcooked too -- total opposite of the way I want it.

My family and I didn't order and eat as much as we would usually do. But my little sister and I still had our regular drink, Watermelon Shake (P65) -- oldie, but goodie.


THE VERDICT

Being a regular at Luk Foo, I can't help but be a little more nitpicky with the quality of their food. For the 2 years we have been frequenting this Chinese restaurant, we have already tasted some of the best they can offer. However, it must've been hard for them to maintain a consistent standard when it comes to cooking. Probably due to the inevitable employee turnover. But nonetheless, throughout the years, we have received a consistent warm and commendable service which is why we keep visiting the restaurant again and again and again.

Taste - 3.5/5
Ambiance - 4.5/5
Service - 4.5/5
Price - 4/5
Overall Value - 4/5


Luk Foo Cantonese Kitchen, Monumento
G/F of Puregold, Samson Rd.
Caloocan City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 365-4978

22 comments:

  1. We always eat at luk foo when we go to duty free and so far so good there. I always order hot and sour soup too! Our family always order the roasted duck. A roasted duck without crispy skin is a disappointment. =(

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  2. @Tsinoy Foodies: You're right. Good thing, I enjoyed the duck's meat.. :)

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  3. salt n pepper spareribs looks yummy! mabuti ka pa you can eat everything you want. lagi ako diet e. Sis, ano lasa ng roasted duck?Para kasing di ko kya kumain nun. thanks!

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  4. I think there's a fave Chinese resto that every Filipino family goes to. Ours is Toho in Binondo. =)

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  5. @Kath: If you're on a diet sis, you might want to skip roasted duck.. XD It's delicious though, taste somewhat similar to chicken but richer in flavor. The meat is more moist din. Kaya lang it has high fat content.

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  6. hmmnnn.. I live in Sangandaan-City Hall area.. lapit lang....but I haven't tried Luk-Foo..hee..

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  7. I miss Chinese food. ^_^ Especially dim sum and hot and sour soup.

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  8. Great photos, as usual! Are there other branches of Luk Foo? We want to try it. :)

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  9. @Ces:Yes sis! :) They also have branches in Commonwealth, E. Rodriguez, Las Piñas, Mindanao Ave. and Parañaque. You can try Googling them up for their exact locations :)

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  10. ay masarap dito... na blog ko na rin about this resto.. medyo di ko lang gusto yung service nila medyo mabagal sila...

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  11. Can't wait to try those delicious dishes, Mindanao ave. was it in QC?

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  12. I love chinese dishes, but I've never been to Luk Foo (also because I live a bit far from Caloocan). But if I were to visit this restaurant, I would probably try the Yang Chow Fried Rice and the S&P spareribs. Your snapshots of these were already winners for me! =)

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  13. most of Asian restos here are chinese restos. but i still miss our chinese restos there in the phils. they are so flavorful

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  14. the influence of CHINESE dishes to FILIPINOS is overwhelmingly accepted and we somehow care to live with their traditions as well.

    WOW! SAWAP to the max!

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  15. I had Chinese food for dinner tonight, and this left me drooling for more!

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  16. We love duck, my daughter especially that when I visit the Asia shop, I buy those marinated ones and grill them at home...yummy! One of the rice dishes I learned to cook because the whole loves is Yang Chow...now I think Im gonna cook that!

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  17. Wow, this is so near lang, I'll definitely try the place! Thanks for this post---naka discover ako ng bagong place to bond with girl friends:)

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  18. Luk Foo in Monumento is a favorite of one of our wedding godfathers. The locations of Luk Foos is always in Puregold, I think, so after grocery shopping, it's ideal to have dinner right there. :-)

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  19. Tried and tested yummy ang chinese food...

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  20. great shoot of the food that makes me hungry!i could go this place its more near here in bulacan

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  21. Luk Foo in Monumento is one of our family's go to restaurant whenever we crave for Cantonese cooking. Aside from being near from where we live, the food and service are always topnotch.

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